A Visitor to the Future - 143 - Open Sky, Open Discussion
Walking in the outdoors of Mars was strange at first. Once I got used to the helmet and suit, which were comfortable enough, some of that strangeness vanished - but not all of it. It was more the fact that my brain couldn't quite process what I was doing. Yes, there'd been the long travel here, the descent down the space elevator, the walking through the airlock - and all the routines of life that came with it. Still, it didn't quite seem real. Weirdly, I felt like I was cheating the system. Who was letting me just take a walk on Mars? There'd been no visible passport control or customs to restrict my access here. We'd effectively gotten on a ship, docked at the space elevator, and been let free on the surface of Mars to do what we will. Some part of me knew that the Consortium must be tracking and exchanging the relevant information in the background, but the strangeness remained.
The general hustle and bustle around here definitely helped the adjustment period. The population out here had needs, just the same as the population inside sealed environments. Toilets and support pack resupply points were the first essentials pointed out to me by Sarkona. Then shops, cafes, and so on. There was even an open-air market in full swing, maintained by locals and various nomadic traders who accepted no money, only your attention span. Sarkona went off to check out a stall on the outskirts while I talked with one of the traders, a CI who immediately identified me as someone new to Mars. He claimed he hadn't been inside a sealed environment for more than two years. He also made sure that I left with one of his sculptures - a palm-sized figure of a masked, lithe humanoid of some kind, armed with a hammer. The figure's hair was beautifully carved, giving the impression of long and flowing locks.
"Is that a warda?" Sarkona asked as we regrouped.
"I honestly don't know," I said, "That trader was so nice, I'd have walked away with anything he gave me. I'm just glad he didn't try to give me one of their larger sculptures. What's a warda?"
"It's a sort of good luck charm. You see the hammer it's wielding? That's for smashing gremlins."
"Gremlins? Like, little monsters?"
"Yes! Martians don't like gremlins interfering with their machinery. Super bad. wardas keep them away. Or so the legend goes."
I laughed, "That sounds almost superstitious!"
"Oh, it definitely is. I've known Mars folk who swear by them. An ex of mine always tapped theirs before getting into any vehicle - it was almost a ritual. Someone must have started the whole tradition at some point. I can imagine some long-gone Mars colonist clinging to anything that might make them feel safer among failing machinery."
"That makes sense," I said. I'd had enough of silly rituals of my own to understand. "On another note, is it me, or are there a lot more CIs out here?"
"There are!" Sarkona said in response, "See all the CI workshops nearby? There's a lot of the same energy we saw inside - in the same way that people can be late for their bio-dev appointments, you can see CIs running late to see their engineers."
"Is there a particular reason they're out here, as opposed to inside? Surely it's harder to maintain equipment, or get issues fixed, out here."
"You'd be surprised. Appropriately designed CI bodies aren't as susceptible to the native environment of Mars as we are. Most issues can be resolved without using a cleanroom. The only time a CI really needs one is if they need work doing on the sealed mind unit or the connections to or from it - those are delicate areas that can't be easily fixed. In comparison, getting any significant part of Mars into any part of our bodies would be super bad."
"Ah, I think you've explained something for me - Anode isn't rated for Mars surface exposure, right? So she'd have to be maintained in an indoor environment and wear an EV suit outside."
"Yes, her sensory electronics aren't designed to operate at low temperatures. She had to wear a thermal suit to visit Svalbard on Earth. She looked adorable - it had the fluffiest hood. Regolith's synthetic muscle fibers might struggle too, I don't often see that technology used in low temperatures."
That solved one question, but not another. "Tungsten is rated for surface exposure though - he's got seals and everything - and he wears a suit anyway?"
"Tungsten really doesn't like getting dusty. I'd suggest you talk to him about it at some point, he's quite vocal about his upbringing when asked."
"I will."
We continued our walk until we came upon an open area lined with tables. A few groups of people were engaged in discussion - a fact only obvious by looking at the movement of their mouths and occasional body language.
"Forum," said Sarkona, picking up on my gaze, "They're talking on an open channel, if you want to listen in."
I did so, and was immediately assaulted by voices - there were multiple ongoing discussions. I chose one being conducted in English, and immediately picked up on the heated tone of the discussion.
"...not my point. I'm saying it's an example of the tyranny of the majority," said one synthetic voice.
"Tyranny is an overexaggeration," came a strongly accented reply, "It is simply an activity that is restricted for the benefit of that majority. You speak as if this is an outright ban."
I looked around to match up the speakers to the voices. The group in question consisted of three figures were seated at a table. A teenage human, probably over six foot tall, was seated facing me. That was fortunate, as his two companions were CIs with no visible mouths. I'd have had a much harder time guessing who the conversation belonged to otherwise - though I could have just asked the Consortium.
"Too emotive," said a third voice judgementally, "You both know this. Tyranny of the majority, Cadmi? A suitable expression for a framing statement, but not in direct debate. And Teller -"
"I didn't refute," said the human, Teller. He looked around sixteen or seventeen years of age, "I rebuked. Sorry, Lisdana."
"Good! So you can learn!" said the third voice - Lisdana - sarcastically. "Cadmi, tell me how any of what you just said aligns with the Rule of Debate."
"Uh," said Cadmi, "Hmm. Yeah. I see your point. I didn't really say anything useful."
There seemed to be a momentary break in the conversation, so I introduced myself.
"Hi," I said, "I'm new to Forums. Can I join you?"
"Seyho," greeted Lisdana, giving me a two-fingered wave with one of her hands, "You are welcome, and in good company. These two are obviously also new to Forums."
Teller raised his arms in exasperation, and I could see his frustrated expression through his helmet, "Six months isn't new!"
Cadmi waggled their head - a common CI equivalent of a shrug, "I suppose it is, in comparison to Lisdana. I've only been at this for two weeks. Lisdana is mentoring us in the Forum arts."
"Mentoring you in debate, Cadmi. If you call it the Forum Arts, it seems like sorcery," scorned Lisdana, "Cast it, you may have a better chance of picking up sorcery at this rate."
"Cast it?" I asked - I hadn't heard that expression before.
"You're right, I shouldn't curse before such impressionable minds," said Lisdana, tone teasing, "Though if they were impressionable, that might make my life easier."
"No, we're hopeless," said Cadmi, "So many rules."
"One! There is only one rule!" said Lisdana, frustrated. Her faceplate had human-looking blue eyes and a browpiece which rose when she was particularly emotional, but she had no nose or mouth.
"Brisk," responded Cadmi, a use of the word I wasn't familiar with, "The Rule of Debate, and all the unwritten rules after that."
"What is the Rule of Debate?" I asked.
Lisdana pointed to a sign behind me - it faced inward toward the Forum, so I'd missed it when I came in. In four different languages, only two of which I was proficient in, it said 'We are all here to learn.'
"Lisdana points to that sign a lot with us," said Cadmi, laughing. Teller's smile suggested that this verbal sparring wasn't uncommon between them, and in good fun.
"Well, at least that is not uncommon. Anyone can slip up in the course of expressing a point," said Lisdana, "But these two are still firmly in the business of winning, not debating. Teller, what is the difference between the two?"
Teller rolled his eyes, and then robotically receited, "Trying to win a debate is not true debate. True progress occurs when people stop trying to win and start trying to learn."
"That's one of the unwritten rules," said Cadmi.
"No! No it is not!" said Lisdana, a note of exasperation in her voice. "It is still the Rule of Debate! 'We are all here to learn'. Not win, learn."
"Oh," said Cadmi, "Brisk. This is what you were talking about earlier."
"Brisk," responded Lisdana in kind, "The Rule has many meanings depending on where the emphasis is placed, by design. Listen carefully to the following sentence, and pay attention to where I put the emphasis. 'We are all here to learn.' Cadmi, what might I mean by that?"
"To learn? That we learn while we're here?"
"Yes! Good! Newcomer, if I were to stress 'We are all here to learn'?"
I was surprised by the question, but it had an obvious answer, "Everyone - the participants, the spectators, the moderators - like I'm doing right now, actually."
"That's one correct view," confirmed Lisdana, "That stress of the Rule also has another - it guards against advocates who have already formed their own conclusions. It encourages everyone to listen to each other."
"How is the rule enforced?" I asked.
"That's the job of moderators. I'm moderating for Cadmi and Teller as part of their mentoring," said Lisdana, "If a real debate skidded on the dust, the moderator would caution the participants. If they continued to do so, the moderator would stand up and leave the table. That shows that the debate is no longer part of the Forum - it is just a discussion or argument. A necessary part of orderly discussion."
"Just saying, that sounds a lot like another rule," said Cadmi cheekily.
"A tradition, a guideline, or standard, yes - but not a rule," responded Lisdana, "Because in theory it is possible to have a debate that follows the Rule without a moderator. The Rule exists above the other rules. Make sense?"
Cadmi looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Brisk brisk," they said in quick succession. Did that mean they understood?
Lisdana also nodded, satisfied, "Back to the matter at hand, then. Do you both want to tell our spectator about the points you were debating?"
Teller spoke up first, "We were debating the surface plants regulations. Cadmi is pro-reform, and I'm against it. For the purposes of the debate, you know."
"I'm very new to Mars. Could you explain a bit more?" I asked.
"Sure," said Teller, "When Governance had the vote on terraforming Mars, people voted against it. They wanted to try and keep Mars close to the state it exists in naturally. But that meant Mars-native surface plants made using bio-dev were no longer legal to grow on the surface. The Consortium has been hunting down these plants ever since. Oh, and the bacteria cultures too."
"Yeah," continued Cadmi, "And though people still grow them in sealed environments, there are some people who'd like to grow them on the surface. But that might have an impact on the climate in the long term, so they can't. Rumor has it that there are some secret gardens anyway - you can find them if you know where to look. But it'd be bad if plant strains started growing all over the planet. I mean, Mars is way past the contamination threshold, but still."
"The contamination threshold?" I asked, "What's that?"
"Oh, it means that over hundreds of years, people have contaminated Mars with bacteria, viruses - all sorts of microscopic life. So scientists find it hard to tell if any of the life we find on the surface of Mars today is native or the result of that contamination, or the result of evolution from that contamination unless they find something really unique about it. That's why there's things like the Europa Environment Project - to stop any contamination and find any native life that does exist there."
The Europea Environment Project was familiar - Sarkona had mentioned it before. "So that's why there's no bio-dev plants on the surface of Mars?" I asked.
"Brisk, except the hidden gardens."
"If they exist," said Teller, "Sounds like a conspiracy to me."
"Thank you both, good overviews," said Lisdana, "I think you're both due to return to Silverbirch. I'd like to see your research at the end of the week, if you've got time. If not, by next Wednesday is fine. And though this has been a frustrating session, I think you're both making good progress. We'll speak soon."
"Nice to meet you," said Cadmi, giving me a two-fingered wave before standing up and leaving the table. Teller gave me a nod and followed his friend.
"Any interest in seeing a more experienced debate?" asked Lisdana, "And your companion too, I see you hiding back there."
"I'd love to," I said as Sarkona joined me.
"Before we move on to the experienced tables, you might enjoy this. Listen in over there," Lisdana pointed.
At a table not too far away, two CIs were being watched by a human moderator and had gathered quite a crowd. They were midway through a heated debate in Human, slinging insults and quite a few curses at each other, some of which I knew and many I did not. Interestingly, the moderator did nothing but look bored.
"And another thing," said one of the participants, "The state of your argument suggests you have not prepared for this one jot! I can see your notes from here - they say, 'put useful information here', but there is only a blank space!"
"Rust. Sheer rust!" responded the other, shocked, though they hid their tablet ineffectively with one hand, "I'll have you know I learned never to neglect my responsibilities from my parent, one of the finest bio-devs in all of Equitor! Sol rest his soul."
Bizzarely, the other participant nodded in respect, "My deepest respects! Of what did he die?"
"Old age."
The interaction seemed extremely weird, almost surreal, and I was forced to wonder why the moderator was not saying something. The answer became apparent as I scanned the faces of the crowd - the observers were laughing. It finally dawned on me - it was some form of comedy! I quickly tuned into the crowd as well, picking up on the laughter.
"Well, if there is one thing we can agree, it is that humans are weak and fallible," said the first participant.
This finally caused the human 'moderator' to stir from their inaction, flip the table, and walk off in a huff, a reaction which brought a lot of laughter. The three from the table gathered, bowed to the applauding crowd, and then began talking among themselves on a closed channel - perhaps preparing their next bit.
"Parody is welcomed at the Forum, provided it is presented as such," explained Lisdana, "These three in particular. Nothing quite casts light upon the ridiculousness of an argument as humor. Note their example - the inverse of what a good debate looks like. I like those three, they're good regular debaters too. Now, how about an actual debate?"
I spent the next hour observing some of the more experienced members in structured debate. There seemed to be no limit to the conversations in progress - one table was discussing which layouts best contributed to the happiness of underground residents. Another was considering the legality of protection drones and the use of them outside Consortium space. Not all the tables were dealing with such lofty matters, either - there was a smaller table discussing how they might best make use of a recently vacated space in Mizcur. Lisdana helpfully provided accompanying context where necessary. After a time, though, I felt we'd become distracted from what we'd came out here to do - go for a walk, so we said goodbye and went on our way.
"I really should have done this sooner," I said, "I feel like I shouldn't have had to visit another planet to finally get around to visiting a Forum in process."
Sarkona shrugged, "You've got time while you're here. Though I'm honestly happy you got to experience a Mars Forum for your first visit. I've always preferred the atmosphere of Mars-based Forums."
"Why is that?" I asked.
Sarkona's brow furrowed, "I'm actually not sure. I feel like public Forums are a greater part of Mars culture than Earth. Sure, you'll find a Forum space in most Earth cities, but there's a Forum space in nearly every Mars settlement, no matter how small. I know that a higher portion of Governance requests on Mars stem directly from Forum debates. So I guess Mars Forums feel more impactful. Maybe that's just my impression, though. It's hard to say. Oh, also among communities that make active use of their Forums, there's less demand for Arbiters."
"I suppose that makes sense," I said, "If you can settle an argument between yourselves, you wouldn't need an Arb-"
The point I was making was interupted as something abruptly collided with my head, and I began to fall toward the ground.
Previous | Discuss on reddit | Next (Coming soon!)