A Visitor to the Future - 145 - Pause at Aster
I fell asleep in the dronecraft.
I wasn't too happy about that, given how enthusiastic I'd been to see more of Mars. But our walk and socialising had taken far longer than we'd been expecting, and stretching my legs had tired me out. Not to mention that the flight was a long one. By the time I woke up again, it was dark, and there wasn't much to see from the viewing window apart from the occasional lights of a settlement in the distance.
My sleepiness paid off on the way into Aster - which unlike Mizcur positively sprawled over the surface.
Take some of the largest and most vibrant jewels you can imagine and scatter them over uneven ground in the dead of night. Next, fracture some large quartz crystals into irregular spikes and set these upright to form the towers. Add a pinch of silver to highlight the coarse edges. Illuminate all the gems from below so that they cast contrasting hues over the landscape. Drape the result in the purest white silk. Support that silk with a fine latticework of connecting spokes. The result would not be too far from a long-distance view of Aster in the dead of light.
Upon closer inspection the towers were dominated by triangular, transparent windows - which gave the fractured surface impression I had gained at a distance. These tessellated together, resulting in interlocking patterns which were a delight to trace with the eye.
As I was taking that in I picked out people in the windows, and realised that my sense of scale had been way off. Everything was even larger than I had imagined. With that connection made, I began to look for smaller windows and airlocks - which confirmed just how far off my initial impression had been. Just how tall were these towers? Taller than the ones I'd seen on Earth? Did the microgravity make vertical construction easier? The questions kept coming.
I wondered how many people might live here, bringing out my tablet to query the Consortium.
Eleven. Million.
Eleven million people co-existing in a city with a surface area of less than three hundred square kilometers. That would give Aster a population density rivaling the largest cities on Earth in my time. Yet none of the signs of urban sprawl showed themselves. If there were major roads, utility lines or motorways, they weren't visible from here.
As we drew closer, I could pick out gaps in the silk-like covering - these were access points where dronecraft would land, or outdoor spaces for recreational purposes. I even spied what looked like a tennis court. In some areas the covering was transparent, and I could see wide open areas which gave the impression of parks rivaling the outdoors of Earth - I even saw large bodies of water. The effect was similar to that of the First Forum on Earth.
In terms of air traffic, floating around Aster were airships with their own dronecraft landing pads. They had rigid structures, and some were clustered into communities. My tablet provided information which showed that the Peeping Tom could have fit into the closest one twenty times over. Dronecraft serviced these vessels almost exclusively, a sign that the citizens of Aster must move between areas on the ground in a different way.
"I've never seen anything quite like it," said Sarkona, "Seems like the sort of place you could easily lose a decade exploring. I can't believe I never thought to come here before. I've been to the old capital a few times, but never thought to stop by here on my way out."
"It isn't the sort of suggestion I was expecting from Regolith," I said, "He tends to favor quieter places. Every now and then, he surprises me. What do you know about this place?"
"Embarassingly little. What's the Consortium summary?"
I queried the system and read the result to Sarkona.
Aster is a city on Mars. Founded on the former site of Gaseou, which was abandoned during the Kasei Valles crisis, the city center was originally located on the Sacra Mensa mensa. As the city expanded, expansion to the north and west was prioritised, with some eastern developments dismantled due to conservation concerns. Architectural and geopolitical scholars largely consider that Aster has undergone six major reformations. The latest, and largest, iteration was completed one-hundred and eighteen years ago, and was constructed using the post-cap architectural style, spanning nineteen tiers.
"I know some of those words," I said.
"That I can help with!" said Sarkona, "Kasei Valles is the region of Mars, as you know. A mensa is a table-like plateau - it's pretty much means mesa. Reformations are a way of describing replacement in a settlement, which is a lot more common on Mars than Earth."
"Why?"
"Large structures have large maintenance requirements. Many Mars settlements got into the habit of doing a lot of the major overhaul work at once - which is a great opportunity for civic redesign. For example, if you know that you'll have to replace a dome in ten years, you can plan ahead for that. It became more of a cultural thing as technology improved, leading to some settlements tearing everything up and starting again each decade."
"And tiers? Like tiers on a cake?"
"You've got it! What you see on the surface here is only the uppermost tier."
We were supposed to be meeting Regolith at Sanctuary Tower - our destination. It quickly came into view, magnificent if not particularly distinct from neighbouring towers. Our dronecraft set down next to it, perfectly aligning with a small tunnel which connected us to a lobby area. What looked to be a series of elevator doors were at the back.
"That explains why the skies are so quiet here," said Sarkona, "Magway. Eru also has one. They're quite popular. Think of it like a maglev-based elevator system combined with a rail system. You can travel to any access point in the city using it. It supports both passenger and freight carriages. Some of the Eru residents actually live in them. Speak the destination?"
"Sanctuary Tower," I said.
"Specify," came an artificial-sounding reply.
"Uhhh, lobby?" I said.
A panel lit up on the wall, an a short time later the doors opened, revealing a windowless carriage with seats for ten people. Three were already occupied - nobody acknowledged us as we sat down.
"The system prioritises efficiency," explained Sarkona, "Picking up people who are headed in the same direction. We'll get notified at our stop."
The ride was amazingly smooth - I could barely tell that we were moving. I pulled out my tablet to contact Regolith.
We're on our way to Sanctuary Tower now. Where are you?
Join me at the Sanctuary District. I will find you.
I showed Sarkona the message, who nodded and spoke aloud our destination change. Three stops later, the same mechanical voice spoke.
"Sanctuary District."
We stepped out into a bright and spacious room, lit by an inverted-triangle window which dominated one tessellated wall. There was a set of welcoming, comfortable sofas, plush carpets, and colorful, empty padded shelves lining the walls. We took a seat to wait for Regolith. Sarkona struck up a conversation about music, and we were halfway through talking about derivatives of lobrid rock when Sarkona began staring at a point over my shoulder.
"Don't panic, Nat, but you've made a friend."
I turned my head slowly, revealing a black void of a creature which nervously extended a limb toward my shoulder.
It was a cat. With piercing yellow eyes and a long tail. It tapped me on the shoulder, as if checking I were actually there. Not too long after that, it jumped off the back of the sofa and started to make itself comfortable on my lap.
Which is when I noticed the second cat. And the third. And the fourth.
Black, white, calico, orange, and even blue, green and pink. The cat swarm was as diverse as it was large. All of which were now descending upon the sofa which we were sat on. Two were now competing for Sarkona's attention, while a third walked back and forth over their lap. My cat lazily batted at another which came closer.
"I'm getting the feeling you're not much of a cat person," Sarkona said, "You look a little uncomfortable."
"Always preferred dogs," I said in a whisper, before consciously trying to relax. I petted the void on my lap with the back of my fingers. It looked up at me, as if to say yes, I will tolerate this.
"Where did they all come from?" I asked.
"Beats me, I didn't notice that one until it was right behind you. I wonder if we scared them when we came in, and they hid," guessed Sarkona, who was now petting two cats at once, "Either way, I'm not complaining. I haven't seen a cat in a while! Have I, beautiful? No, I have not! Hello, Whiskers, hello Painter!"
"You know their names?"
"The best use of my implants this year. I just asked the Consortium to give me a heads-up display. Look, that one is called Barbell!" They pointed at a cat with a single black line across its face. It did not look too thrilled at our presence.
"There you are," said a familiar voice from across the room. I looked over to see Regolith's imposing form standing by one of the doors. His usual stern demeanor was slightly betrayed by the spotted white cat dangling over his shoulder, "You have been accepted by the residents."
"Residents?"
"This is the Aster Cat Sanctuary." Regolith moved closer, clearly intending to sit next to us. He aborted the idea upon realising that every space was now filled with cats. Those on the ground pawed at his legs.
"They don't seem shy of you," Sarkona said, gesturing to Regolith's shoulder, "Fidget there is practically glued to you."
"She is always like this," Regolith explained, "I am an infrequent visitor here, though I am remembered by most of the residents. Fidget and I have known each other for a very long time." A space finally opened up on one of the sofas, and Regolith moved with inhuman grace to fill it without disturbing the cats around him. He took Fidget off his shoulder and placed her on his lap.
"How long is a long time?" I asked.
Regolith's hand stroked Fidget's back, who looked very content. "Fidget belonged to a comrade of mine who passed just before the advent of biodev. I made a promise that I would look in on Fidget from time to time. I enjoy my visits here."
"There you all are!" said an excited voice from the door, "Don't crowd our guests all at once!" The cats did not seem to react to her instructions.
I looked to see a spry woman with grey-white hair in the doorway, herself carrying three cats - one in the crook of her arm. She was tall, even by Mars standards, and had a look of aged maturity to her. Her most striking feature by far was her ears - which I could only describe as cat-like in structure, if devoid of fur.
"Are you both comfortable?" she asked, "If you're a bit overwhelmed I can provide some distractions for our residents."
Sarkona and I both confirmed we were fine, and relieved, the newcomer found a space to sit with us. She slumped onto the sofa more than anything, seeming a little tired.
"What a day! Regolith dropping in, eight separate resident-related incidents, and now two more guests! I'm Oiunta! You're very welcome to the Sanctuary. Are you considering adoption today? If so, I will need to go and fetch one of our other staff members."
"No, no!" Sarkona said quickly, "Just visiting."
Oiunta let out a breath, "That is a relief! I think we've had enough unexpected surprises for today. Regolith, I didn't think you were bringing anyone else."
"This was unexpected, you are correct. I spent longer here than I planned," explained Regolith.
"Well, Fidget appreciated the extra attention, I'm sure! And we are always happy to have more guests," said Oiunta, nodding her head at my lap, "It looks like Tallow has taken a shine to you. That's quite rare."
"I'm as surprised as you are," I said, "I'm not exactly a cat person."
"Pssh," scoffed Oiunta, "There are two types of people in this world - cat people, and people who haven't realised they're cat people yet."
"Oiunta has worked here since the Sanctuary was founded," said Regolith, "I admire her dedication."
"Well thank you!" said Oiunta happily, "Cast, it's nice to be appreciated with words, not just the usual chorus of meows. And those only at mealtime."
"I was not expecting to see cats on Mars," I said, "And not in these numbers, either."
"You're new here, then?" Oiunta said, "Cats are very common on Mars. They were one of the first animals to be adapted to the environment through a process of selective breeding. That's something that people did before the invention of bio-dev to slowly adapt animals to the environment. All the cats here are Mars-native breeds. Some breeds have cosmetic modifications - again, done prior to the invention of bio-dev, like Terra and Ocean over there." She indicated two of the vibrant cats I'd seen earlier, one of which was rubbing against Sarkona's leg. The pink one had disappeared from view - an impressive feat, considering its visibility.
"What about that one?" I said, pointing toward an orange cat with uneven splotches of brown and yellow over its face and body. I'd never seen a pattern like it.
"Oh, that! Backgammon is as common as dust. He just loves rubbing himself in messes. As soon as I catch him, he's getting a B-A-T-H," she spelled out.
"You don't automate that process?" asked Sarkona.
Oiunta shook her head, "Our Org strongly advocates for person-based care. We find that too much automation stresses out the cats, reduces the level of stimulation in the environment, and erodes their trust in people over time. Putting people and cats together is the very essence of what we do."
"And how many cats are here?" asked Sarkona.
"Six hundred and ten, the majority free-roaming about the district," volunteered Oiunta.
"That must be a lot of work!" said Sarkona.
"It is," said Oiunta, letting out another sigh, "But it is well worth it. I wouldn't trade it for a mountain of air. We always need people to swing by and provide stimulation for the residents, so stop by anytime you'd like - it's a big help. If you ever want to get involved more, apply to the Org."
The conversation came to a bit of a lull as Terra and Ocean were now chasing each other around the sofa - a form of entertainment no person could resist watching. Barbell seemed to be warming up to Sarkona and had approached for pets. Backgammon tried to approach me but Tallow, having none of it, let out a hiss. Other cats watched, curious. There was drama in this place, if nothing else.
"Can I ask what the goal of this place is?" I asked, "Is it to have all the residents adopted, or?"
Oiunta shook her head, "We support residents, carers, and cats as a whole. We recognise that caring for a pet is a significant responsibility, and we provide a resource for that purpose. Some cats are here temporarily, while their carers are offworld or simply need a break from their responsibilities. Some live here permanently, as they show no interest in traditional carers. We also help to educate carers, owners, and anyone interested - mostly young kids! The point is care in general - not the care of our specific resident pool. For as long as there are cats, there will be a cat Santuary in Aster."
"Thank you, that makes sense now," I said.
"Oiunta, thank you for the conversation," said Regolith, "I wondered if I might speak with my friends in private now."
"Of course!" she replied, "I'll get out of your hair. Thank you for coming - she can't say it, so I'll say it for her - Fidget appreciates your visits."
Regolith nodded sternly, and Oiutna departed, stopping only to grab Backgammon on the way out of the room.
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