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Bella has watched a simple, managed Martian ecosystem and a glitteringly colorful first city pour procedurally out from assorted points of origin on her computer with a variety of rand seeds, and picked the prettiest result.
She's standing on that ideal origin spot now - the top of Olympus Mons, under a blue-dyed sky and a breathable layer of atmosphere - holding her laptop which holds this specification under her left arm. All present to witness this moment are Alice, Libby, Lazarus, and Bridget.
She defangs a trio of stars: one for the terrain, one for the wildlife, one for the city of Olympus. To be dramatic, she squares them off her bandolier and holds them high in the air between the fingers of her right hand.
"Welcome to Mars," she says.
Wishwishwish.
Moss ripples out from under her feet and carpets the landscape, giving way to forest further downhill and, further away, to freshwater ocean. Birds, startled by their existence, take off. An instant later they're all standing at the foot of her crystalline tower that sits at the center, watching skyscrapers riddled with magical appliances sprout from the ground, and streets pave themselves with smooth tiles.
Bella defangs more stars and lays down what she's taken to calling Ground Rules with another gesture. Mars is going to be peaceful. Mars is going to be safe. Mars is going to watch its people and report to her.
Mars is going to be the seat of the Empire of the Stars.
(There's a flag, on the spire of her tower. It's sky blue, and there are half a dozen seven-pointed stars spangling it. It ripples in the breeze that's begun to waft in from the sea.)
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self_composed
self_composed
"The basic appliances run on magic," Bella says. "The lighting, food replicators, and plumbing will all carry on behaving completely independent of any electrical work. However, if people want to have printers or white noise machines or electric razors on Mars, someone is going to have to install electricity. I am not going to do everything for my Martians, just ensure that it's basically livable even if they opt to be lazy. So yes. I think electrical engineers could be useful. I have a tower on Mars that I could claim to live in, but I also have the moon palace, this room, and both of my parents' houses to claim to live in, plus I don't actually need to sleep anymore, so I'm not sure if I can be said to live there. Bridget has decided to move there, though. I plan to make it possible to drive there, so people can bring their stuff, but I should warn you that I might have to move the border if the government complains, so it might go from being as easy as driving to the highway to being as easy as getting to Tokyo or Moscow."
edgeofyourseat
"Then I think I might like to move to Mars when I am an electrical engineer, if at that time it is possible to get there without leaving the continent first."
self_composed
"So not soon? Okay. Well, you're allowed to jump the queue when the time comes," Bella says. "Any other questions?"
self_composed
"Yeah," Bella says. "There is no obvious point to continuing. I'll go formally drop out later today."
self_composed
"I am going to have the internet there," Bella says. "We can write. Also, I am telepathic; want to be added to my telepathy network? We call it a 'brainphone'."
self_composed
"By magic. And it's like talking, only without talking. Or there's a text channel."
self_composed
[Isn't it? It comes in handy. Alice is also on here, and some people you don't know. If you don't want to take calls you can block them and put up a message for anyone who tries.]
self_composed
[You're welcome! I'm going to go drop out now. I've been rudely skipping classes without notice while I designed me a Mars.]
edgeofyourseat
Janine giggles.
[I think I would like to see Mars some weekend or other,] she says.
[I think I would like to see Mars some weekend or other,] she says.
self_composed
[I will inform you when it's driveable. Maybe we'll have tour buses set up.]
self_composed
[Everyone's did,] laughs Bella, and she opens the window and flies out of it.
self_composed
Bella drops out of college. Also, she decides to put a sign in front of one of the Mars robots. They wouldn't have been affected by the terraforming unless they were underwater - and she didn't make the oceans very big, so off the top of her head she doubts they are. Checking... yep, she can plant a sign in front of Spirit and it'll still work. The sign reads:
"Hello, NASA! I have terraformed Mars. I will start taking applications for immigration soon and will update this message when I have an office for that. It is OK with me if you leave your robots here. Sincerely, the Empress of the Stars"
Bella then teleports to her dad's. He is not home; she calls him. This is probably important enough to interrupt him during work.
"Dad?" she says.
"Bells? What is it?"
"I'm likely to appear in the news soon. Don't be alarmed. I can tell you all about it now, if you want."
There is a long pause. "Magic stuff?" Charlie asks mistrustfully.
"Yes. Biiiig magic stuff."
"You're safe?"
"Quite," says Bella, smiling to herself.
"I think I'll let the news tell me."
"Okay, Dad. Love you."
"Love you, Bells."
Bella hangs up and takes a moment to design a minimally intrusive anti-reporter ward. Charlie is simply going to look like a shy Kolya to anyone liable to pester him or report on him to the media, although he can suppress it implicitly if he tries to get someone's attention.
Renée and Phil are going to be trickier. She'll want the full story, for one thing, and for another, Phil plays baseball on a form of media for a living...
"Hello, NASA! I have terraformed Mars. I will start taking applications for immigration soon and will update this message when I have an office for that. It is OK with me if you leave your robots here. Sincerely, the Empress of the Stars"
Bella then teleports to her dad's. He is not home; she calls him. This is probably important enough to interrupt him during work.
"Dad?" she says.
"Bells? What is it?"
"I'm likely to appear in the news soon. Don't be alarmed. I can tell you all about it now, if you want."
There is a long pause. "Magic stuff?" Charlie asks mistrustfully.
"Yes. Biiiig magic stuff."
"You're safe?"
"Quite," says Bella, smiling to herself.
"I think I'll let the news tell me."
"Okay, Dad. Love you."
"Love you, Bells."
Bella hangs up and takes a moment to design a minimally intrusive anti-reporter ward. Charlie is simply going to look like a shy Kolya to anyone liable to pester him or report on him to the media, although he can suppress it implicitly if he tries to get someone's attention.
Renée and Phil are going to be trickier. She'll want the full story, for one thing, and for another, Phil plays baseball on a form of media for a living...
nonbird
Meanwhile, among other things: Lazarus and Kolya are discussing the pros and cons of moving to Mars.
[Bella? Are you busy?]
[Bella? Are you busy?]
self_composed
[...Wait, are you saying I'd have an option? My power beats his?]