REDISCOVERING THE SOLAR SYSTEM

"Well? How's it going?"

"I'm on the second sentence."

"And how much do you need?"

"At least six hundred words. That's about a page of single-spaced text."

"Wow, you're way behind. Better pick up the pace! So, what's your assignment about?"

"As the title says: Rediscovering the Solar System."

"What do they mean by 'rediscovering'?"

"That we discovered it once... and now we're going to conquer it."

"Tsk."

"What? You don't like the idea?"

"I think it's unnecessary. There's no place like home. It's an old cliché, but it's true. Why go to all the trouble of conquering other planets when we already have one of our own? It's a waste of time, energy, and money."

"Think about the discovery of the old continents. It brought new customs, new foods, and so much more."

"Sure. It also brought the destruction of native peoples. Or, if not that, then their enslavement."

"There are always sacrifices."

"Now that's another enormous cliché. It's easy to say that as long as we're the conquerors. But what if the situation were reversed? What if someone wanted to conquer us?"

"There's no danger of that. Not at the moment."

"Oh, really? Some people claim they've seen UFOs. There could be intelligent life elsewhere in the Solar System."

"The scientists say the chances are tiny. Don't worry."

"By the way... how many words have you written now?"

"A little over two hundred and sixty. Almost halfway there."

"Still not great. Anyway—and not that I'm trying to tell you how to write—but if you've decided to tackle a subject like this, you should mention that we've already sent several probes to several planets, even if only one of them seems truly capable of supporting life."

"There. I wrote it. Happy now? Besides, one is still better than none. For the time being, it's enough if we can establish settlements on a single planet. In time, we can reshape the landscape to suit our needs, either partly or completely, and relocate part of our population there. We're overcrowded as it is."

"I worry about us—about what might be waiting in that more or less unknown new world. And I worry about that new home, too. Once we arrive, it will probably change forever because of us. After enough generations, it may no longer resemble what it once was."

"You're getting sentimental."

"Don't tell me I'm not. So... word count?"

"A little over five hundred."

"Well, maybe you'll make something of yourself after all."

"Thanks."

"Least I could do. I suppose you're aiming for the minimum requirement."

"You guessed it. The moment I reach six hundred words, the story is over."

"So how are you going to end it?"

"Nothing special. I'll just write that there isn't much time left before, after all the preliminary exploration, we finally set off for our new home—the third, blue planet from the Sun—to turn it into another Red Planet... just like our own."