When it came down to what kind of machinery we would likely need for this 'expedition', we left that up to the engineers to decide. As for the equipment, which would likely consist of science equipment and devices, all the different categories of scientists needed their own type of equipment, except for some typical items. Then, for the general supplies, anyone could get those. We all need the same things in order to survive, so it doesn't make much of a difference which group decides to get it.
Now that things were beginning to take shape, we needed a plan for how we are going to conduct this mining operation. For the most part, every engineer has begun calling it that, which isn't wrong. If anything, that's the best name for this mission since that is exactly what we are going to be doing, more or less.
Two days after our previous conference, Prof. Donavich, Paul, Alex, a few other scientists, and myself began to try and see about putting a plan together.
"I say we set up our base-of-operations on one of the larger flat plains. That way, we are less likely to encounter obstacles and we would be able to see everyone more easily with flat, open terrain." said one of the scientists.
"I agree. Flat terrain makes it a hell-of-a-lot easier to set up the industrial mining lasers that we miraculously found in a pre-war warehouse. I was surprised to see that someone hadn't broken into the place and scavenged everything from it." said Paul.
"Walter, anything thoughts on this?" asked Alex. He could tell just from my body language that an idea was stirring around in my mind.
"Well, first I'd like to know how many people are going." I said.
"Somewhere in the range between six hundred-to-eight hundred people, most of which are engineers and workers. About one hundred are scientists and around one hundred Marines." said Prof. Donavich.
"Why the Marines?"
"To help keep order. That many people, basically being stranded on a foreign, hostile planet, that's a recipe for disaster without a large enough group of train personnel who can handle this situation and keep order."
"Makes sense. In any event, I would suggest we split up into four separate mining groups, twenty five Marines and one hundred and fifty-to-two hundred people per group, obviously as balanced as possible between the different types of scientists, the workers, and the engineers. But, instead of the plains, I would suggest that we go near Mars' primary four volcanoes; Olympus Mons, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons." I said.
"Why there? That makes setting up the mining lasers extremely difficult." said Paul.
"You are probably thinking to specific Paul. I meant that we set up our bases around the volcanoes, but not necessarily on them or at their base. More so that from any of the bases, at least two or three of them would be visible. I believe that those areas are also, more or less, plain-like. And on top of that, those areas could also be very rich in the minerals and elements that we are looking for." I said.
"Hm. You do make a good point."
"I actually like the sound of that." said Alex. "They also act as landmarks and keeps the bases within relative walking distance from each other, assuming we set up appropriately."
"Can you show us where you think the bases should be in comparison to the volcanoes?" asked the Professor.
"Yes. That shouldn't be too difficult." I said.
"Alright. All in favor?" The majority of people raised their hand, all except for Paul. "You disagree with this plan Paul?"
"I'm just not sure. Isn't being near a volcano a bad idea? I mean, what if it erupts?"
"Those volcanoes are derelict. They have been for about two hundred and fifty years. You have nothing to worry about them Paul." I said with confidence.
"Alright." he said with a deep sigh. "I'm in."
"Then we are all in agreement. The plan may proceed and the mission may begin to take a more solidified shape now." said the Professor.
After we had decided a course of action to carry out this mission, we all returned to our own preparations for this mission. But, after having heard Paul's concern for the volcanoes going off, I can't help but wonder if his concern was real. If one of those volcanoes was to erupt while we were even a few miles away, they would highly destructive to the landscape and the magma flow would exceed anything that we've ever seen on Earth. Even from before the war, Mars was known for have the largest volcanoes in the Solar System, especially Olympus Mons. Olympus Mons is the largest volcano ever discovered. If that thing were to erupt, it would make the supervolcano under Yellow-Stone Park seem like a firecracker, assuming that it were to erupt. But, at the current state the planet is in, it almost seems impossible for magma to flow on the Martian surface again.
There is no real, known reason for why this has happened to Mars, but the planet is basically dead. The core appears to be freezing solid, preventing movement of magma, but also prevent a thicker, more stable atmosphere than what it currently has. Without the core, the Magnetic Field, the same thing which Earth's core produces from all of its movement, will cease to exist, exposing the atmosphere to the harsh solarwinds, thus, in turn, exposes us to those very same solarwinds. We need to, more or less, pray that any solar flare that occurs won't completely fry our communication relays, so that we won't have any contact with Earth, or even anyone else from the other bases for that matter.
But, I digress. My task was to determine where we were going to set up the base camps around the volcanoes. I have to make sure that the ground is going to be stable where we set up camp, make sure no natural obstacles such as cliffs, ridges, etc., would be between any of the camps, making traveling between them more difficult.
So, by having going over satellite images from before the war, which are from the satellites still in orbit around Mars today, I have determined the best places for the four base camps: Designated as Base-Camp(s) one, two, three, and four, Base-Camp one will be the most Northern base camp, North of Olympus Mons. Base-Camp two will also be located North of Olympus Mons, but still more South than Base-Camp one. Base-Camp three will be the most Eastern base camp from Olympus Mons and will be do directly North of Ascraeus Mons. Base-Camp four will be Southwest of Base-Camp three, but also do West of Ascraeus Mons, East, Southeast of Olympus Mons, and will be North of Pavonis Mons, also making it the most Southern base camp. I will most likely be placed at Base-Camp two.
