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The Mail-order Space Bride
The Mail-order Space Bride.
He had to wait five years for her.
Based on a post by Farmer
jill. Listen to the Podcast at My First Time.
Forward:
This story is about a first time, two virgins no less. However, the setting is
in a dystopian future. If sci-fi is not your thing, you might still like this.
Be brave.
Many are
fascinated by the concept of the "mail order bride." It still occurs
today, but with instant communications, etc., it is not as interesting or
romantic as back in the "good old days" of the American Wild West.
Maybe this will happen again one day in the future, who knows?
Marco’s Day of Choosing
Marco Mendes finished climbing until he reached the top of
the hill. It wasn't a mountain or even a very tall hill, those were for the
rich. He wanted one last look around at his part of the Rio-Paulo Metropolitan
Area before he left. Colloquially known as Rio Paolo or Super Favela. Marco had
been told that Rio Paolo had over 150 million inhabitants. Rio Paolo is a city
in what used to be the old country of Brazil. Not that long ago, Brazil had
that many people in the whole country. He couldn't confirm this because there
was no longer access to the internet, nor were there things called
"encyclopedias." The old timers talked about being able to
"google" anything on the internet, but that was before the changes.
Now only the rich could "google" things if that even still existed.
Books didn't exist at all. Everything was on screens, and the screens only
showed what was allowed by the ‘Corporate Council’.
Since the changes what could you find out? The screens
everywhere gave you the weather, news, and, of course, sports. Yet you couldn't
ask the screens questions, and everyone knew you couldn't always trust what was
on the screens. You could trust the weather and the sports, but the news not at
all. However, Marco was about to leave the Rio Paolo, and Earth behind for Orion
6A. Rumor had it that once he boarded the spaceship he would get to use the
internet. Marco would believe it, and all the other stories; when he saw it.
Yet Marco had to give it a try. He looked down at the Super
Favela and all its misery. In centuries past, they were called shanty towns.
But Super Favela was a massive city of shacks.
They didn't starve, but the food was bland and of
questionable origin. They had homes, but they were small and uncomfortable,
especially when it rained. They had each other, but what did that mean?
Dreams of Marriage.
A family of your own seemed like an eternity away. It was a
process of 10 years, to apply for a wife! Maybe you wouldn't get approval.
Marco wasn't interested in casual sex. He wanted a family,
and that would take 11 years here in the Rio Paulo or anywhere on Earth. That
was only if it was approved and he survived. Most of the jobs for men like him
were dangerous, especially at first. No one seemed to care if young men died.
Tomorrow was his 18th birthday. The official Day of Choosing
a vocation. Marco had already chosen last week. The options were pretty
limited, but you had to take one, or they picked for you. Marco had heard some
places on Earth there was no choice, you were just assigned something. Other
places used an aptitude test like the one Marco had taken. Marco had done the
aptitude test at age 16, like everyone else. He was not selected for
"streaming.' Marco was not going to be an athlete, nor was he smart enough
for university, that's where the streaming took you. Oh, and of course, if you
were really good-looking, you were also "streamed." Streamlined right
into someone, or multiple someones’ bed. Yet that mostly happened to the girls.
A guy had to be a real stunning hunk to be streamed; and Marco was not.
Then there was the security force. You didn't get to choose
them, they chose you; and then you left old Brazil. You would be trained and
stationed somewhere else to keep other people in line. Just like to the
cold-hearted bastards who patrolled the Rio Paolo. They rotated them through,
frequently; 6 months to a year, and another group arrived. You could tell they
were different because their English would have a different accent than yours
and the last bunch.
Like most boys in Rio Paolo, Marco wanted to play football (Americans
used to call it soccer.) he had no interest in university, even if he made the
grades. Marco wasn't that great at school, nor football.
What were the choices open to Marco? He could stay in Rio
Paolo, and be chosen for a job. That job could be anything from a factory
worker to a ditch digger. Low pay, no hope for advancement, and a ten-year wait
to apply to get married. He could go to the Amazon and work on a mine or farm,
but the only difference with that would be the location. Hard labor, high
chance of injury. Yes, there were softer jobs, but first you had to pass
through the hard ones.
Then there were the off-world options. The jobs were
dangerous, and you would never see Earth again. However, the pay was high, the
benefits were good, and you could order a bride after only 5 years. No applying
for marriage, nope, you just ordered a bride, and when she arrived, you were
married. What would you know about your mail-order bride? You would see her
picture and where she was born. You also knew she was 18 years old. That was an
option for women when it was their "Day of Choosing." The bride also
would show up without the "shot." Every woman from puberty was given
the "shot." It prevented pregnancy and was re-administered every year.
The government would not tolerate pregnancy among the unmarried.
The problem was the effect of the shot was cumulative. If Marco
stayed on Earth and had to wait the ten years to request a marriage to an
agreeable woman. She would probably be about the same age as you. No
18-year-old brides on Earth. The woman would have had at least 15 years of
shots by the age of 28, and the chance of conception was rare for at least 2
years. You are allowed a six-year window to have children, so the timeline was
tight. Few couples had two children, many only one, and too often there were
none. Yet those were the rules. Trying to circumvent or worse, fight them was
not an option. The cold-hearted bastards would show up, and you would never be
seen again.
How did Marco know all of this? The old timers of course;
told their tales. Much of it Marco believed to be true. Then there was the
communication from cousins and friends who had left after the day of choosing.
They sent back tales of their new lives. The people who stayed in the same area
also told their tales of work and lives since choosing. Finally, there was what
you saw with your own eyes. People who tried to move in together and therefore
be illegally married who were taken away. People who spoke out about the changes;
just disappeared, without a trace. Sometimes, if you were up late at night, you
could see the armored vehicles come and disappear someone. Actions of the
Corporate Council. No trial, no conviction.
Once, Marco's family had a neighbor man who moved the woman
he wanted to marry, into his house, without waiting 10 years or asking
permission. Permission would never have been granted, and they only lived
together for 10 days. Marco was up early on day 11,and he saw the couple taken
away. The cold-hearted security bastards of the Corporate Council showed how
they earned the reputation that morning. Marco watched the couple be beaten as
they were dragged into the vehicle. There was blood on the ground, and everyone
tried to ignore it, until the rain washed it away days later.
Marco had opted for off-world. He had chosen working for
Impact Mining. They were an off-world conglomerate that owned all the mining
rights to Orion 6A. Marco would learn the people who lived there, called the
planet Eldorado. He would learn all about Eldorado, and a great many other
things; once on the spaceship.
Marco took one more look around at Rio Paolo. The misery was
oppressive. 150 million people going through the motions of living. Marco
didn't know how many rich people lived in RP. Their lives were definitely
different, and the 150 million knew it! On the day of choosing, you couldn't
get a position cleaning, or cooking, or what have you, for those rich. Later
you were recruited to those positions, once you had served your time in your
job of "choosing." There actually was a fair amount of opportunity to
change jobs at that time, but they were still low-paying, and had no future.
Marco shook his head and then went back home. His parents
were having the traditional "Day of Choosing" party for him. Marco's
would be more poignant because he was going away forever. It was a somber
affair and Marco said his goodbyes. He would be gone very early in the morning
to catch the shuttle to the moon and his spaceship.
Space Travel, Internet, And History.
The rumors about the internet would turn out to be true! Marco
spent much of his time in transit to Eldorado learning how much he didn't know.
The trip would take three months, and it was notable for the food and the
internet. Marco would not believe the variety and the taste of the food! It was
all 'cooked' not just bland reheated packages. When he entered that ship it was
a revelation to Marco, and he was told it would get better on Eldorado.
The internet, or more precisely, Marco learned, the ship's
computer network had a huge 'database' of information for Marco to absorb. Of
course, Marco didn't have access to everything, but he did have access to more
than he could imagine. Marco learned about the 'Changes' and how that
transformed the world, including his homeland of Brazil. It was a time of war,
chaos, and fear. The resulting political consolidation by the world's large
corporations and simultaneous population boom led to the "Day of
Choosing" and the Metropolitan Areas. The population needed to be
contained, otherwise it would overrun the farmland required to feed it.
No one seemed to know what sparked the trouble that resulted
in the Changes. The consensus was that the pressure from overpopulation, unfair
distribution of wealth between nations, and government measures to stop yet
another plague; boiled over. Wars and civil wars erupted all over the Earth.
Genocides occurred, as well as plenty of destruction. Much of Africa and Asia
was a bloodbath. Europe's unity shattered. North and South America saw a series
of coups, and counter-coups, as well as war. When the dust cleared, five years
later, the world was now run by the corporations; the Corporate Council by name.
Lead by the arms industry, they consolidated power by monopolizing the control
of weapons, food, and fuel. The other corporations gladly joined them and after
a few more years their power was unmatched in human history.
The population of the Earth was pushed into
"metropolitan areas" based on the old distribution of population. The
areas were shrunk though and the areas outside them were for commodity
extraction or agriculture. There also were large swaths of land set aside as
reserves to offset the climate changes. Travel was highly restricted between
the areas and that was mostly by air. The roads and rail lines that were kept
were for the movement of materials. The other roads, small towns and cities
were destroyed or abandoned to return them to nature.
Eldorado Hardships
When Marco arrived at Eldorado he didn't have anymore time
to think about what he learned, as he was assigned the most dangerous job on
the planet. It was the job of capturing mineral laden meteors as they
approached the planet. If you could grab them before they entered the
atmosphere the mineral payload was better. The trick was not being smashed to
bits by the meteors or having the meteor's breach your ships integrity and
dying of asphyxiation. This was normal and Marco knew he would spend a year in
this or a similar job. Over a third of those assigned would be killed and
another third injured in someway. No one even called him Marco, he was just
J-9870112, his company ID number. Yet when the year was up, Marco went to work
in the refinery and his life changed. He now was Marco. Out of the temporary
barracks into the permanent apartments. He made friends, worked hard, and
waited.
Communication back to Earth was possible but not easy. Only
the rich or the company could get instant communication back to Earth. The rest
of the people had to send mail. You could buy a video cube, record yourself,
and your family could watch it. You could write or type an actual letter on
paper and put it in an envelope. The bottom line is that it has to be a
physical object that can be loaded on the cargo ship. There is plenty of room
for a letter on those massive ships. They come here mostly empty, mostly things
that could not be made on Eldorado. Then the ships would leave full of
processed ore. A ship arrived every 3 months.
Placing an order for a woman.
Impact was a good company to work for. They let Marco put in
his request for a mail order bride on the cargo ship 3 months early. Some
companies made you wait the full 5 years before you could put in your request.
This way she would come 3 months earlier, a real bonus. There was plenty of
joking about the idea of a 'mail order bride." Marco researched it on the
computer, and it came from 19th century America on Earth. From what he read, he
was not surprised that it happened. Men get lonely out on the frontier. Men
also got in way more trouble the greater the ratio of men to available women.
Eldorado didn't have enough of a population base to produce enough eligible
surplus women. There was also no "Day of Choosing" on Eldorado.
People could freely choose what to work at and whom to marry, when they felt
like it. There were no age restrictions and the "shot" was voluntary.
Marco had looked through the catalogues of women for a month
before finding the girl he wanted. He didn't know what it was about her, that
struck him. But he knew he wanted her from the moment he saw her. Her name was Angela
Stemple, and she was born in a place called Bridgewater in the Eastern Seaboard
Metropolitan Area. He researched it, and the people there call it the BBA,
short for the Big Big Apple. The BBA, of course had the world's capital in it,
New York City. Where else would the corporations want the headquarters?
From what Marco could see in the picture, Angela was not
very tall but evenly proportioned. He printed off a picture of her for his wall
at home and his workplace at the refinery. Marco's mail order spent 3 months in
transit to Earth and his mail order bride spent 3 months traveling to Eldorado.
All Marco thought about besides being safe at work, was Angela; for those 6
months. He dreamed of her and talked to his friends about her. His married
friends told him about their mail-order bride experience. His friends, awaiting
their own bride, commiserated on the wait. It would all be worth it, all his
friends said.
The Group Wedding Event
The day before the cargo ship arrived, Impact started the
preparations for the bride's arrival. The best hotel in Barkerville, (Joe Baker
was the name of a former CEO.) was reserved in its entirety for the event. The
meeting of brides would occur in the grand ballroom. There would also be the
wedding ceremony. A banquet would then be held in the revolving restaurant on
top of the hotel. Finally, the best fifty rooms would be given to the 50
newlywed couples, for the night. The actual bridal suit would be given to one lucky
couple in a draw at the banquet. Impact also gave all of their newly-married
workers the week off with pay, to settle in with their new wives.
Marco finished his shift the next day at four. He went home
and showered, shaved, and put on his new suit. He was so nervous he could
hardly button his shirt up. He then went to the hotel, arriving at 5:30. Most
of the other future husbands were already there, helping themselves to some ‘liquid
courage’ at the free bar. Marco opted for water. He seldom drank alcohol. To
him, it just led to trouble. On Eldorado most of the miners who arrived, spent
their first few years drinking and whoring. Not Marco, for one thing, he was a
virgin, and the second thing was he dreamed of being 'middle class.'
Marco had learned about this on the internet and most the
people on Eldorado would be considered middle class. They owned their own
homes, could do the job they wanted, and could have kids who would never have a
Day of Choosing. Marco had been saving all of his paychecks to buy a house for
his mail-order bride. Others would spend years in the company apartments
because they partied their money away. Marco didn't regret his decision to
remain a virgin, he had been raised Catholic; and the prostitutes in
Barkerville were expensive. Marco also wanted his first time with Angela to be
extra special.
Angela, meanwhile; was just getting into the coach bus to
take her to the hotel. She had spent the last four hours after getting off the
cargo ship at the spa. Impact paid for all of the mail order brides to get the
full package. Next door to the spa was a high-end ladies clothing store. Angela
was wearing a beautiful new dress from the store, complete with new lingerie
underneath. Impact paid for that as well. Angela felt like Cinderella going to
the ball.
Marco and the other men were getting anxious. Some were
drinking too much out of nervousness. Some were telling jokes with their
friends, to kill the time. Marco was just standing alone, drinking some water,
thinking about Angela.
Marco was startled when it was announced that the brides had
arrived. All of the men eagerly turned toward the large double doors of the
hall. Music started playing in the background. Of course it was 'here comes the
bride." Two Impact men moved toward the doors and opened them at the same
time. First in line was the marriage commissioner, but no one looked twice at
him. All eyes were on the lovely ladies behind him. The women followed the
commissioner into the room, nervously trying to find their groom.
Angela was looking at the group of men, but could not find Marco.
She had posted his picture on the wall in her cabin on the ship and was
positive she would recognize him. She started to worry he was not there.
Something bad had happened while she was in transit. All kinds of dark thoughts
filled her mind. This did happen sometimes. Meanwhile Marco had spotted Angela.
She was even more beautiful in real life, than her picture. Since Marco was not
with the main group, she still couldn't see him and started to panic.
Marco moved forward, toward Angela, and then she saw him. He
looked like a dream come true. She was captivated. She was so enthralled with Marco
she couldn't move, but soon he was before her. Marco stopped just outside of
her personal space. He was drinking her in, and she was doing the same with
him.
"I am pleased to finally meet you Angela, you are
better in person, than in my dreams."
Angela could barely hear his words; her heart was beating so
loudly. She knew he had said something, and tried to find her voice,
"Marco."
That was all she could get out. Then Marco held out his hand
for her, and she took it in her own.
"May I kiss you Angela?"
Angela couldn't form words, so she simply nodded, ‘yes.’
Marco gently pulled on her hand and Angela moved forward her
face looking upward at the taller man. Marco slowly brought his mouth down on
hers. Her lips were so soft as he kissed her. He started to pull back but then
went in for another kiss. Angela couldn't believe she was finally kissing a man
who wasn't related to her. She wanted more and used her free hand to pull Marco's
head closer. Their tongues both had the same idea at the same time and met in
the middle of the kiss.
Like many of the couples Marco and Angela were oblivious to
everything and everyone but th
View all episodes
By Dawkins Blog
The Mail-order Space Bride.
He had to wait five years for her.
Based on a post by Farmer
jill. Listen to the Podcast at My First Time.
Forward:
This story is about a first time, two virgins no less. However, the setting is
in a dystopian future. If sci-fi is not your thing, you might still like this.
Be brave.
Many are
fascinated by the concept of the "mail order bride." It still occurs
today, but with instant communications, etc., it is not as interesting or
romantic as back in the "good old days" of the American Wild West.
Maybe this will happen again one day in the future, who knows?
Marco’s Day of Choosing
Marco Mendes finished climbing until he reached the top of
the hill. It wasn't a mountain or even a very tall hill, those were for the
rich. He wanted one last look around at his part of the Rio-Paulo Metropolitan
Area before he left. Colloquially known as Rio Paolo or Super Favela. Marco had
been told that Rio Paolo had over 150 million inhabitants. Rio Paolo is a city
in what used to be the old country of Brazil. Not that long ago, Brazil had
that many people in the whole country. He couldn't confirm this because there
was no longer access to the internet, nor were there things called
"encyclopedias." The old timers talked about being able to
"google" anything on the internet, but that was before the changes.
Now only the rich could "google" things if that even still existed.
Books didn't exist at all. Everything was on screens, and the screens only
showed what was allowed by the ‘Corporate Council’.
Since the changes what could you find out? The screens
everywhere gave you the weather, news, and, of course, sports. Yet you couldn't
ask the screens questions, and everyone knew you couldn't always trust what was
on the screens. You could trust the weather and the sports, but the news not at
all. However, Marco was about to leave the Rio Paolo, and Earth behind for Orion
6A. Rumor had it that once he boarded the spaceship he would get to use the
internet. Marco would believe it, and all the other stories; when he saw it.
Yet Marco had to give it a try. He looked down at the Super
Favela and all its misery. In centuries past, they were called shanty towns.
But Super Favela was a massive city of shacks.
They didn't starve, but the food was bland and of
questionable origin. They had homes, but they were small and uncomfortable,
especially when it rained. They had each other, but what did that mean?
Dreams of Marriage.
A family of your own seemed like an eternity away. It was a
process of 10 years, to apply for a wife! Maybe you wouldn't get approval.
Marco wasn't interested in casual sex. He wanted a family,
and that would take 11 years here in the Rio Paulo or anywhere on Earth. That
was only if it was approved and he survived. Most of the jobs for men like him
were dangerous, especially at first. No one seemed to care if young men died.
Tomorrow was his 18th birthday. The official Day of Choosing
a vocation. Marco had already chosen last week. The options were pretty
limited, but you had to take one, or they picked for you. Marco had heard some
places on Earth there was no choice, you were just assigned something. Other
places used an aptitude test like the one Marco had taken. Marco had done the
aptitude test at age 16, like everyone else. He was not selected for
"streaming.' Marco was not going to be an athlete, nor was he smart enough
for university, that's where the streaming took you. Oh, and of course, if you
were really good-looking, you were also "streamed." Streamlined right
into someone, or multiple someones’ bed. Yet that mostly happened to the girls.
A guy had to be a real stunning hunk to be streamed; and Marco was not.
Then there was the security force. You didn't get to choose
them, they chose you; and then you left old Brazil. You would be trained and
stationed somewhere else to keep other people in line. Just like to the
cold-hearted bastards who patrolled the Rio Paolo. They rotated them through,
frequently; 6 months to a year, and another group arrived. You could tell they
were different because their English would have a different accent than yours
and the last bunch.
Like most boys in Rio Paolo, Marco wanted to play football (Americans
used to call it soccer.) he had no interest in university, even if he made the
grades. Marco wasn't that great at school, nor football.
What were the choices open to Marco? He could stay in Rio
Paolo, and be chosen for a job. That job could be anything from a factory
worker to a ditch digger. Low pay, no hope for advancement, and a ten-year wait
to apply to get married. He could go to the Amazon and work on a mine or farm,
but the only difference with that would be the location. Hard labor, high
chance of injury. Yes, there were softer jobs, but first you had to pass
through the hard ones.
Then there were the off-world options. The jobs were
dangerous, and you would never see Earth again. However, the pay was high, the
benefits were good, and you could order a bride after only 5 years. No applying
for marriage, nope, you just ordered a bride, and when she arrived, you were
married. What would you know about your mail-order bride? You would see her
picture and where she was born. You also knew she was 18 years old. That was an
option for women when it was their "Day of Choosing." The bride also
would show up without the "shot." Every woman from puberty was given
the "shot." It prevented pregnancy and was re-administered every year.
The government would not tolerate pregnancy among the unmarried.
The problem was the effect of the shot was cumulative. If Marco
stayed on Earth and had to wait the ten years to request a marriage to an
agreeable woman. She would probably be about the same age as you. No
18-year-old brides on Earth. The woman would have had at least 15 years of
shots by the age of 28, and the chance of conception was rare for at least 2
years. You are allowed a six-year window to have children, so the timeline was
tight. Few couples had two children, many only one, and too often there were
none. Yet those were the rules. Trying to circumvent or worse, fight them was
not an option. The cold-hearted bastards would show up, and you would never be
seen again.
How did Marco know all of this? The old timers of course;
told their tales. Much of it Marco believed to be true. Then there was the
communication from cousins and friends who had left after the day of choosing.
They sent back tales of their new lives. The people who stayed in the same area
also told their tales of work and lives since choosing. Finally, there was what
you saw with your own eyes. People who tried to move in together and therefore
be illegally married who were taken away. People who spoke out about the changes;
just disappeared, without a trace. Sometimes, if you were up late at night, you
could see the armored vehicles come and disappear someone. Actions of the
Corporate Council. No trial, no conviction.
Once, Marco's family had a neighbor man who moved the woman
he wanted to marry, into his house, without waiting 10 years or asking
permission. Permission would never have been granted, and they only lived
together for 10 days. Marco was up early on day 11,and he saw the couple taken
away. The cold-hearted security bastards of the Corporate Council showed how
they earned the reputation that morning. Marco watched the couple be beaten as
they were dragged into the vehicle. There was blood on the ground, and everyone
tried to ignore it, until the rain washed it away days later.
Marco had opted for off-world. He had chosen working for
Impact Mining. They were an off-world conglomerate that owned all the mining
rights to Orion 6A. Marco would learn the people who lived there, called the
planet Eldorado. He would learn all about Eldorado, and a great many other
things; once on the spaceship.
Marco took one more look around at Rio Paolo. The misery was
oppressive. 150 million people going through the motions of living. Marco
didn't know how many rich people lived in RP. Their lives were definitely
different, and the 150 million knew it! On the day of choosing, you couldn't
get a position cleaning, or cooking, or what have you, for those rich. Later
you were recruited to those positions, once you had served your time in your
job of "choosing." There actually was a fair amount of opportunity to
change jobs at that time, but they were still low-paying, and had no future.
Marco shook his head and then went back home. His parents
were having the traditional "Day of Choosing" party for him. Marco's
would be more poignant because he was going away forever. It was a somber
affair and Marco said his goodbyes. He would be gone very early in the morning
to catch the shuttle to the moon and his spaceship.
Space Travel, Internet, And History.
The rumors about the internet would turn out to be true! Marco
spent much of his time in transit to Eldorado learning how much he didn't know.
The trip would take three months, and it was notable for the food and the
internet. Marco would not believe the variety and the taste of the food! It was
all 'cooked' not just bland reheated packages. When he entered that ship it was
a revelation to Marco, and he was told it would get better on Eldorado.
The internet, or more precisely, Marco learned, the ship's
computer network had a huge 'database' of information for Marco to absorb. Of
course, Marco didn't have access to everything, but he did have access to more
than he could imagine. Marco learned about the 'Changes' and how that
transformed the world, including his homeland of Brazil. It was a time of war,
chaos, and fear. The resulting political consolidation by the world's large
corporations and simultaneous population boom led to the "Day of
Choosing" and the Metropolitan Areas. The population needed to be
contained, otherwise it would overrun the farmland required to feed it.
No one seemed to know what sparked the trouble that resulted
in the Changes. The consensus was that the pressure from overpopulation, unfair
distribution of wealth between nations, and government measures to stop yet
another plague; boiled over. Wars and civil wars erupted all over the Earth.
Genocides occurred, as well as plenty of destruction. Much of Africa and Asia
was a bloodbath. Europe's unity shattered. North and South America saw a series
of coups, and counter-coups, as well as war. When the dust cleared, five years
later, the world was now run by the corporations; the Corporate Council by name.
Lead by the arms industry, they consolidated power by monopolizing the control
of weapons, food, and fuel. The other corporations gladly joined them and after
a few more years their power was unmatched in human history.
The population of the Earth was pushed into
"metropolitan areas" based on the old distribution of population. The
areas were shrunk though and the areas outside them were for commodity
extraction or agriculture. There also were large swaths of land set aside as
reserves to offset the climate changes. Travel was highly restricted between
the areas and that was mostly by air. The roads and rail lines that were kept
were for the movement of materials. The other roads, small towns and cities
were destroyed or abandoned to return them to nature.
Eldorado Hardships
When Marco arrived at Eldorado he didn't have anymore time
to think about what he learned, as he was assigned the most dangerous job on
the planet. It was the job of capturing mineral laden meteors as they
approached the planet. If you could grab them before they entered the
atmosphere the mineral payload was better. The trick was not being smashed to
bits by the meteors or having the meteor's breach your ships integrity and
dying of asphyxiation. This was normal and Marco knew he would spend a year in
this or a similar job. Over a third of those assigned would be killed and
another third injured in someway. No one even called him Marco, he was just
J-9870112, his company ID number. Yet when the year was up, Marco went to work
in the refinery and his life changed. He now was Marco. Out of the temporary
barracks into the permanent apartments. He made friends, worked hard, and
waited.
Communication back to Earth was possible but not easy. Only
the rich or the company could get instant communication back to Earth. The rest
of the people had to send mail. You could buy a video cube, record yourself,
and your family could watch it. You could write or type an actual letter on
paper and put it in an envelope. The bottom line is that it has to be a
physical object that can be loaded on the cargo ship. There is plenty of room
for a letter on those massive ships. They come here mostly empty, mostly things
that could not be made on Eldorado. Then the ships would leave full of
processed ore. A ship arrived every 3 months.
Placing an order for a woman.
Impact was a good company to work for. They let Marco put in
his request for a mail order bride on the cargo ship 3 months early. Some
companies made you wait the full 5 years before you could put in your request.
This way she would come 3 months earlier, a real bonus. There was plenty of
joking about the idea of a 'mail order bride." Marco researched it on the
computer, and it came from 19th century America on Earth. From what he read, he
was not surprised that it happened. Men get lonely out on the frontier. Men
also got in way more trouble the greater the ratio of men to available women.
Eldorado didn't have enough of a population base to produce enough eligible
surplus women. There was also no "Day of Choosing" on Eldorado.
People could freely choose what to work at and whom to marry, when they felt
like it. There were no age restrictions and the "shot" was voluntary.
Marco had looked through the catalogues of women for a month
before finding the girl he wanted. He didn't know what it was about her, that
struck him. But he knew he wanted her from the moment he saw her. Her name was Angela
Stemple, and she was born in a place called Bridgewater in the Eastern Seaboard
Metropolitan Area. He researched it, and the people there call it the BBA,
short for the Big Big Apple. The BBA, of course had the world's capital in it,
New York City. Where else would the corporations want the headquarters?
From what Marco could see in the picture, Angela was not
very tall but evenly proportioned. He printed off a picture of her for his wall
at home and his workplace at the refinery. Marco's mail order spent 3 months in
transit to Earth and his mail order bride spent 3 months traveling to Eldorado.
All Marco thought about besides being safe at work, was Angela; for those 6
months. He dreamed of her and talked to his friends about her. His married
friends told him about their mail-order bride experience. His friends, awaiting
their own bride, commiserated on the wait. It would all be worth it, all his
friends said.
The Group Wedding Event
The day before the cargo ship arrived, Impact started the
preparations for the bride's arrival. The best hotel in Barkerville, (Joe Baker
was the name of a former CEO.) was reserved in its entirety for the event. The
meeting of brides would occur in the grand ballroom. There would also be the
wedding ceremony. A banquet would then be held in the revolving restaurant on
top of the hotel. Finally, the best fifty rooms would be given to the 50
newlywed couples, for the night. The actual bridal suit would be given to one lucky
couple in a draw at the banquet. Impact also gave all of their newly-married
workers the week off with pay, to settle in with their new wives.
Marco finished his shift the next day at four. He went home
and showered, shaved, and put on his new suit. He was so nervous he could
hardly button his shirt up. He then went to the hotel, arriving at 5:30. Most
of the other future husbands were already there, helping themselves to some ‘liquid
courage’ at the free bar. Marco opted for water. He seldom drank alcohol. To
him, it just led to trouble. On Eldorado most of the miners who arrived, spent
their first few years drinking and whoring. Not Marco, for one thing, he was a
virgin, and the second thing was he dreamed of being 'middle class.'
Marco had learned about this on the internet and most the
people on Eldorado would be considered middle class. They owned their own
homes, could do the job they wanted, and could have kids who would never have a
Day of Choosing. Marco had been saving all of his paychecks to buy a house for
his mail-order bride. Others would spend years in the company apartments
because they partied their money away. Marco didn't regret his decision to
remain a virgin, he had been raised Catholic; and the prostitutes in
Barkerville were expensive. Marco also wanted his first time with Angela to be
extra special.
Angela, meanwhile; was just getting into the coach bus to
take her to the hotel. She had spent the last four hours after getting off the
cargo ship at the spa. Impact paid for all of the mail order brides to get the
full package. Next door to the spa was a high-end ladies clothing store. Angela
was wearing a beautiful new dress from the store, complete with new lingerie
underneath. Impact paid for that as well. Angela felt like Cinderella going to
the ball.
Marco and the other men were getting anxious. Some were
drinking too much out of nervousness. Some were telling jokes with their
friends, to kill the time. Marco was just standing alone, drinking some water,
thinking about Angela.
Marco was startled when it was announced that the brides had
arrived. All of the men eagerly turned toward the large double doors of the
hall. Music started playing in the background. Of course it was 'here comes the
bride." Two Impact men moved toward the doors and opened them at the same
time. First in line was the marriage commissioner, but no one looked twice at
him. All eyes were on the lovely ladies behind him. The women followed the
commissioner into the room, nervously trying to find their groom.
Angela was looking at the group of men, but could not find Marco.
She had posted his picture on the wall in her cabin on the ship and was
positive she would recognize him. She started to worry he was not there.
Something bad had happened while she was in transit. All kinds of dark thoughts
filled her mind. This did happen sometimes. Meanwhile Marco had spotted Angela.
She was even more beautiful in real life, than her picture. Since Marco was not
with the main group, she still couldn't see him and started to panic.
Marco moved forward, toward Angela, and then she saw him. He
looked like a dream come true. She was captivated. She was so enthralled with Marco
she couldn't move, but soon he was before her. Marco stopped just outside of
her personal space. He was drinking her in, and she was doing the same with
him.
"I am pleased to finally meet you Angela, you are
better in person, than in my dreams."
Angela could barely hear his words; her heart was beating so
loudly. She knew he had said something, and tried to find her voice,
"Marco."
That was all she could get out. Then Marco held out his hand
for her, and she took it in her own.
"May I kiss you Angela?"
Angela couldn't form words, so she simply nodded, ‘yes.’
Marco gently pulled on her hand and Angela moved forward her
face looking upward at the taller man. Marco slowly brought his mouth down on
hers. Her lips were so soft as he kissed her. He started to pull back but then
went in for another kiss. Angela couldn't believe she was finally kissing a man
who wasn't related to her. She wanted more and used her free hand to pull Marco's
head closer. Their tongues both had the same idea at the same time and met in
the middle of the kiss.
Like many of the couples Marco and Angela were oblivious to
everything and everyone but th