[ WP ] The death penalty has been replaced by a one way trip to Mars .

It aint' too different from the guys who were sent to Australia, my bunk mate had told me. You ever see pictures of Australia? He asked me. Big, giant, red desert covered in dust that gets into your clothes and your boots and your eyes and hair. It gets into your mouth, between your teeth, in your lungs. The smell of it stains the inside of your nostrils, every meal I have is tinged with the taste and the smell of it. We're all here working to make that go away. 
 
 `` Your punishment is to pave the way for righteous, law abiding Americans!'' Our sergeant would often shout as he marched up and down, back and forth, through the work areas. You'd think they plucked him right out of a classic, 21st century film. He wore a wide brimmed hat when not wearing his helmet, and thick aviator sunglasses even when his helmet was on. He smoked a cigar, a rare import these days, and had a thick southern American accent. Only half of us were even Americans, but to him the Martian colonies were manifest destiny. 
 
 Our purpose here was artfully described by another one of our sergeants famous quotes, `` Back on earth you work to make a living. Here you work to live!'' I'll hand it to him, he's fairly accurate on that point. 
 
 The prisoners work long hours to keep the terraforming station operational. The scientists made if fairly easy for us. We fill capsules with various liquids and fuels. We sweep and clean the mechanical parts. We take samples in vials, we take samples of dirt, we take samples of air. We put them in boxes and ship them off to people who can figure out what these things have to say. If we do not do these things then the terraforming station will fail. If that happens, we've got no air, and that'll kill us long before we run out of water or food. 
 
 For the most part, we work in the bubble. In the bubble we do n't need to wear our survival suits. We used to wear gray jump suits that, over time, turned a sort of reddish-pink. A few months ago, though, they sent out of a supply of clothing. Real clothes. We could even make requests. This was a reward for our good work. It made me feel sort of human again, wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt. 
 
 Outside of the bubble we need our survival suits. They say it'll be another twenty years before the air is breathable out there. I'll be fifty years old then. Outside the bubble is where we collect dirt samples and air samples. Scientists are working on installing some lakes out there. I hear at Terraforming Station 4a they are even working on an ocean. I applied for a transfer over there once, it was declined. 
 
 Anyway. Outside the bubble we also work on building roads and laying foundation for future homes, cities and neighborhoods. We got ta' flatten out the Martian surface. They say in fifteen years we'll get to start planting trees, bushes, shrubs. We'll see weather again, too. I still can remember the smell of rain. 
 
 I suppose I'm lucky I'll live long enough, god willing, to see Mars look a bit more like earth. It's more than most of the inmates sent here got. It's been over a century since they started sending us here. Terraforming takes a long time. I hear they have plans to start sending inmates somewhere else. Get to work on the next project. I pray every day that they do n't ship us out too. I want to see it. I want to live on a real planet again. I'll be an old man, and I'll not have my freedom, but I'll be on a good, self sustaining planet again.
