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SUMMARY: For the Mars Flash fiction contest My first story since school 10 years ago!

The Mars Question

'If Terry were still alive he would fight you every step of the way.' Janny, my mother-in-law, yelled through the holocom at me 'how dare you sully his memory like this'.

She was right of course, the guilt of my decision keeps me awake at nights, arguing with the shade of my 5 years dead husband. And now her words had the waves of guilt washing over me again, threatening to drown my hard made decision under their heavy pull.

'I know' I whispered softly, struggling to find the will to fight for something I wasn't sure I believed in, 'I'm sorry, I just think its the right thing to do for the kids'

'The right thing?' Janny shouted, her slight, boney frame almost seemed to grow in size on the holocom projection in front of me 'THE RIGHT THING? Taking your children away from the planet they were born on is the right thing? The planet that their father died trying to protect? The planet YOU SWORE to help protect? Tell me Maria, is that the right thing?'

I knew she wasn't going to stop unless I said something. I knew what she was going to say to, because I said the same thing to myself for months, desperately trying to find another way. But I had made my decision, and no matter how much my conscience tried to bring up Terry's beliefs and political ideals, my mind wasn't going to change. I think.

'Terry was a good dad' I replied, a bit more substance to my voice this time, trying to hide my own doubts 'he would have done what was best for Kara and Drew. Yes he wanted to save the planet, to bring back the trees, the birds and the fish, but he wanted to do it for his children. I have the opportunity to show then what their dad was trying to do on Earth, show them the life he was trying to build for them here'

Janny shook her head sadly, I knew that the mention of her grandchildren having a better life would leave her as torn as me. She is not my biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination, but she loved Kara and Drew deeply. Neither of us would know what Terry's ideas on the matter would be, but I am certain on one thing, he had been a very good dad.

'But to take them to Mars?' Her voice breaking now, I could see her visibly fighting back the tears 'Terry hated that terraforming project, you know that. YOU hated that terraforming project. How many times did I hear the pair of you moaning about it taking away funding for your ocean projects?'

She was right, both me and Terry were biologists and idealists, determined to bring life back to the centuries dead toxic waters of the world. We saw the money the Mars project was getting and couldn't understand why people would try make a new world rather than bring back the old one.

'Its true, and I still feel we should be spending that money on saving the Earth. But with this job offer I can take the kids to live where wild trees grow, rain doesn't burn the skin and they can run about in the open air without masks. Its everything we dreamed of doing on Earth.'

Janny had no answer.