Prisoner 37C1074

Sometime in the future ...

The privatized criminal justice system operates swiftly under corporate control.

Corporations have taken over most legal systems due to public sector budgetary constraints. Intelligent automation has replaced most lucrative full-time work, creating consistently lower taxable wages and a nearly unsustainable world population.

So much economic strife causes record-high crime rates. To top it off, experts predict worldwide famine and total ecological collapse within a couple of generations.

Once the privatized court system declares a defendant guilty, it strips them of their identity, before issuing an inmate hex-count number and pronouncing sentence to one of the inescapable island fortresses—or, in more severe cases, a condemnation of death.

————

Director-Judge Joseph Garcia pronounced, "Prisoner 37C1074, you've been found guilty of repeated violations of numerous penal codes. Normally, I'd give you a life sentence on an island. But, based on the recent passage of the Space Faring Rehabilitation Act, you now have an opportunity to join a startup space colony."

"Should I?" Prisoner 37C1074 whispered to his court-appointed advocate.

The advocate nodded.

"Your honor, I'll join a startup colony."

"Very well, 37C1074. Bidding for your sentence will take place here at 3 p.m. tomorrow. Good luck. Court adjourned."

————

Approximately 24 hours after the bidding took place ...

Prisoner 37C1074 wore an electronic paralysis-restraint, sitting alongside other prisoners inside the space colonization company's orientation center, just prior to liftoff.

A holographic presentation on Martian colonization began as words played across the screen:

We, The Colonial Relocation Committee, passed the Space Faring Rehabilitation Act to send inmates instead of citizens. We made this decision based on four primary reasons:

1. You're unfit or too fit for our civilized society here on Earth.

2. We've exceeded our capacity for island-based imprisonments with over 50 million inmates.

3. You've already acquired most of the necessary survival skills.

4. The historical deeds of your non-conformist kind built the foundation for our civilization.

As the final words revealed themselves, a new voice greeted them all:

Congratulations to all of you!

You've volunteered for a one-way mission to Mars to help build a new self-sustainable colony. Even though you will not have offspring, others shall inherit your legacy.

Without you, predators would have killed our ancestors. You're the bulldozers, the shapers, the warriors, the hunters, the pioneers, and the explorers.

Through natural selection, you've made us who we are today. And your abilities will lay down the groundwork for humanity's future.

We understand that our ever more orderly, surveillance-driven, and crowded society restricts your natural inclination for independence, exploration, and risk-taking.

Your innate desire to transcend barriers shall pave the way for a future space frontier.

We'll provide you with everything you'll need to construct foundations, buildings, and throughways to terraform Mars for agriculture, water treatment, manufacturing, communications, and energy. And, most importantly, for you to explore and make discoveries on the planet.

We must warn you to expect zero privacy. Around the planet Mars, we have strategically placed laser-equipped orbiting listener satellites. We'll monitor every movement and conversation—whether outside or inside walls, although you should experience minimal interference from us.

Should you choose to violate any terms of your imprisonment and accrue sufficient warnings, we shall terminate your contract.

As per our mutual terms of service, we'll airdrop supplies and equipment for you at regular intervals accordingly with your KPIs. You'll have plenty of freedom to socialize, explore, and engage in athletic, skill-oriented, creative, or academic pursuits.

However, if we suspect rebellion, revolution, or sabotage of our ROI, we reserve the right, at will, to halt shipments and terminate projects, groups, or individuals.

Once a newer generation of colonists arrives—in approximately sixty years after your EOL departures—the civilized world will step afoot and continue our social evolution as we have today.

When the right time comes, future colonists will offer others of your like-minded spirit to further explore the cosmos.

We honor your fateful decision, noble ambition, and adventurous spirit, and we wish you well.

————

The prisoners entered the ion propelled rocket ship and strapped in. The hatched closed them away from Earth for the final time. The ship took off, transporting them millions of miles to their new home on Mars. Once they disembarked, the landing platform automatically prepared and launched the ship for its return flight to Earth.

————

Prisoner 37C1074's paralysis inducing restraint detached, giving him independence, at last.

For Prisoner 37C1074, the Martian colony meant the chance to start a new life. To finally have a true sense of purpose and an opportunity for real freedom of movement and self-expression, unlike his oppressive life on Earth. Also, in Earth society's judgment, making his reformed repentance a genuine contribution to all humankind.