Stories for The People by The People

They were the last ones. Out of the billions of people who perished in the nuclear war that destroyed Earth, they were the only ones who survived. A hundred brave souls who boarded the last rocket to Mars, knowing they had no other choice. They knew the odds. They knew they had only enough supplies for a hundred days. They knew they had to find water and grow food on a barren planet. They knew they had no hope of ever returning. They were scientists, engineers, botanists, geologists. They had the skills and the knowledge to make Mars livable. They had the will and the spirit to make Mars their home. They landed on a flat plain near the equator, where the solar panels could catch the most sunlight. They deployed the inflatable habitats and the rovers. They drilled into the ground and found ice. They melted it and purified it and drank it. They used it to irrigate the crops they planted in the hydroponic modules. They celebrated their first harvest and remembered the Earth for its bounty...