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It was now ten years since we took off in man’s first space ship. Mars the red planet was our destination. The crew consisted of five men and one woman. The woman was our medical advisor. The Pilot and myself the second pilot and two engineers. The journey out to Mars was exciting for all of the crew. Our daily routines were done without any complaints.

It was rather a strange feeling to watch the Earth, that lovely blue planet getting smaller and smaller until it faded away. I knew that the huge computer had recorded every minute of our trip through space and it would be the computer that brought us safely home again. The excitement as Mars slowly became a large red ball in the screens connected to the outboard cameras.

Last checks were made with the Medical Officer going over her medical equipment. The two engineers were busy working out landing plans and entrée into the Mars atmosphere. I took my place next to the pilot. Not much conversation took place between us both were staring into the screen that showed us the surface of the planet beneath our space ship. We both saw the area where we could safely land the ship.

I spoke into the ships loud speakers, please take your places we will land in a few minutes. The surface looks fairly flat but we cannot be sure. Hold on tight and if you are of the praying type now is the time for a prayer. Slowly the jet streams under the ship slowed us down, it would be a soft landing after all. Then a very light judder told me that we had landed.

A quick look at the procedures for landing on a strange planet. The Pilot remained seated while I and the rest of the crew donned our space suits. The oxygen pack on my back reassured me. The pilot opened the door of the ship letting us into the space that all space ships were equipped with. The door behind us closed the door into the atmosphere of Mars slowly opened.

A red dust hung in the air. The medical officer took samples of the air. After checking the sample she told us to leave our suits on the oxygen in the air was not good for our lungs.

 The pilot was informed that we were going to examine what looked like a large hole in the ground. Off we went in a northerly direction who or whatever had made this hole must have been good engineers. Our Lights showed that deep down in the hole there were buildings of some kind. Our excitement was now at a very high pitch. The medical Officer found the step like structure that led down into then hole. Our very sensitive cameras were brought into action and picture  after picture was taken for our records.

To our surprise there were no doors to any of the buildings. Strange machines were standing around as if waiting for someone to start them off. The two engineers were examining machine after machine. I had my eyes on one of the machines and did not see the obstacle on the floor. I tripped over the object and felt my hand closing over a lever. I pulled my hand away as quick as I could. It was too late the machines came to life. Strange objects were pushed from the machines to what I can only describe as a belt that ran from the machines through a wall into another room. I took one of the objects from the belt and must have touched some mechanism for a red ray came from the object and burned a deep hole in what we thought was a wall. Now the two engineers had taken something from another machine.

Now a huge screen covered what we thought was the roof of the building. In front of our eyes we saw a war. A war of strange machines with men and women using the objects that I had accidentally fired. Ray guns or if you will some form of laser gun. The film showed huge underground rooms filled with growing plants. Embedded into the ceilings were powerful lights shining on the plants. Into my mind flashed the thought artificial suns.

The film showed us the history of a race that had wiped itself out though war. The film came to an end with a series of pictures with a form of Balloon that rose into the atmosphere of Mars. We saw the balloon open the underside and what looked like a large square box dropped quickly to earth. Next  the film showed a red haze all over what at the beginning of the film was an ordinary sky similar to the skies on our Earth.

The film showed a few survivors that worked in these factories. Producing more weapons for soldiers that no longer lived. The  film showed the workers at the machine dropping dead. The atmosphere was so badly poisoned by whatever bomb it was that had been dropped. This film I strongly suspect was left for anyone to find and to warn the senselessness of war. I had seen enough and made my way back to the space ship.

The Pilot had gone looking for the crew and fallen into the trap that the two engineers and the Medical officer had set for any survivors. The Pilot and the Medical Officer using one of the lasers from the machines killed each other. I have made my report on the mission to Mars, I do not know whether the Authorities will have the guts to make this public. I hope so for this is a warning of what can happen in a future war.

 To finish my report I set the ship on Automatic pilot and let the computer find its way back to earth. I despite my space suit must have caught some bug or other on Mars. I will when I have finished this my report go to the ships doors and open both doors at once I will be shot out into space without a space suit and the interior of the ship will be fumigated by the emptiness of space. I wish you all Peace and Good Health for all of the coming generations.