Mars Endeavour

by Peter Cawdron

Chance may occur, but when it does, it’s scolded as an imposter and sent packing.

Each of us had dozens of studio photographs taken before we left for Mars. Although the shots are all smiles, everyone knew what they were really for—the obituary. As long as we’re alive, they’re stored on a hard drive somewhere, perhaps with a copy on Wikipedia. As soon as we’re dead, they’re front page news—well, maybe not with all that’s going on back on Earth.

“All wars end,”

“We all die,” Connor replies, pausing to look him in the eye. “No one wants to admit that, but it’s true.

Perhaps artificial consciousness is a better term for what I’m dealing with.

“Life is a constant struggle against death. With each heartbeat, each breath, we push back the inevitable by one more fleeting moment... To be alive is to know you will die...