"Sun-Rank Banard, may I have the privilege to present some of my ideas,
with many of which we Earth men are in accord? If you agree with them,
we would like your advice, and help. Contrary to what Field Marshal
Allenby said, 'We earth dwellers are prisoners on our planet; there
is no way out,' destiny, through you, has given us a way out. Against
our will you took us away from there; we want to assure you now of our
gratitude. We thank you Martians for the privilege granted us to remain
among you. During the short time we have been here, we have found your
living conditions unparalleled. We all intend to take advantage of our
good fortune and become citizens of Mars. We wish to make our lifelong
home here and to form close family unions. If you take us back to
earth, we would not want to remain there; for we do not want to bring
forth our children in the cauldron of the Earth's inferno. However, we
have blood ties there, people who are very dear to us. For the sake of
our relatives and their future generations, and the sake of Earth's
humanity as a whole, we shall devote ourselves to creating, if we can,
a better future world for them. But we need your help.
"Since we speak fluently, between us here, in ten different languages,
we can be of great help to proselytize from here the people who form
the majority of Earth's population. Or, if you can arrange to let each
one of us separately parachute down to Earth, into the country where
our language is spoken, we can start our work of acquainting them with
your system of life. But, after a reasonable period, after sowing
the seeds, we hope that you will arrange to take us back. That is,
providing we are in good health. If, God forbid, any one of us become
contaminated with an incurable Earth disease, then he should be left on
Earth.
"Since childhood I have always had radio transmitters. I have always
tinkered with them, and made them myself. I have worked at them in all
phases of the industry. I cannot only make them, but also operate them.
I can instruct my fellow Earth men here and also you Martians, if you
will give me the chance in one of your radio factories. Perhaps I can
succeed in making a radio that will penetrate through the atmosphere
of Earth and reach its inhabitants. We then can start a campaign of
broadcasting messages to our fellow men on Earth."
Sun-Rank Banard responded with enthusiasm, "Mr. Galoway, I am most
happy to know your plans and intentions. I shall have you flown
tomorrow to our radio factory and laboratory, where you can conduct
researches with our scientists. You will be provided with all our
materials and facilities. I sincerely hope you prove more successful
than we have been.
"A week from today we can have another conference. I hope by that
time you will have succeeded in your endeavors. Now, gentlemen, it is
getting late. The airplane will fly you all back to your homes. Good
night."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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