Vigilance: A Novella The history of freedom repeats itself. And the costs are always the same. The settlers of the new Republic of Mars were in a struggle for their freedom against powerful forces that would stop at nothing. For the Martians the costs were life, property and domestic security. But the true cost was vigilance, eternal if need be. Vigilance is set in the future (2070s) and is a story in the Future Chron Universe which consists of 9 novels, 16 novellas, and 8 short stories. Hard Science Fiction - Old School.