"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster (1909)
4
votes
You've just been convicted by the UN security council for being a Tildes user, and have been sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony, but you get a choice. Do you choose either:
1: Mars - 7 years without ever being able to go outside without a suit on, but afterwards you could travel back to Earth, if you desired.
2: New Mongolia: An Earth-like planet, almost as if Earth was new again. But it's a one way trip.
(Asking for a friend)