Ark II - 17. The Harpies

Joel woke again with the feeling of contentment and satisfaction. He had been told it would happen when you did a good and honest day’s work. Everyone on the Ark were working a hard honest day’s work. He didn’t know of a single person on the Ark that was in the least bit lazy. Scientists often got so focused on their work they didn’t think about anything else.

Matt and Mark were going to begin combining their DNA to make a new life made up from both of them. Joel knew sperm carried half of what made up Mark and Matt’s half. They had done some of what they wanted to do with cattle and other animals, but this time it wasn’t livestock. It was Human. He didn’t understand the artificial womb or how it worked. Matt and Mark had even used it to bring back some very important animals back from near extinction. They intended to put a Y chromosome from one and join it with a X chromosome from the other. Or even a X with an X to create a girl. A Y and a Y would not work. He knew what they told him, that the X carrying sperm was heavier and they could centrifuge them down. He wondered how they would do it with Nancy and Connie. They had their halves inside eggs they carried. Would Matt and Mark’s child have a placenta? It would have to for the baby to eat and develop. And what about Adel? He knew she had to corrective surgery and was now physically female. She didn’t generate sperm and she had no eggs. Of course, she had DNA, but could they separate the double helix and the same with Brice’s. Joel assumed Brice had sperm and therefore half of what was needed.

Joel switched tracks his train of thought was taking. The new ships needed to be designed and built. He wondered what they’d look like. He had joked about the flash of light and even the sounds created when those ships in movies and other forms of fiction went into “warp” and he loved when the same ships just seemed to appear out of nowhere to face an adversary. He knew there would be no sound in space and no flash of lights. Still…

“Oh, keep it down, honey,” Sara Beth scolded with a small laugh.

Joel’s eyes widened as he looked over at Sara Beth who at the moment was facing away from him. “I wasn’t making a sound!” He protested. “I was just lying here thinking. You couldn’t hear me think.”

Sara Beth rolled over and smiled at Joel. Pointing a finger at Joel she said, “After over a decade of marriage, I know what you do. You get your thoughts together about what you need to do. Every morning.”

“And you don’t?” Joel asked. “I know you go over cases on patient care and new plants in your garden. What needs pruning or weeded.” He cocked his head, “Do we have weeds on the Ark?”

Sara Beth’s head retracted slightly, “Of course, we do.” She shook her head. “You’re just thinking like most people do about plants we call weeds. They do a lot in nature. They can grow in harsher environments, they help retain moisture in the soil, prevent erosion, they are living mulch, and fertilize the soil, and attract insects the other plants can use.”

Joel thought about it and nodded, “I guess we’ll be planting weeds around Gaea. It will be a harsh environment even after we get the air to where we can breathe it.” He pointed back at Sara Beth, “No cockroaches and mosquitoes? They are the animal version of weeds.”

Sara Beth chuckled, “There was a professor that said Humans were like weeds. No matter what we try, we keep reproducing and overcrowd any environment. That’s what weeds do and why we’re out here!”

Joel nodded, “We’re weeds?” He shrugged, “I see his or her point, but…” he looked at Sara Beth, “a weed?”

Sara Beth nodded, “Yep.”

Joel knew that Athena was increasing the days’ time slowly to help them adjust their own personal biological clocks. Ten minutes a week, she increased their whole day. Increasing the daytime and nighttime by five minutes each.

The routine of getting their sons up and off to school was comforting to Joel. School was just down the passage from their quarters, their home. It was a short walk. No lunches needed packing. No books needed carrying. But they had a routine! Sara Beth had some patients to see, so he parted with her as she went to the Sickbay. Joel went to the Control Room and checked to see what was new with the message feed they got. The messages were ten years old, but he needed to keep track of changes as it might affect Gaea. Waking from stasis added an element to the process and Joel had to sift through a years’ worth of transmissions. He was now checking them every day. It was getting done quicker.

Hank came in and greeted Joel who was getting his cold vanilla latte. “Hi, Joel! Ready for another GLORIOUS day?”

Joel chuckled and nodded, “I am.” He pointed at the dispenser, “Care for your Caramel Macchiato?”

Hank nodded, “The only way to start a productive day.”

Joel smiled at himself and pressed the selection for Hank, “Do you EVER get depressed?”

Hand stopped and thought. Joel noticed this man had to really THINK before he answered the question, “I suppose I have, but I can’t remember.”

Joel got Hank’s hot coffee and brought it to his friend, “That’s great you have to think to remember.”

Hank took his coffee and sipped it carefully. “I’ve asked Angus MacQueen to come this morning.”

“Okay,” Joel nodded. “He’s an Aerodynamics Engineer, right?”

Hank nodded, “Aerodynamics, Aerospace designer…he’ll be great at designing our Pterodactyl.”

Joel had to put his coffee down as he stared at Hank, “Our Pterodactyl?”

“Or Hornets, Wasp, or Falcon,” Hank shrugged. “Whatever flies and can be deadly.” He grinned. “Condors are deadly, eagles, too. I liked the Pterodactyl because they threatened everything in the air or on the ground.”

“You do remember we just want to defend ourselves,” Joel reminded. “Not be the aggressor.”

Hank’s head did a wavering nod and shake, “I know, but have you seen one of those eagles or falcons?” He pointed at Joel, “They just look mean! If someone shows up with the idea of taking anything from us, one or several of those mean looking craft popping out around them will have them thinking twice about what they want to do.” He shrugged, “You want that theatrical light show. I want the mean look. Why not both?”

Joel laughed, “Okay. I see your point.” He nodded. “First we need a craft!”

“That’s why Angus is coming!”

Joel had made it a point to know everyone on the Ark. He knew Angus and his wife Davina. Both were engineers and had one child, a seven- year-old daughter named Flora.

Angus came in the Control Room and waved to Hank and Joel, “Matin va!”

Joel had heard Scottish brogue before and knew “Matrin va” or madainn mhath was good morning.. Angus was VERY Scottish. He and Davina often spoke Gaelic. Joel had told them not to stop. In fact, he encouraged it. Cultural enrichment needed to last for as many generations as it could. It made sense he was a shipbuilder. His ancestors were known worldwide for the building of ships. Angus just did it in space.

“Ye asked t’ see me.” Angus smiled.

Joel went into teasing mode, “Aye, we did lad.” He did his best Scottish imitation. He knew he has some Scotts in his family tree.

“Oh,” Angus grinned. “Yer makin’ fun of me accent!”

Joel nodded, “Coming from a place of sincere affection. Yes, I am.” He glanced at Hank. “As if no one else ever made fun of my accent.”

Hank shook his head, but grinned, “Only when I first met you.” He raised a finger to make a point. “I only said you sounded like Clark Gable when he played Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind.”

Joel nodded, “Except mine is natural. Clark Gable was an actor who learned to speak like a man from Charleston in that movie. My accent, which I never hear, is a combination of Charleston and Western North Carolina’s Appalachian accents. It just happened.” Joel looked at Hank smiling, “Do we talk abo’t your Canuk accent, eh?”

“We wanted to be separate from you in the United States!” Hank defended.

“Mission accomplished,” Joel shot back. He looked at Angus, “I think your accent adds character and depth to you, Angus. You’re charming. I love your accent! I INSIST you keep it. In a few generations all our accents will have merged and will be gone.” He pointed at Angus as he said, “You keep yours!”

Angus shrugged, “I can’t do much about it.” Angus nodded grinning more, “Okay, then.” He came and sat near Joel and Hank. “I think I know why you called for me.”

Angus’ brogue was not as thick now. Joel knew that Angus’ brogue was used like his own Southern drawl. Joel could really do it stronger as did Angus and his brogue.

“You’ll be wanting a ship or two with that new Alcubierre Drive.” Angus said simply.

“Yes,” Joel answered nodding. “It will need two kinds of engines. One using the Alcubierre Drive and one for standard propulsion. It needs to be maneuverable and have what a person or two needs for survival. Life support, storage for food supplies, and God forbid, if there is a problem a Stasis Tube for a long trip back.”

“And a bathroom!” Hank added. “Don’t forget that! Bunks to sleep on.”

Joel nodded, “Yes. As stasis isn’t sleep our people need to rest somewhere.” He said logically.

Angus nodded, “I have been designing vessels of all kinds all my life.” He did as everyone did. He looked up slightly, “Athena, could you bring up my designs for the Harpy?”

“Certainly, Dr. MacQueen,” Athena replied.

“A Harpy!” Hank nodded with a grin. “I love that name!”

“And you just…” Joel began as several vessels appeared on the large screen, “did this for fun.”

Angus didn’t seem to understand the question or how Joel could ask where the question came from, “Well…yes. It’s what I do.”

There were eight different models of these Harpies.

“Ooh!” Hank pointed at one, “Tell us about the Harpy-Dragon!”

Angus smiled, “I worked on her since I was nine years old.”

It looked like an intimidating craft. It was wider than the landers they took down to Gaea. It had four wings. Two toward the front seemed backwards as they stretched out wide to the front of the craft, like a great bird descending on its prey. There were two shorter ones toward the back that stood straight out. Stabilizers. There were two forward view windows the pilot and co-pilot would use, that looked very much like two eyes that made a downward slant giving the craft a mean look. The whole craft was black. The front of the craft had the sharp turned down nose like on an eagle or falcon.

“You started this at nine,” Joel grinned.

Angus shrugged, “Sure. All little boys are fascinated by warcraft, and I liked to doodle. My Harpy-Dragon just sort of grew from there.” He turned to a monitor near his chair and touched it. The Harpy-Dragon rotated, and they could see it three hundred and eighty degrees, and in three dimensions from the top and the bottom.

Hank waved at the screen, “Wouldn’t you think a time or two about doing anything if that popped out in front of you?” He asked Joel. “That’s just bitchin’!”

“Yes,” Joel chuckled. “It’s bitchin’, alright. I don’t know if that should be our first appearance with anyone. Maybe a lesser threatening craft could greet strangers.” Joel shrugged. “If they manage to travel here in…say a hundred years or two hundred years, who knows what kind of craft they will arrive in?” He looked at Angus. “All of your crafts are called Harpies.”

Angus nodded, “Perhaps you would want the Harpy-Eagle to be the first craft.” He suggested and another small craft appeared. There was a less threatening look. The wings were there but more rounded. It also wasn’t black.

“We’ll have that lovely zero-g bathroom,” Hank grumbled.

Angus chuckled, “We have to.” He shrugged. “We have rotational gravity on the Ark. Until we can have another form of gravity, we have to. It’s not that bad. It just sucks piss and shit away.”

Hank grimaced, “You try explaining the process to two daughters.”

Angus laughed and shook his head, “I HAVE a daughter.” He reminded.

“My boys thought it was fun,” Joel shrugged. “Sara Beth nor I were nothing but honest with them and don’t hide our bodies from them.” He smiled, “I plan to do the same with Daylia.” He gave a sly grin to them.

“Daylia?” Hank nodded. “That’s an unusual name. Pretty, but not usual.”

Joel’s head gave a shrugging nod and shake, “Yes, its Sara Beth’s suggestion, for now. All three of our boys had many suggested names, except Kevin. That name was going to happen.” He shrugged, “Which one we were calling him did change. Do we call him Joel? Little Joel? Jay?” He chuckled. “We went through hundreds for Jimmy and Ian. Right now, Daylia is the forerunner. Sara Beth believes the baby determines what their name will be. The name is from a series of books her Nana-Maria gave her about a little girl who lost her parents at a young age. Sara Beth loved those books.” He suddenly came back to what they were talking about first. “All of these small craft are called Harpies. The Harpy-Eagle because of the eagle’s eye?” Angus nodded.

“We also need some sentries.” Hank added. “Small things equipped with the communication features that Dr. Lavigne came up with. They don’t have to be large, but they will allow Athena and us see better farther away. They will have then Alcubierre Field Generators to send signals faster.” His eyes narrowed, “They should also be equipped with a self-destruction capability if anyone attempts to take one to see how it works.” He smiled. “We would send the Harpy-Eagle to greet them,” he got a scowling look that was mean and angry. “When they prove to be less than nice, we send a few of the Harpy-Dragons to show we aren’t going to be pushovers!”

Joel looked at Hank, “I think you WANT them to be less than nice.”

“Well, yeah,” Hank shrugged. “To prove a point. I know, you don’t want trouble, but be prepared if there is. We should be ready.”

Joel nodded, “Yes, but let’s build the first prototype, then expand. The propellant needed can be made from the chemistry from Gaea.” He looked at Angus and then Hank, “Can’t they?”

“Sure,” Angus answered. “They can fly in the vacuum of space or any atmosphere.” He looked at Joel, “I can build it?”

“Yes,” Joel said. “That’s why you’re HERE!”

Angus clapped his hands once and said excitedly, “YES! I’ll get started right now! I can use what I need?”

“Yes,” Joel and Hank said together.

If he could, Angus seemed to just float out of the Control Room.

Hank chuckled, “We made HIS day!”

Joel nodded smiling, “That was a good idea you had,” Joel pointed at his friend. “The sentries? We can place them out there with the help of other drones,” he grinned, “or you can place them on the test flight of the Harpy-Eagle!”

“Me!?” Hank asked startled, “Why me?”

“We could send Sara Beth or Rita,” Joel began. “You SHOULD go because if there’s a problem with the propulsion, the Alcubierre Drive, life support…anything mechanical, who would fix it? I can after you show me how. You can fix it now! If we send Sara Beth or Rita you need to go to fix…whatever.” He raised that finger for his additional point, “Of course, I won’t send Sara Beth right now because of Daylia.” He shrugged, “but Rita…” He chuckled as Hank literally growled. “A one-man craft will be fine for shortrange trips. We’ll need more than two people for long-range trips.” He slapped Hank in the arm near his shoulder, “Now, let’s talk to Dr. Lavigne about those sentries.”

The Alcubierre Field Generator and components were needed for the transmissions sent to and from the Ark. No other propulsion was needed. The sentries didn’t have to be more than two feet wide or long. Hell , they could be round! The energy generated would be for the field generator to send the signals and that didn’t require that much power to do.

He assembled all of the other scientific minds to discuss things further around the Communal Dining Area. He suggested others could be pilots for the new Harpies. They seemed okay with the idea of using these Harpies to scout and greet newcomers. Until he brought their attention to the Harpy-Dragon.

Anish Bhatt was a pacifist. He waved at the screen. “I’m fine with the defense against meteors, comets, and other space debris, but this is clearly a war machine! We’re bringing what we left behind on Earth to Gaea? Then why did we leave?”

Joel had expected this. He nodded and said carefully, “Because of the most dangerous thing out here is Human Beings. We need to be ready to standup to them, if necessary. I respect your convictions about violence and no killing. I admire your principals. I ask you to respect mine. I don’t want a fight at all, but I know we need to be ready to push back when we’re threatened…and we will be.”

“They don’t even know where we are!” Anish protested and looked at the others. “Is anyone sending any messages to anyone on Earth, Mars, or anyone?” He looked at Joel, “Like you said, the people that sent us are dead! No one knows if we’re alive.”

“They know in what direction we went,” Joel clarified. “Yes, right now Earth is recovering from some very horrible bombs. The people there are in trouble. The lunar colonies are suffering overcrowding now. Mars is fighting a huge influx of people trying to get away from the destruction on Earth. Supplies of the colonies there are being robbed almost daily. The fighting is escalating with every report we get. The mining colonies are suffering as well. All they know is an Ark came out in this direction and they don’t know where we went. Were we destroyed? They don’t know.” Joel knew most of these brilliant people had not experienced any military life. Like he and Sara Beth had had lived in a secure, enclosed communities. Plus, after the mental talents were discovered, the governments and private industries sheltered these people. The harsh conditions of the world weren’t hidden to them. Knowing what was happening and living IN that life are different things. The military had trained Joel as a leader. However, he could NOT just expect these various scientists to simply comply with an order. He couldn’t just DEMAND they follow orders. He would have to reach them with reason. “The Ark Project began in the late Twenty-second Century. They planned this Ark for a century and longer. As far as I’m concerned we are the best of the three Arks launched. Every contingency was planned for giving us the materials and supplies to make us a success.”

Joel pointed at them and moved his finger to encompass all of them, “The greatest minds were put on this Ark to make sure we ARE a success.” He sighed, “When my family came to the Space Ladder to come to the Ark, there were many people that wanted to come, too. They would have done ANYTHING to be included.” He bowed slightly and sighed. He looked up again at them. “I wish we could have taken them with us but we couldn’t. In the military, I got to see the dark side of mankind. That darkness is still there.” He pointed at them again, “It is a darkness that is still inside of us!” He saw and heard the adverse reaction to what he said, “Yes, inside you, too! We have just trained ourselves to not let that darkness manifest itself through us.” He threw his arms out at the hopeless situation he was helpless to stop. He pointed at them again. “All of you were hand-selected to do this. We have been DAMNED lucky we have not lost anyone on the way here.”

“We almost lost you,” Sara Beth said not too quietly.

“But you didn’t lose me!” Joel countered. “Back to our original topic. We should count on other men finding out where we are! They will. The terraforming of Gaea will begin in more earnest soon. We have started it with the air generators and the ozone generators. We should have a good base to start with,” he nodded, “in two HUNDRED years! The people back around the Earth will NOT be in stasis. Technology may slow down as they rebuild. The other two Arks had our templates for planning followed.” He nodded again, “They have had equipment failure and deaths. We haven’t!” He looked at Anish, “I admire your conviction about being a pacifist. I will tell you this, no one can threaten my wife or my children without expecting me to retaliate. Meaning, I would kill anyone that threatens them or any of YOU! I know Sara Beth would do it too if anyone threatened me or our children. She would react like a mother grizzly bear!”

“Damned straight!” Sara Beth nodded.

“We won’t plan to use it,” Joel nodded. “It is a means to deter any threat.”

“That’s what the superpowers said with the nuclear arms race!” Anish protested. “We’re doing it again!?”

“And where are those superpowers now?” Joel asked. “You won’t fight or kill. Fine. I know you passed the small craft exercises and could fly a scout easily.” He looked at him more intensely. “I wouldn’t put you in a position to test your principals. Know, I wouldn’t expect you to. I also will not allow you to sacrifice yourself, your wife, or your children! We can’t afford to lose ANYONE!” He moved now as he looked at them carefully, “I am suggesting we have a defense, not an offense.” He asked them, “Is there anyone here who thinks Humans are the only intelligence in this galaxy or the universe?” He waited, but no one said a thing. He held his hand up, “In spite of what we have NOT found, the statistics in thinking about the number of stars and worlds tell us that most definitely there is. We cannot know how to defend ourselves against an unknown spacefaring species of aliens. Just because we haven’t found evidence yet doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.” He shook his head, “We can’t plan for the unknown. We CAN plan for the known, mankind. Mark my words,” he pointed to outside the Ark. “One day there will be a ship in our sky with men and women from Earth onboard. We will be civil and even friendly. We can begin trade with them, but if they prove to be hostile, we will defend ourselves.” He nodded, “We have somethings needed to start, the processer and smelting of the metal ores we bring up from Gaea. We have the processor we brought and the smelter. The metal needed for our new homes will be needed, but also for the Harpies.” He grinned, “All of this will be done under the watchful eyes of Athena and assembled by Athena while we are in stasis.” He chuckled, “My brilliant son saw that Athena was doing all of the heavy lifting and assembly and asked me what was it WE did. She was doing almost all of the work!” He nodded, “Well she does, but I never wanted him to think of Athena as a hammer, wrench, or screwdriver. We created the nails, bolts, and screws and couldn’t use them without the tools. Athena is the Ark. We could never do this without her.” He smiled, “Now, Angus MacQueen has designed these Harpies and the first one will be the Harpy-Eagle we will use to test the Alcubierre Drive and Alcubierre Field as we place sentries to help Athena see farther and react faster in case we are threatened with the asteroid, comet, or space junk. She can respond faster.”

He did it again, “AND…Dr. Bia Ch’en is going to start martial art defense training. I will also be teaching what I learned to defend myself in battle.” He saw Anish’s frown, “I pray we never have to use it, but we need to prepare. I encourage every adult to take this training. Our numbers seem like a lot, but really they’re few and we need people ready to defend us. All of you who scored high in your training on the smaller craft should consider training more for the Harpy-Eagle and the Harpy-Dragon. We’ll have simulators made for you to refine what you know and teach what you need to know.” He grinned at his friend, “Hank.”

“I’ll train, I’ll train!” Hank waved Joel’s comment away.

“And I’m including the women,” Joel grinned. “We have had issues with women in combat for thousands of years.” He waved at Sara Beth. “While my wife is pregnant, no…I won’t send her in combative situations. But she and Rita Cavill scored highly in their small craft training. Women are excellent pilots.” He grinned as Sara Beth gave him a thumbs up signal saying she approved. He looked at Hank, “Have I forgotten anything?”

Hank frowned and thought a mere second, “You? Do you ever forget anything?”

Now that things had been started, Joel felt a little let down. All of these people knew their jobs and did them better than anyone on Earth…and Mars, the moon…you get it. There were others on Earth as good but didn’t fit within the parameters for the group they needed. The eldest person onboard was forty. The approval board wanted healthy men and women that could pass the physicals, young enough to produce children and had a good health ancestry. That’s why it took so long to choose these people. A Chemist on the Ark had turned forty just after the launch.

Every man and woman had their jobs to do and did it without question. Joel did hear some good conversations and debates. One he had wondered about but figured there was a solution these minds would come up with.

“The animals we have the genetic codes for have evolved after millions of years on Earth,” a biologist said. “They have behaviors that are programmed in their DNA. Migration patterns determined by the moon and the seasons. The parents teach the young what to do. The animals we bring to life will not have those parents.”

Another scientist nodded, “Yes, animal behavior is learned as well as instinct.” She shrugged. “Higher animal lifeforms will have to have guides.” She waved at the Ark’s interior, “You’ve seen the animal pets we have now. We will have to have robot animal parents to do the job. Infant animals will imprint and follow the direction of the animal parent.”

“Insect life and aquatic lifeforms are programmed at birth,” the man who raised the original question said. “Gaea is NOT Earth.”

“Life will adapt,” one of the botanists stated simply. “It has to.”

“We need to add nutrients to the soil,” an other botanists nodded. “They did it on Mars where there was nothing for the plants to grow in or from. Dr. Leif Andersen and Dr. Steven Combs have that algae and those planktons that will start the process in the oceans. The life and death process will add the needed nutrients there. I hope we can see coral return and thrive.”

One of the men heading the terraforming project nodded and added sadly, “And we will do our damnedest to be sure it will. However, there is the possibility that some species just will not make it. Despite our efforts. We may not get all life back.”

The biologist nodded, “Like those Hydrothermal Vent creatures that live so deep in otherwise hostile environments. Do we even have them on the Ark?”

“Life will have to adapt,” the botanist shrugged. “We will make mistakes. We are not gods.”

“They introduced some bacteria into the soil on the moon so they could grow crops in the lunar soil,” another botanist stated. “Once that’s started it took off like gangbusters.”

“And almost got out of control,” the man in charge of terraforming cautioned. “In order to have a balanced ecosystem, we need caution. Many of the insects will help breakdown plants and animals after they die. We’ll have to be careful. Earth life had billions of years to evolve. We are just jumpstarting the process on Gaea.”

Joel had thought of this possibility but hearing it from someone else made it seem more real. Even Rita questioned this in the very beginning. Would the migrating species handle the change? There were seasons of sorts on Gaea. Not as radical as on Earth but they happened. Joel remembered the many species of birds that migrated that he enjoyed. He thought of the Canadian Geese that came South during the Winter to areas around him. They flew North to Canada to breed and raise the next generation. Where would they go on Gaea? They consumed insects, fish, grass, and other plants in the oceans. The men and women on the Ark planned to terraform all of Gaea, not just the new Hawai’ian Islands. Gaea’s ocean was vast. Creating a stable biological system there would take a long time! Even with Athena’s help and periods in stasis, it would take a long, long time. The aquatic life had a lot more room, but not much to eat at first. The plan was to start with the simplest lifeforms, have them grow to abundance and then add the predators. There had to be enough for the predators to eat! Birds needed insects to eat, so the insects had to come first.

This effort was a real Herculean task. Were they smart enough to do it? There were many assumptions that Humans made that were proven wrong. Such as the mother alligator did NOT eat her own young, she was protecting them. Small alligators were victims of other predators, but few threatened a large alligator. Humans were predators. Human teeth told them they did eat meat. When a lion or bear got smart enough to corral their future prey to make sure they never ran out of what they needed he’d worry. Humans learned to raise cows, chickens, pigs, and even aquatic animals for consumption. Joel remembered thinking this was wrong…for about a day or so. Then he realized he COULDN’T be a vegetarian. He loved his pulled pork barbeque and steak. He loved shrimp, oysters, and scallops. He loved all kinds of fish from freshwater fish to saltwater fish.

There would be some species that would not make it on Gaea. Even if they built some domed preserves, some would not make the transition. Animal species on Earth went extinct all the time. Conversely, species they thought were extinct proved not to be. New species of plant and animals would rise, not that anyone alive here now would see them, but life would.

Joel checked in with Adel. She and a small team were building four sentries they would use with more on the way.

Then Joel went to where Alejandro Rojas, Joder Mast, Angus MacQueen, and Hank were looking over some diagrams for the Harpy-Eagle.

Hank was listening to what was being said and nodded, “Yes, we have the needed parts…” he thought, “I think.”

“Is there a problem?” Joel asked them.

Hank frowned, “No, not really. We have the metal for one Harpy…”

“You’re building the whole thing,” Joel said to be clear. “Can the Alcubierre Drive be added to one of the landers?” He looked at the surprised looks, “We have two! If you add the drive, can’t the lander be used for the Ark to planet and back again?” He could see that idea hadn’t occurred to them, “I know, technically is isn’t a Harpy, but it will be sort of a Harpy. We will be building Harpies later, but can’t you add the Alcubierre Drive to the lander? We don’t want to waste anything.”

Hank looked irritated at Angus and slapped the back of his head lightly, “Why didn’t you think of that?”

Angus ducked his head slightly, “I was so excited about finally getting to build my Harpies, I didn’t think about it!” He returned the light slap to the back of Hank’s head. “Why didn’t you think of it?”

Hank smirked a smile and pointed at Joel over his shoulder and said, “You see? That’s why he is in charge. He’s the BIG PICTURE kind of guy,” he grinned at Joel. “He sees more as he’s not as focused on one thing like we are.”

Joel smiled back and nodded, “I have to be. Our future depends on what we can do.” He looked at Alejandro and Joder. “The drone was sort of small. Can’t you add the Alcubierre Generator to the lander? Is that a problem? The applied power should be enough to generate a Alcubierre Field. We have the necessary fuel to give forward motion. Adding Adel’s communication wouldn’t add too much bulk to the lander.”

“Sure,” Alejandro nodded grinning at Hank’s and Angus’ antics. “The bulk is not a problem.” He looked at Joder, “The Wurtzite Boron Nitrate Power Booster would fit, right?”

Joder nodded, “We can use what we used on the drone for the Harpy-Lander.”

Joel grinned, “See? We work well together.” He chuckled, “You can just feel the love here.” Then he pointed at them. “Adel is getting her sentries ready. She will have them ready in a day or so. We need to get Athena’s eyes out there. Will the lander be ready?”

Hank stood and gave Joel a sharp salute, “We won’t let you down.”

Joel chuckled again, “Don’t let anyone else down. All of the Ark will depend on what we can see and do.”

Joel left them to work out what they needed to do. Hank was right. Joel WAS a big picture kind of man. He had no doubt that they would have realized what they could do. He just moved them more quickly to it. The military had honed Joel’s abilities to think that way. You were given an objective and he had to see more than just THAT objective. If he used up all the resources to accomplish the objective, what did he have left over? Angus was also right. He was so happy to begin working on his Harpies he was focused on building one from the ground up. A Harpy-Lander would be very useful. It could carry as many as six to eight people. The Stasis Pods could be added to the new Harpies. Their suits they wore on the planet or in space would be their Stasis Pods for now. If they got in trouble and the Alcubierre Field had problems, he wanted the person who could fix it there. Hank could and so could Alejandro. He hadn’t told them, but they were going on the test flight. And Adel, she was going, too. The Harpy-Lander had to be equipped with the Alcubierre Communication as well. Athena had to be able to see in advance any threat.

He arrived at the Sickbay and saw Sara Beth looking at a three-dimensional image of a young woman in her early twenties. Joel’s eyebrows rose as he saw the image. He pointed at the image, “Is that Daylia?”

Sara Beth looked startled, but recovered quickly, “It is a probability she will look like this.” She smiled at Joel. “Scott programmed Athena to use the DNA and projected an image.” She touched something on her keypad. The image of a very young infant appeared. A light covering of dark hair on the head, two arms and legs…she was beautiful! “This is her at a week of age.” She touched the key again. The image of a little girl at about two years of age appeared. Black hair like Joel’s, long, and an impish smile on a happy face. Joel felt a surge of something in his chest. This was his little girl! “Here she is at two.” Again, Sara Beth moved the progression to about thirteen, the beginning of her teenage years. Daylia had the same happy face but the woman in her could be seen. She was very pretty. Joel knew about those early teenage years, and she might not think so, but she was going to be a beautiful woman. “Thirteen.” The image of the beautiful woman in her twenties. “At twenty-one. Sara Beth scooted her chair back and placed her hand on her abdomen. “I’m just starting to show.” She rubbed the slight rise there. “This is based on the DNA and…”

Joel moved toward Sara Beth and kissed her intensely. He caressed her face gently, “You were beautiful when you carried all three boys. I know you will be beautiful carrying Daylia.” He also now understood Hank’s caution about having a princess who becomes an adult. He knew he was going to be protective. He was with Kevin, Jimmy, and Ian but he felt it so much stronger with this child. He would struggle to give her the kind of leeway he had with his sons. It was a proven fact. People treated their daughters differently than their sons. Baby boys were to be raised to be rough and tough men. Little girls were to be raised to be proper young ladies. Joel already knew he would treat her differently. He wouldn’t mean to but he knew he would. He had treated all his sons the same, but they were different people. Yes, Ian was way more sensitive than his other two sons. Could he be a homosexual? Only Ian could answer that. Joel didn’t care. Really. Hell, Kevin and Jimmy could be homosexual! Or bisexual! They were Human and therefore a sexual being. It was a part of being Human. His DAUGHTER could be homosexual. She would have three older brothers and be the biggest tomboy. That meant nothing. He would teach her, like he had with his sons to love and respect the other person and make sure they loved and respected them.

Many of the different religious groups had pushed that their children remain virgins until marriage and at the same time didn’t tell their children about sex. They were to go on their honeymoon not knowing the first thing about what to do. That was wrong. Sara Beth and Joel had been very honest about sex and didn’t hide anything about their bodies. Responsibility with sex was important, he wouldn’t be too shocked to know his sons played “doctor” with someone else. He shouldn’t be shocked if Daylia did. As long as whomever she did it with allowed her to do the same with them. It was a rite of passage! He’d done it at seven! He’d done it with a girl from the neighborhood and a little boy. Not at the same time. He’d had a hand job from a buddy in the military. Would he have had sex with him? Maybe. Then he met Sara Beth and that was it.

“We have a week to plan Kevin’s birthday,” Sara Beth grinned. “We should have a party. Do you want to do it in our quarters? Who do we invite?”

Joel shrugged, “We have so many that have had birthdays on the Ark. We have to invite the Cavills, at least. The Rees…” he threw his hands out. “Hell, we’ll let everyone know and whoever shows up…”

Sara Beth chuckled, “We have a limited amount of space in our quarters.”

Joel’s face lit up, “Hey! We’ll throw a beach party! We have those tanks they will use for all that algae and other things but right now we can have a beach party!”

Sara Beth nodded, “I think that will work.”

It was a couple of more days before Joel got word that the Harpy-Lander was ready. Joel looked at the inside of the lander and really didn’t see too many differences, except on the control panel. He sat in the pilot’s seat. Activating the Alcubierre Generator was easy to see. The throttle to get the lander going, a reading screen to tell how fast they were going.

“Where is the Alcubierre Communication?” Joel asked.

Adel smiled, “Well, all the communication will go through the Alcubierre Field and keep the communication going.” She shrugged, “I’ll have to add it to the other lander, but this should work for now.”

Joel nodded, “That makes sense.” He remembered, “Oh, this test flight and distribution of the sentries should only take a day, right?” He looked at them who all nodded. “Good, because in three more days my son Kevin will turn eleven. I need to be back. You are all invited to his beach party.”

“Beach party?” Adel asked. “We have no beach.”

Alejandro was also confused, “Except on Gaea, but we can’t do that there yet.”

Hank chuckled, “We can, sort of. There are those big tanks on level three and four. Athena can make you almost believe you ARE on the beach.” He bumped Joel lightly. “We had one once,” he looked away embarrassed, “You were all in stasis, but we had a beach party with the breezes, seagulls sounds, crashing wave sounds, and had a great time. You will believe you are on a beach.”

“No sand in your trunks or in unwanted places,” Joel chuckled. He pointed at them. “All of you are going on this trip to make sure we don’t miss the party!”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Hank promised.

“I would open this invitation to everyone,” Joel admitted. “I think we need to open the beach to everyone, but we can’t have everybody in our quarters.”

Joel had a hard time sleeping that night. He, Hank, and the others were doing the first manned flight using the Alcubierre Drive. It was exciting!

Sara Beth rolled over finally and asked, “You’ll need to be awake in the morning to pilot the Harpy. I’m giving you a sedative so you can sleep.” He was about to object, but Sara Beth held up her hand, “Or I will refuse to clear you for the test flight! You know I can. I have the authority.” She touched him lightly, “I won’t use a strong one but something to make you relax.”

“Fine,” Joel consented.

Sara Beth did give him a pneumatic injection and it worked.

Kevin rushed to the table that morning, “Dad! You’re taking the new Harpy today for a test flight!”

Jimmy hurried in behind him, “We can see it, right?”

Ian came in, but not in a rush, “You’ll be going a long way?” He asked concerned.

Joel saw his youngest son was worried, but he wouldn’t lie, “Yes. What would have taken a year or so on the Ark, you saw the drone go there and back in less than two hours. We’re using the same drive. I’ll be back tonight.”

Sara Beth looked up, “Oh, I need to give you and the others a bisphosphonate booster.”

“A what?” Kevin asked.

“It’s a medicine given when people work in space a long time,” Sara Beth answered. “I gave all of you one before we left Earth. When working in space where there is no gravity, muscles and bones will deteriorate if you don’t take it. Your Uncle Hank, your Daddy, and the others will be working a long time with no gravity. They will need it.”

Joel reached out and touched Ian’s hand, “You can watch me the whole time. Your mother will be watching over us. I will be back tonight,” he grinned and then looked at Kevin. “You have a birthday party to go to and I will NOT miss it!”

Kevin’s eyes widened, “I do?” He smiled hearing that. “I had forgotten about it.”

Jimmy grinned at his brother, “You’ll be what? Seventy or so?”

Kevin shoved his brother backward but smiled, “You are, too. Ian is.” He looked at Joel and Sara Beth. “You both are about a hundred?”

Joel grinned and pressed his hand into his back over a pain he didn’t really feel and groaned, “Yep, and sometimes I feel like a hundred years old.”

Joel hugged each son before Robbie took them to the Communal Dining Area for school. Sara Beth and he took the lift to board the lander. They were near the hanger to get in the Harpy-Lander. Joel was again getting excited. He, along with the five others were to be the first to travel inside the Alcubierre Field…as far as he knew. He tried to keep it calm, but inside he was getting inpatient.

Sara Beth grinned as she approached Joel as he was fitting his suit for going. She held up her pneumatic injector, “Okay, here’s the booster. I need access to your neck.”

Joel tilted his head to give access to his neck over the Carotid Artery. He heard and felt that magic medicine that had saved over a million lives that worked for long periods of time in a little or no gravity situation. During the late twentieth century and into the twenty-first century there were many from the first Apollo Missions, the Shuttles, and Space Stations that really had problems. One astronaut had spent a decade working on a space station and had gotten severe deterioration…he ended up having to stay on the space station and couldn’t return to Earth without a wheelchair. His skeletal structure couldn’t support his body with Earth’s gravity.

Joel smiled as he also felt Sara Beth kiss the spot over where she had given him the booster.

“I want one of them after you give me the booster, too.” Hank said.

Sara Beth smiled at Hank, “Gladly. However, I admit to being more emotionally involved with Joel.”

Hank nodded, “I would hope so as he was the one to knock you up.” He looked at Joel, “Do they still say that? Knocked up?”

Joel shrugged, “Knocked up, pea in the pod, bun in the oven…” he grinned, “And what are you waiting on? When are you putting a joey in Rita’s pouch?”

“Hey,” Hank objected as he took Rita’s hand. “We’re doing our duty. I’ve been busy! This guy I work for wanted the Harpy-Lander ready…”

Joel chuckled and he looked at Sara Beth, “How many pregnancies are there on the Ark now?”

Sara Beth put the injector to Hank’s neck and the hiss told them he got the booster, she kissed his neck like she did with Joel, “Ten so far.”

“They used to have the lengthy physicals before astronauts went into space,” Hank pointed out.

Sara Beth nodded, “I’m doing it now.” She touched Hank’s suit. “While wearing this I can tell if you’ve got so much as a cold.”

Hank’s eyes widened, “Hey! Will any of us get a cold again? If no one has one, how can we pass it on?”

Sara Beth chuckled, “Maybe not. I’m sure there will be other things we’ll have to deal with on Gaea.”

Rita turned Hank’s head toward her, “You be careful. Come back!” She kissed him gently. “We’ll try again to make it eleven pregnancies tonight.”

Spouses and their children said good-bye and they boarded the Harpy-Lander.

Joel looked at the new controls. The throttle was a silver bar thing like on a boat…or plane. Below that bar were indicators in white going to red to tell how fast.

Alejandro pointed at the throttle, “The lever tells how many light-hours per kilometer we will travel. Get us going and then activate the Alcubierre Generator. Then move the lever and press it forward.” He explained it like it was so simple Ian could do it.

Joder nodded, “The power is constant. What you are doing is boosting the boosted power of the boosted power, and so on using the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate Crystals. We have enough of the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate Crystals.”

Joel nodded, “So, to stop the Harpy-Lander?”

“Simply cut the boosted power,” Joder explained. “Bring the controls back to the start position.”

“Got it,” Joel nodded. He touched the normal engine thruster, “This is the impulse drive,” he touched the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate Crystals lever, “And this is the warp drive!” He saw their smiles as they nodded. Joel confessed, “Star Trek is my favorite shows and movies. No brakes?”

Joder chuckled, “No brakes. Just cut the power.”

“No deflectors?” Joel asked.

“The Alcubierre Field is your deflector,” Alejandro said simply.

“How is it looking on your end, Beth?” Joel asked. He was using a name he used for her occasionally when he was happy, and he was VERY happy now. He was a kid that got that special present he wanted for his birthday or Christmas. Some special occasion.

Sara Beth’s light laugh was heard, and she answered, “You’re all in the green. Drive safely.”

The air in the hanger was sucked out and the hanger doors opened to the vacuum of space. They felt the connection to the Ark release and the little thrust downward to clear the doors. The other controls Joel knew as he maneuvered the Harpy-Lander away from the Ark.

The course they would take would put them beyond the trojan obit of Troy. There were four sentries they wanted to place in a fixed orbit about a lightyear apart. Then sentries were round ball shaped things about a meter and a half wide. The increased size was due to the small thrusters around the sphere that Athena would use to move the sentry if needed. Something could collide with the sentry. They were also equipped to self-destruct if necessary. Anish was right, Joel was operating as if the Cold War was still going on. Joel didn’t believe that war ever stopped. A group that has developed a new advantage only keeps that advantage if it’s kept secret. He hated to operate this way, but other groups made it necessary.

“Okay,” Joel said to them. “Here we go!” He moved the throttle for the regular engines making the Harpy-Lander move. Then he activated the Alcubierre Generator and saw the display show they were inside a “bubble.” Then he moved the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate Crystal lever forward and heard a “whoosh” and the Ark suddenly shrunk in size. The bubble on the screen elongated in front of the Harpy-Lander. “What was THAT?” He asked about the sound.

“That was all for you!” Alejandro smiled. “You wanted a little dramatic something. We gave you one!”

Joel’s head retracted slightly as he smiled, “You did it just for me?”

Alejandro nodded, “Yes.”

“It meant so much to you,” Hank added with a grin. He waved at Joel as he looked at the others. “See the big smile? Look how happy he is now?” Alejandro, Joder, Angus, and Adel chuckled.

“That was so nice!” Joel looked out the forward viewport. The streaks of light of passing stars weren’t there, nor was the odd colors in hyperspace the movies often showed. However, the stars were moving slightly as the light perspective was changing. “Cool!”

“How’s it going out there?” Sara Beth asked with a little chuckle. “I’d say fine, in spite of five of you have elevated heartrates. I attribute that to excitement.”

Joel’s hands went out in futility, “I am excited.” He looked at the others. “Who isn’t excited?”

Adel chuckled, “I’m the one. This is kind of thrilling, but I will be excited when we get the sentries in position. Are you reading us well, Sara Beth?”

“Just fine,” Sara Beth answered. “Because the suits send their signals through the lander and the lander is equipped with the communications that Adel created. It’s all pretty instant.”

Where they were going was just a little farther than Troy’s orbit. It took an hour to get to where they were dropping off the first sentry. The concern was gravity of passing planets, especially near Zeus, the Godzilla planet which had an effect even on Gaea. Yes, the sentries could be moved, but not if it wasn’t needed. The sentries would talk with each other as well as talk to Athena. Spacing the sentries apart increased the range of what Athena could see. She could react more quickly.

When they got to the first stop, Joel pulled the lever back and there was a reverse “whoosh” as the Alcubierre Field was dropped. He nodded, “That is so cool!” He said as he brought the Harpy-Lander to a full stop.

Adel checked her equipment to be sure it functioned before releasing the sentry. Even using Gaea’s longer day, the whole thing took the whole day.

They checked to see if Athena was seeing what was needed and Joel turned the Harpy-Lander around and insisted Hank pilot it back and “whoosh” again, they headed to the Ark. They headed home.