Ark II: Life on Gaea - 3. Some Things Will Never Change

Joel and Hank took the headsets off for the neural interface. Joel sighed and rubbed his head wearily. He smiled at Sara Beth and the others in the room. Nayef and Leah were here smiling at him. “That was very interesting.”

Rita was there and nodded, “We saw. We saw what you saw.”

Hank chuckled, “Well, it all works.” He smirked at his wife. “I felt all that you did even five lightyears away!” He pointed at her pregnancy.

Joel shrugged and bent, stretched his arms and back. “I get stiff in that chair after a while.” He glanced at the chair he’d been in for hours.

Sara Beth nodded, “You have to take breaks and walk around for a few minutes. Just a few times a day.”

Joel twisted to unkink his back. He waved at the chair he’d spent the day in, “It’s a damned comfortable chair! Supports all the pressure points. How do men do it every day for hours?” He shook Hank in affection. “You were exactly what you need to be. You keep things light. You make everyone near you feel comfortable and they love you.”

Hank grinned and shoved Joel away slightly, “Aw, tweren’t nothin’.”

Joel pulled Hank in hugging him lightly, “I disagree. I told you. You make me smile.” He made the connection to Athena. “Keep an eye open to anyone attempting to look too closely at the androids. They can scan all they want. Even the Harpy-Stinger,” he raised his finger, “but no one takes anything apart.”

Nayef came closer, “These people have been alone their whole lives. Their grandparents and parents were in a metal container! Trust will be difficult,” he smiled “They are very Human. The color choices are interesting. They had a roof over their heads, but the homes and buildings...even their clothing had bright colors. That’s very Human.”

“So were their choices of the trees and flowers,” Sara Beth agreed nodding. “Those trees were a century old.”

“From what I understand,” Joel nodded slightly. “When the Oracle began malfunctioning and they lost those in some stasis pods, they shared the functioning pods. A day or two in, then a day or two out while the pods continued to work nonstop.” He shrugged. “That saved them on the stored supplies. It makes sense.” He looked at the others. “The grandparents and parents were part of the military group on Ark III. There were personnel that crossed over both science and military.” He grudged a concession. “I didn’t get but a little of the jarhead persona.”

Hank smirked, “Anderson Beck was for sure. He had that military edge.” He smiled. “They had good air circulation down there. We didn’t breathe, but it was fresh and no pollutants. I could detect that.”

“It was a self-contained biosphere,” Sara Beth reasoned with a shrug. “The Human and animal life exchanged air with the many crops and plants.”

Joel nodded, “We need to get the solar power going, erect the space elevator and work to restore the Oracle.” He clapped once. “We have plenty of work to do here as well. Now, I’m seeing my boys!”

 

His sons told him all that they had done that day at the dinner table. Both Rob and Robbie were there adding to the merriment. Joel was asked question after question about the people on Elysia. It was toward the end of dinner when Leif and Steven walked up to the table as Kevin and Jim headed off to meet with Lunga, Lui and Alan before everyone went to their homes to bed. Ian went with Robbie back home to practice a new song Lunga had suggested he learn.

“I need to confess something, Joel,” Leif admitted with his eyes not really meeting Joel’s.

Joel looked at the big Viking descended man, “Alone?”

“Sara Beth needs to know this.” Leif waved that off. “It won’t take long.”

Joel waved at the empty chair left by his sons. “Okay. Have a seat.”

The two men sat, and Leif began, “I was a member of a radical group that was a bit more militant than others. You know Green Peace?”

Joel nodded, “Yes, but they didn’t really harm anyone.”

Leif nodded, “They didn’t, but the group I joined...was more violent.” He sighed, “The Ocean Warriors was a group splintered off of the Green Peace group and they didn’t care.” He looked now at Joel to show sincerity. “I did help destroy many vessels and traps...” he looked at Joel earnestly. “There were whalers that would not stop hunting whales! There were companies that continued to dump waste and sewage into the oceans! I was a part of the bombing of those companies, and we destroyed so many illegal whaling ships...I lost count!” He shook his head, “No, I never held a weapon to any man’s head or directly killed anyone.” His arms went out helplessly, “I really didn’t check if anyone was still there when we set off those bombs!” He frowned, “We set a bomb off in a port off Okinawa. There were a few dozen dead after that! They knew what they were doing was wrong! They wouldn’t stop, so we stopped them!”

Joel’s eyes widened in shock when he heard them.

Steve took Leif’s hand, “I was a member of the Ocean Warriors, too. Life began on Earth, yes, but life started in the oceans!”

“Those greedy sons of bitches didn’t care about anything but the money,” Leif explained. “The bans and restrictions just drove the prices up! They had to be stopped!”

“And the customers that used the whale for cures weren’t stupid,” Steve said. “You couldn’t just hand them something and claim it was whale bone or anything else. The customers had ways to verify...”

Joel finally held his hands up, rose and hugged them. “I get it.” He said softly. He looked at them after a few moments. “Someone had to stop them.”

Leif nodded, “We did. We stopped them. I’m not a violent man, but when you hunt the gentlest creatures in the sea...” he shrugged helplessly, “I get so angry! Whales are big sure, but they can’t fight back.” He took Steve’s hand again, “We can.”

Sara Beth joined the group hug. Her face held compassion as she touched Leif’s face in a caress. “You see their souls.”

“Yes!” Leif said earnestly. “Just look in their eyes...”

“I have,” Sara Beth said softly. “I agree with you. They are very gentle.”

“You never have been arrested or caught,” Joel said smiling. “You had some trespass violations when you protested. Some jailtime for that.”

Leif looked offended a second, then smiled, “We were very good at it.”

Sara Beth smiled at them, “That earned you places here on Gaea. You had a cause.”

“Oh,” Steve smiled at Joel and Sara Beth, “Our vessel is nearing completion. We can take you out and even into the sea. We’ll show you the area for the new Atlantis!”

“Atlantis!?” Sara Beth’s eyes widened.

“I told you,” Joel hugged her quickly. “The next big construction on Gaea? Under the ocean’s surface?”

Sara Beth nodded slowly, “I remember.” She poked Steve, “I’m surprised you two haven’t been surgically altered to breathe underwater!”

Leif wavered a shrug, “Don’t say we won’t! But there is the long-term exposure to the water on our skin, a covering over the eyes...” he brightened, “the pressure we would deal with if we breathe the water. No pressure sickness!”

Steve frowned, “We are jealous!”

“Jealous?” Sara Beth asked. “Of whom?”

“The whales!” Leif stated the obvious. “They evolve out of the ocean and then are smart enough to evolve back into the sea!” He held his finger up as he made his point. “That proves they are smart!”

“And how many millions of years did that take?” Joel asked.

Steve grinned, “The Nautilus will be finished soon.”

Joel smiled at them, “The Nautilus.” He nodded, “And which of you is Captain Nemo?”

They each pointed at the other and said, “He is.”

“Jules Verne was a nineteenth century visionary futurist!” Leif stated.

“We aren’t putting anyone in danger,” Steve said seriously. “We thought you should know if it came out.”

Joel nodded, “You’re fired.” He said almost convincingly. Both Leif and Steve looked shocked. Joel grinned, “Pack your things and be on the next transport home.” Then he brightened, “Oh, that’s right! There isn’t one. I guess we’re stuck with each other.” He grabbed them both, “I trust you with our lives. You two have a huge job to do and I know of no one who can do better. Relax. You are loved here.” He held up the finger. “I want a ride on the Nautilus!” He put his arm around Sara Beth. “Now, I have a long commute tomorrow. Nearly six lightyears there and six lightyears back. I need sleep.”

 

Joel’s eyes opened and he knew he wasn’t in bed at home in New Charleston. Or on Gaea! He was standing as was Hank in the room where they put them and the A1s and A2s. They hadn’t slept here. Hank blinked and looked at Joel.

“We’re on Elysia,” Hank stated and stretched his back for a kink he couldn’t have. He looked at Joel, “Can we get whiplash?” He asked. “Perhaps mind lash?” He waved above his head. “We’ve traveled over ten lightyears in the past ten or twelve hours.”

Joel grinned and waved at Hank, “What was that? You moved like you were in pain.”

“Not me,” Hank argued. “Rita! Now, I feel like I’ve got to pee again!”

That’s when Wilma and Anderson came in the room.

“You don’t need to pee?” Anderson asked surprised.

“We haven’t eaten or drunk anything,” Joel explained. He waved at Hank, “His wife is sending what she’s feeling. She’s at the part of her pregnancy where she feels the need to pee a lot.” He grinned at Hank, “Take a moment and tell Rita to take care of what she’s feeling, and it will end for you, too.”

Hank nodded, “He’ll explain.” He held his finger up. “Just a second.” His eyes closed and he was gone for a few seconds.

Joel explained the neural interface and the filaments just as before Hank opened his eyes again. He sighed with satisfaction, “She’s taking care of it now.” He slapped Joel lightly, “Be glad Sara Beth hadn’t had the filaments put in her head!”

Joel grunted an agreement.

“Your neural interface does more than give you communication between you and the artificial intelligence.”

“We can do many things with it,” Hank nodded. “We’ll show you that, too.”

“Do you want breakfast?” Wilma asked but suspected the answer.

Hank rubbed his stomach, “Nah, I ate a few minutes ago. Thank you.” He looked at Joel. “I’d love a cold coffee. But I don’t think we’d get the same sensation as before.”

Joel brightened, “Perhaps when we take the breaks recommended to stretch our muscles,” he smiled, “You can have one there to enjoy.”

“Hey! Yeah!” Hank was about to leave again.

“Wait!” Joel chuckled. “They saw what you did yesterday.” He shrugged, “I’m sure they will have one ready when we take our break. Or just send them a message and ask them for the coffee.”

Hank paused just a second, “Done.”

Joel looked at the two, “The technology is new for us, too.”

 

They met with a few others before getting onboard the Harpy-Stinger and took off to go to Ark III. The construction of the Space Elevator’s base began right next to the building that was used to go down to the underground town of Elysia. The three Elysians were Wilma, Anthony and Paul. Together with the A1s and A2s they went back to the Ark there. It was similar to Ark II almost, but not quite. Life support was restored, and the habitat ring was rotating again, so there was gravity...sort of. No plants. That was not right to Joel.

The many stored DNA in the vault was still there. There was no Mark or Matt here with the artificial egg, but technology was there. That was another day. They had used the artificial egg to bring back the cows, pigs, chickens, or the many plants. They had relied on traditional breeding and pollination processes to keep it going. They have done very well. Now, they used the Oracle to get the solar collector out and got it to expand.

“And?” Anderson asked Joel as he looked at the giant solar screen.

Joel grinned and pulled out three crystals of Boron Nitrate. “We put these in the collector. It boosts the power, that boosts the power and so on...making it stronger!” He patted Anderson, “Then we go and get more Boron Nitrate I know is out there and use that to mine for more. We’ll get the Oracle to build more robots and mine more. You’ll get to know how we travel faster than light.”

“We will?” Anderson asked surprised.

“I can’t tell you,” Joel waved at the three A2s. “But Wei Ch’en, Alejandro Rojas, and Joder Mast will.” He looked at the A2s and frowned, “Which is which? I hate saying this, but you look alike in there.”

One A2 raised a hand, “I’m Joder.”

The one to his left bowed slightly and said, “I am Wei Ch’en.” Showing he was a proper Chinese gentleman. Even his hand came in front as he bowed.

Joel heard the deep Chinese gong if no one else did.

“I’m Alejandro,” the last one said. The voices were android sounding but had enough of the Human having the intonation and accents for each.

Joel nodded, “Fine. Hang a sign or something. Let’s get to work!”

They worked with the Oracle getting the Space Elevator out and began the slow process of lowering one end, allowing the other end to come up. It would take a full day for all of this to happen. Tomorrow they would get the manufacturing processes to work again. They would start to get the smelter and ore processer going.

Hank at the end of the workday, as they connected the ladder to the base. He looked at what they’d done to that point. “You guys were given many of the same things we were to begin the colony. I see that you used part of the solar collectors to get power below.” He waved at another part of the Ark. “You did use a good bit of the metal you were given.” He looked at Wilma and Paul. “We lowered the elevator first, then we built the settlement.” He pointed at them, “You guys built the settlement and now we’re putting up the elevator.” He glanced at Joel and held up a hand to stop him. “I know, they didn’t trust their Oracle.”

Joel chuckled, “That’s right.” He looked at Wilma and Paul. “You will learn to trust your Oracle. I’ve found him to be a nice person.”

“Person?” Anderson repeated questioningly. “You see him as a person.”

Joel nodded, “So will you.” He smiled. “Get to know him. Let him get to know you.” His head wavered, “I don’t mean the facts like date of birth, hair color and eye color. I mean get to know if he’s funny.” He saw the eyes widen. “Yes, funny. They learn humor and have feelings. They can laugh. Is it just a program?” He asked them. “Isn’t yours just programs?”

Hank looked serious a moment, “It’s been almost two centuries since we left.” He began. “I know you divided your time in and out of the stasis pods. I don’t suppose there are any of the original people from the Ark still alive.”

Wilma shook her head, “No, the last one died about fifteen years ago. We have an archive of testimonies from quite a few of them.” She waved at Joel. “Like you, most were in their mid-thirties when we launched. A hundred years divided in half adds fifty years to those in their thirties. We’ll give you access to them.” She looked envious of Joel and Hank. “You remember Earth.”

Joel nodded, “We do.”

“We’ve only seen images in movies, in paintings...” Wilma said softly. “We have many images as in photographs, on television and movies. It looks...” she thought a second, “busy.”

Joel laughed, “To say the least.”

“Good and bad!” Hank added. “In the past few centuries, mostly bad.” He nodded.

“Discover Oracle’s soul! We’re still discovering Athena’s,” Joel said.

 

The base of the Space Elevator was attached and secured. He noticed the green “W” on the side of Wei’s head. Joder’s “J” was bright red and Alejandro’s “A” was blue. The body language was different but only knowledge of the men would tell which was which. The decision for the A2s was so any person from Gaea could come and work on Elysia. The A1s were there to protect the ones from Gaea.

It was as they reentered the atmosphere when Hank’s eyes widened. He looked at Joel and said quickly, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you on Gaea.” And he was gone. The body of Hank’s android was there, but Hank was gone.

Joel looked at Hank, or where Hank had been. “Whose here now? Athena?”

“Yes,” Athena’s voice came from Hank’s body.

“Is everything okay?” Joel asked worriedly.

“Everything is...” she thought of a word to use, “You’ll find out, but there was an incident involving Chloe.”

“Chloe?” Joel asked and then a thought came to him. “She’s only thirteen! I mean she just turned thirteen.”

Hank’s head nodded, “I understand Humans are sometimes reluctant to talk about it. Forgive me if I don’t tell you what it was. Ask them.”

Joel now knew the urgency and nodded, “I will.” He looked at Joder, Wei, and Alejandro. “You guys can return to Gaea. I’ll land the Stinger and get these bodies stored and be there as soon as I can.” He chuckled. “To prevent bloodshed.” Then he shook his head. He knew what had happened, but not the extent. He wondered about the other person involved. He mentally shrugged. He landed the Stinger and unloaded the android bodies explaining to Wilma, Paul and Anderson the need to return to Gaea. He promised them they would get the air processers out to further in making the air of Elysia breathable.

When he removed the headset from his own head he heard Rita say, “It’s not as bad as you are thinking.”

Joel sat up and saw Rita, Sara Beth, Leah, Nayef and others there in the Control Center. He noted that Adam and Xolani were there as well. No Chloe or Lunga.

Hank was nodding but looked very uncomfortable. “You know that for sure?”

“Yes,” Athena’s voice came from the air. “You wanted me to give everyone the freedom to choose. I can assure you there was no intercourse. Aside from some nudity, nothing really happened.”

Joel sighed. This was going to happen. They all knew it. Fathers were so protective of their “little girls.” Then he put Daylia in the place of Chloe and knew how it felt...just a little.

“Who was naked? Chloe or Lunga?” Hank almost demanded.

“Yes,” Athena answered.

“Does it matter who?” Joel asked his friend and sat by him. “Your daughter is maturing into a woman. Curiosity about the Human body is part of the maturing process.” He shrugged.

“I am so sorry, Hank,” Adam said sincerely. “Lunga did...”

“What all boys do,” Nayef finished quickly for Adam. “How we react to this is more important than what.” He shrugged and looked at Joel. “It was little more of an attempt at playing doctor.” He grinned at his own thoughts, “I have some experience playing that game.” Leah rolled her eyes away at that.

He looked at all of them and pointed at them, “As I know you all have.”

Joel nodded, “A lot of touching.” He said to confirm. He threw his arms out. “I know Kevin has and a bet Jim has. It’s normal.” He looked at Hank. “Please tell me this wasn’t a wait until your daddy gets home thing.”

Rita shook her head, “No, but Hank needed to know.”

Joel nodded quickly, “I’m not questioning that.”

“Chloe is a sexual being,” Leah explained.

Joel watched Hank cringe at that, Joel put his arm around Hank, “We’ll be in this same position in about fifteen years. Only you will be consoling me.” He waved at Sara Beth.

“And there is a double standard here!” Sara Beth declared. She waved at Adam and Xolani, “Not you two, but...why is it boys sow their wild oats when it is tolerated for them. A girl is trashed? She’s damaged.”

“There are even religious groups that want both the male and female to be virgins until the wedding night!” Leah stated the absurdity. “Then nature is to take over!? They don’t even know the mechanics.”

“Screw that!” Sara Beth objected. She waved at Joel. “I know Joel has taught the boys about responsibility...”

“Hold on!” Joel waved his hands down to get the tension down. “Are we making a mountain out of a mole hill?” He chuckled and waved at Adam and Xolani, “You said you were sorry.” His hands shot up. “For what? Being Human? He did nothing wrong.” He waved at Hank, “There was no sex! And even if there was, what would happen?” He looked at them, “Nothing! She won’t get pregnant.” He waved at Sara Beth, “She can’t right?” He smiled as Sara Beth nodded. “That thing they put in her regulates her periods and makes the pregnancy not happen.” He waved again in frustration. “Even if she could, she could have done a lot worse! She won’t get any infection or sexually transmitted disease. Lunga is a genius and so is Chloe. Lunga is a good-looking young man and is a prodigy! Any child he makes with someone has brainy parents. Chloe has genius parents. I know that when she has one, with Lunga, Lui or even Kevin...” he chuckled. “Well, Kevin has a genius mother.” He grinned as Sara Beth was going to object. He held a hand up to stop her. “No! I’m smart, but you are a genius!” He waved at them. “You’re all pregnant! It’s what we are supposed to do.” He shook Hank affectionately. “What should have been a private family moment has become unnecessarily involved with all of us.” He squeezed Hank. “Chloe isn’t to be blamed either, in my opinion. What you do is up to you and Rita.” He looked at Xolani and Adam. “Don’t blame Lunga. He’s going down the same path every male has gone. How you deal with it up to you. No she shouldn’t be pregnant this early. I get that.” He grinned, “News flash. We knew this would happen. Don’t make it bad or awkward. That’s an order!”

Hank’s face lost some tension, and he smiled as he nodded, “A First Lady of the United States said it takes a village to raise a child.” He wavered his head. “I’ll add to that. It takes the same village to raise a teenager.”

“We are that village.” Joel assured, “I see nothing bad about this situation. As long as neither of them were forced to do this.” He looked at Leah, “How were they discovered...doing whatever.”

“They were in the horse corral,” Rita answered.

Joel nodded, “The ever-trusty barn.” He grinned. “The frequent place where passions just grow.” He shook his head. “Discovered by whom?”

“Rachel,” Rita replied. “We taught the girls to tell us when there was a question. Rachel told me and I caught them.”

“Okay,” Joel understood more now. “You told Rachel she wasn’t tattling.”

“Of course,” Rita nodded. “She simply was fascinated and wanted to understand...”

“Naturally,” Nayef agreed. “She would be.”

“Neither of them was unwilling,” Leah stressed. “Lunga never forcibly touched Chloe and Lunga wasn’t forcibly touched by Chloe. It was innocent.”

Joel nodded, “Okay. Nothing happened but touching.”

“It’s what we do,” Nayef shrugged.

“Let’s end the discussion,” Joel suggested. “I’m sure there are others that have done this or even just had sex!” He looked into the air. “Right, Athena?”

“Yes,” Athena answered.

“The problem happened when they were caught,” Joel shrugged. He pointed at Hank and Rita, “How you handle this,” he pointed at Adam and Xolani, “Is up to you. It is going to happen. Accept it.” He shook Hank. “I have a great single malt scotch waiting for you tonight, if you need it.” He grinned, “I will need one when Daylia does this.”

Hank nodded, “I just keep seeing her as I did the very first moment she was born!” He moaned, “So small and helpless....I vowed I would defend her.”

Joel smiled compassionately, “And now you feel she’s drifting away.”

“Right,” Hank agreed.

“That’s what she is supposed to do,” Leah smiled.

“The drink is to help you adjust to knowing that is happening and start letting go,” Joel said. “I will know, but don’t yet. We’ll be there for each other.”

 

Slowly on the way back to the Dining Area Sara Beth walked with her arm around Joel. On the way, she grunted and held her swell toward her waist.

Joel suddenly stopped and looked concerned, “Are you hurting, babe?”

Sara Beth nodded, “Oh, yes.” She sighed and smiled. “Braxton Hicks.”

Joel’s eyes widened, “False labor. Are you sure?” He asked alarmed.

Sara Beth laughed, “I’ve dealt with it three other times in my life. With Kevin, Jim, and Ian. I know the pain. I’ll be fine.”

Joel frowned, “I hate you go through this.” He said sincerely.

She touched his face gently, “I know. It can’t be helped.” She smiled, “Medical Science has made some real strides forward to make the labor process easier. Not like in history where pregnancy was anticipated and also feared. The woman could lose her life as well as the baby. It’s much better now. We can divert much of the pain, but it still hurts.”

Joel smiled, “Hank is telling me he knows the pain more. Rita is sending what she feels now even by accident. Even when on Elysia.”

Sara Beth smiled and sighed, “The pain is gone now. It’s practice before the big performance.” They started to move on to Rainbow Row. She squeezed his hand, “What you said back there. About your smarts. I say you’re a genius. You read people very well and seem to know what to say when. What you said to Hank I will remind you when,” she touched her swell, “I’ll remind you in fifteen or so years with Daylia.”

Joel looked at the people walking about and the animals moving. It was very peaceful. He chuckled, “Knowing it and applying it are very different things.”

“About giving the people of Elysia Alejandro’s faster than light drive,” Sara began looking concerned. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Joel shook his head, “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I trust them more than anyone around Earth. I would not give it to Barroso. It’s like just after we discovered the Atomic Bomb. One side had it and held it over every other nation’s head. It made us feel safe in our superiority. Right now we feel safe and superior because of the quantum drive. If we keep it a secret to ourselves, it could begin another cold war.” He stopped them and looked at her. “We won’t keep the secret to force anyone to comply. I think if we keep the technology to a select group from Elysia, that will be safe.” He shrugged again. “They weren’t even born on Earth. They didn’t live there. We did.”

“Their parents and grandparents were,” Sara Beth stated. “They raised the children to believe certain things.”

“We’ll show them what the universe is really like,” Joel smiled. “We’re Human. The good, the bad and the ugly.” He smiled but grew serious. “I have a fear that I may make the wrong decision and destroy all of us...”

Sara Beth’s eyes widened, “You couldn’t!”

Joel nodded, “I could. I can be wrong about things. I hope not, but...”

“No one is perfect,” Sara Beth assured. “Don’t expect yourself to be perfect.” They entered the Communal Dining Area and greeted by many gathering for their meal and time together. “And...” Sara Beth started quietly, “It will happen soon.” They were greeted by their sons. “What do we slip under Ian’s pillow? That tooth is getting more loose every hour.”

In the grand scheme of things, the loss of a baby tooth wasn’t that big a deal. It was Ian’s first baby tooth to come out. It was a sign that he was growing up. It was important to Ian and his parents. What could be given? They had no real currency, so no coins. His birthday was soon, and they already got some things to give him. There was a party planned. Joel did see Hank, Rita, Chloe and Rachel come in followed by Robot and Apollo. Joel also noticed the look Hank gave Lunga as he came in with his fathers. It wasn’t a hard or mean look but said “I know what you did.” Joel needed to remind Hank Chloe did it, too. Lunga wasn’t alone in this. Joel knew he’d be breaking out the premium Scotch they brought from Earth tonight. He wondered how much they had left. There was enough for the two fathers to get really plastered. He also wondered if anyone was making more. The whiskey they brought was aged whiskey from Scotland! Smooth and very flavorful. Joel was Scottish enough to appreciate that! The aging process had been sort of interrupted. The stasis storage kept it at twenty-five years of age. Whiskey was whiskey, they said. Joel said no to that. To be Scotch, it had to be from Scotland! His preference was Scotch. It only bothered with the first swallow and then it was pure Heaven. Those that sent them out here made sure they had all they needed. That included luxuries like wine and liquors. Alcohol was not evil. Yes, there were problems that arose with the consumption sometimes, but Joel didn’t know of one here that was addicted to alcohol. He drank occasionally. So did Hank, but neither of them was alcoholics. They were not mean drunks when they were drunk. The other demons such as the pressure of losing home or a spouse were gone. They had homes. They were productive. No one was pressured to come up with something new for any company.

Ansh and Larisa were there with Tia. Adel and Brice were there. They were truly coming together as a community.

That evening Joel went next door to where the Cavill’s lived. Joel had been in the Cavill’s home on the Ark, but not here. He rang the soft chime and was greeted by Rachel. “Hi, Uncle Joel!”

“Hi, yourself, Rachel,” Joel greeted happily. “Is your father busy?”

“Nah,” Rachel said allowing Joel in. “He’s with Mom on the balcony.” She waved him back.

Joel saw a little doubt in Rachel’s eyes. Joel pointed at Rachel’s face, “Is this about what happened today?”

Rachel frowned, “I didn’t tell on Chloe. Mom and Dad said we were to tell them when something happened we weren’t sure about.” She shrugged. “I just had to.”

Joel nodded hugging Rachel, “And you did. That was very grown up. You saw Chloe doing some adult things and you told to keep your sister safe.”

Rachel nodded, “I didn’t want her in trouble...”

Joel held his finger up quickly, “And she wasn’t in trouble!” He said clearly. “You saw she could get in trouble without your mother’s and father’s help.”

Rachel nodded, “I guess. They are talking about it now.” She grimaced.

Joel chuckled and knew this was going to happen. It was not even about what Lunga and Chloe did. This was about Hank! He looked at the home Hank and Rita built together. There was a lot of color! Most all of them were primary colors like red, blue, green...all bright! There were some yellow and orange. Festive. He walked out onto the balcony.

“...so don’t tell me if it was little Henry,” Rita was telling Hank who seemed like he was very depressed, “you wouldn’t be high fiving him. Chloe is no different.”

“Neither is Rachel,” Joel said seeing the heads turn. “We’ll be doing this again with her and your other daughter one day.” He grinned pointing at Rita. “Little Henry? Is that the name now?”

Hank smirked, “We’re still debating that.”

“I’m here to help a friend,” Joel said lightly holding up the full decanter of dark liquid. “This is a milestone.”

“Because of Chloe...” Rita frowned.

“Forget Chloe,” Joel waved that off. “Chloe is fine. I’m here for Hank!”

Rita’s eyes widened. “A milestone for Hank.” She repeated not understanding.

Joel waved his arms out, “As fathers, we as a species have some wonders we couldn’t even imagine a few hundred to a few thousand years ago.” He gestured with his finger holding the decanter, “Yet the more things change, some things never change!” He walked over and sat by Hank. “One of those things is a father and his daughter.” He smiled, “Letting go...” he held the finger up, “yes, just a fraction is very traumatic. For Hank.” He looked around. “Do we have glasses, or do we drink from the decanter?”

Rita smiled and rose, “I’ll get two.” She touched Hank. “You have a good friend, Hank. Depend on him.” She looked at Joel. “Thank you.”

Hank grinned a little more like himself, “You’re not worried about the hangover?”

Joel bumped him lightly, “Not a bit. I’ve dealt with hangovers before.” He chuckled. “I know how to cure them. We’ve got a lot of work to do on Elysia tomorrow.” He took one of the glasses Rita brought, “Thank you. I’m not excluding you, Rita. With you being pregnant...”

Rita nodded, “I know. He needs this now.”

Joel chuckled, “He’s really a very sensitive man.”

Rita smiled, “All of the silliness and clowning...that sensitivity is the real reason I married him.” She kissed Hank and walked back inside.

Joel poured some in both glasses, held his up as Hank held his up. “To fathers everywhere.” They clinked their glasses and took that first swallow quickly. They both winced as it went down, but knew what would happen and just endured it. The rest was done with ease. They laughed, sang and just were together.

 

In the morning, Joel knew what to expect. Sure enough, there was head pain and nausea. He moaned and felt the mist shoot in his neck and heard the hiss.

“There,” Sara Beth said brightly, “this will help with the dehydration and headache.” She stood over him in her doctor pose. “You will eat! You should be feeling better any second. I gave Rita the hypo-spray this morning. Hank will be fine.”

Joel rolled his head around to get the kinks loose, “Where were you when I was in college?”

“In college myself,” Sara Beth answered grinning. “I guess you and Hank got through the night well.”

Joel nodded relieved that the nausea and head pain was lessening, “We did. Today we are helping the Elysians get further with their processing of the atmosphere. They began nearly eighty years ago but concentrated with the air in the underground city. We will add the processors we brought, and it will only take a decade more. Their Oracle is building the robot miners to get the Boron Nitrate and bring it back to really start the building of the colony on Elysia.” He smiled, “The solar collector is working now. The smelter and ore processer will start today.”

Sara Beth nodded, understanding, “What about the time difference?” She saw Joel’s confusion, so she explained. “You’ll be there at 04:00 for our day. What time does their day start?”

Joel grinned, “We do have different times to start each day. We will start there at five in their morning.” He chuckled. “That’s Terran hours. The city of Elysia won’t even have T Cet’s rise. Their planet rotation is a little faster than Earth’s. Their day is twenty Terran hours long.” He sighed dramatically. “Sacrifices will be made.”

 

Hank smiled at Joel as he walked in the Control Center. Wei was there already along with Alejandro and Joder.

It was five minutes later when Joel opened his eyes on Elysia. “Is everyone in the correct bodies?”

“Yes,” Were the three replies.

“We should divide up,” Hank advised. “I will go with them to the Ark here. We will make sure what we did yesterday is operating as it should. You can distribute the air processors to increase the converting of the atmosphere.” He patted Joel on the back.

Joel nodded. “I’ll take the A1s and another of the Elysians to do that.”

They walked out of the room they had been given to see Michael approach them. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” they all replied.

Micheal used his finger and gave a “come with me” motion. “You need to see something.”

They walked through the halls and into another building. In here were a few people talking and seemed busy this early. A woman long haired brunet woman about fifty looked up and smiled at them.

“This is Anne Fischer,” Micheal introduced. “She is our utilities manager.”

The woman smiled and shook their hands, “Gentlemen.” She waved at some monitors that had moving graphs and numerical readings. “I can’t believe it!” She touched a screen that showed a red line, under which a moving green line pulsated and rose and dipped as the seconds passed. “This line,” she pointed at the red line indicates the amount of power we are now receiving.” She explained and then moved her finger to the red line. “This is the amount of power being used. In my work I had to be sure we had enough power for everyone to use. Turning some things down to keep the power steady.” She waved at the large gap between the lines. “We have so much power now, I don’t have to turn anything down.” She looked astonished. “The power from the three solar collectors we have are hardly even being touched!”

Joel smiled, “T Cet gives plenty of energy. Now you can gather more.”

Wei bowed slightly, “I am Wei Ch’en.” He pointed to the W on his head and the Chinese letters for his name. “The new power will be used more as the smelter and processor starts. Running your Ark and your Oracle.”

“You should have the power needed,” Hank said.

“I am Joder Mast,” Joder pointed to the J on his head. “I had your Oracle scan the system and I know there is Boron Nitrate nearby.”

“I am Alejandro Rojas,” He pointed to the A on his head. “We will begin mining for the Boron Nitrate and really get things moving.”

“Your Oracle should have the manufacturing done for the miners,” Hank smiled. “We will get the cycle going.”

“This evening,” Joel said. “We’ll take a ride down on the Space Elevator.” He looked at Micheal. “You have other entrances and egresses for this city.”

“Yes,” Micheal nodded. “There are five total, but where would we go if there was an emergency?”

Joel patted Micheal on the shoulder, “That’s what we need to talk about.” He looked at Micheal, “We have two places. Our Ark is one and an underground bunker on Gaea.” He looked out at the city. They had worked so hard to make their surroundings look natural. Trees and flowers were everywhere. No birds or insects. That needed to change. Bees were needed to pollinate. He looked up at the roof of the vast cavern. “Have you had cave-ins?:

“Only in the beginning,” Micheal admitted. “We chose the area because of the tectonic stability. There are no faults near here.”

Joel nodded, “Do you have enough ships to take everyone off Elysia?”

“No,” Micheal confessed.

Joel jabbed Micheal lightly, “We’ll change that. The robot miners will get ores needed to start creating a fleet of ships. Your Oracle will help immensely.” Joel saw Micheal frown at that idea. “I see you have a way to go with that idea.” Joel smiled patiently at Micheal. “You see the bad events as his fault.” He raised his finger to point out. “I know all of you owe your lives to your Oracle. Those Earth First people did this, but your Oracle programmed his counter virus to save as many as he could...on his own. Otherwise, none of you would be here.” He saw Micheal’s eyes widen. “Rita Cavill saw the virus and she saw the counter program your Oracle wrote.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.” Micheal said.

Joel shook his head, “Neither would I.” He laughed. “Rita would. So Paul should see it, too. I can have Rita show him the evidence. Your people were hurt when the hammer hit your thumb.”

“Huh?” Micheal said.

“I’ve always said the artificial intelligence is a smart hammer.” Joel explained. “Because you were injured by the hammer, you quit using it!” He threw his arms out helplessly. “You hurt yourselves.” His head wobbled, “Bad analogy maybe, but you quit using your Oracle. The most important tool in the toolbox! He is not responsible for what happened. You need to see what he is, thank him and let him do his job.”

Micheal smiled marveling at Joel, “You really see Athena as a member of your Ark.”

Joel nodded, “She is! She becomes more Human every moment! She’s family to all on Gaea.” He pointed at Micheal. “You’ve shown us that even without your Oracle, we could have settled on Gaea without Athena. We just did it faster with Athena. We’ll work on creating a body for your Oracle. Even one day giving him a solid body like we did with Athena.”

Micheal grudged a nod, “Maybe.” He smiled. “Hygiene.” He said.

Joel’s eyes widened, “I beg your pardon.”

Micheal waved at him, “You’ve been in the same clothes for days. We can launder your clothes, offer you a shower...whatever you need.” He grinned.

Joel lifted his arm and sniffed. He shrugged, “Are you saying I stink? I have no sweat glands and don’t smell anything.”

Micheal chuckled, “You don’t stink, but your uniform could use cleaning. We can do that.”

Joel nodded, “Give Hank and me clothes and we’ll wear them today. You can clean them while we’re working.”

 

Hank piloted the Harpy Stinger heading up to the Ark. His blond hair and fair complexion were offset by the red shirt and the pants were black. Joel had been given blue. The A2s weren’t wearing any clothing or uniform. The letters on the side of the head were the only decorations.

They got to the Ark and those that were to stay unloaded. Joel, Micheal and Wilma left to distribute the air processers for the best results. The ozone processer was working well. The completion would take another decade or two more.

Joel saw that Wilma kept looking at the contents of the Harpy Stinger. She finally broached the subject. “You are Human in an android body. You don’t require stasis pods. The three pods are for us?”

Joel nodded and smiled, “For whomever decides to go with us to Gaea.” He looked at her. “You have stasis pods?” He knew they did. “You have never been in one.”

Wilma bowed slightly and nodded, “I have once but was unconscious from an injury. I was operated on and helped to recover. I was told I was in stasis a day or two. I don’t remember being in one.”

Joel chuckled, “Neither do I.” He held a hand up. “I remember getting in a few times and remember waking up and wondered if it happened.” He raised a finger, “Except once. We were testing to see if our minds would work in stasis. It did. Otherwise we get in and open our eyes and are older.” He shrugged. “Well, that’s not true. We are no older that we were entering the pod, but it is a year, a decade or a century later.” Joel looked at Wilma and Micheal. “I was born on Earth in the year 2294. Our advantage was we were launched before the Earth First group could get to us. Your advantage is you have lived as a community for decades. We on Gaea haven’t operated for even a year yet.” He chuckled as he saw Wilma’s eyes widen. “We are still operating in a sort of honeymoon period. There is no perfect society or utopia. Humans will be Human. Imperfect and flawed, but we can always strive to make one. We gathered likeminded individuals dedicated to bringing life to planets were there wasn’t any. We are still working on making that utopia. As a species.”