Ark II - 11. Anxiousness

(Part of this chapter is for Cindy. I won’t tell you which part.)

 

Joel walked with Sara Beth, their three boys, and Robbie back toward the Nesmith quarters and this time he paid attention to what he saw. The lighting in the Habitat Ring was dark again, reflecting an evening after the sun had set…on Earth. There were the familiar night sounds from crickets and even a frog was croaking out his call for potential company from another frog somewhere in the dark. Or maybe he or she was just happy to be alive. Who knew with frogs? His grandfather said the reason frogs croaked so much and loud after rain was the frogs’ way of asking God or Mother Nature for more rain.

No, there were no frogs or crickets on the Habitat Ring. You believed there were from the noise around you. Sara Beth was right. The addition of her foliage did add a scent to the air. It made the air smell fresher. The people tasked to make space travel more efficient learned to make it so they could travel longer had worked to refigure and used air men breathed. They still had to carry some oxygen with them when they initially launched. There was scrubbers Athena used to recycle the air used by Humans. Reorganizing the structure of gasses could be done now and breathable air could be done, but it didn’t have the air quality of air when plants were used to help make the air better. There was a way that Dr. Leif Andersen and his husband Dr. Combs had that used the very algae they were going to use on Gaea to make breathable air on the surface. The algae would reduce the work for Athena, but there was enough air recycled and fresh for now.

Jimmy had been right. The residents on the Ark did very little work to make this trip possible. Then Joel chastised himself for thinking that. Athena was a tool. Yes, she was. Created by Human Beings to make the trip possible. Granted, Athena was an intelligent hammer. A hammer that knew it was a hammer and did the job they wanted her to do. Humans programmed this said hammer to have feelings and judgement. Were the feelings and judgements real or artificial? Joel didn’t know. He knew that he trusted Athena with not only his own life, but the lives of his wife and children…not to mention these two thousand plus lives also on the Ark! So, she was a hammer. Athena was a damned good hammer. The work Athena did on the Ark was humbling. If the people on the Ark had to do it, which they could do if needed, it would be a constant twenty-four hours, seven days a week job. Athena looked and found where they needed to go. She made it possible to get there. She recycled air, water, and food. She kept track of every message and media broadcast sent from Earth. The Ark had to have a central brain controlling all the tasks that had to be done on the Ark. Humans did very little manually to accomplish the goals needed. Joel knew when the other residents were up and working on the Ark he would have to have Athena adjust the day and night schedule to reflect the day and night schedule on Gaea. Otherwise, it could be a shock for everyone who was used to the twenty-four Earth hours schedule.

Sara Beth had arranged the many new trees and other foliage to have a more natural appearance. Groups of trees, bushes, and flowers were clustered near the sitting areas and scattered along the path. The silhouette of the trees in the low light made you think it was real. Which it was…sort of.

“Dad,” Jimmy began. “I read what the scientists said about the Ran Solar System and Gaea in particular. The rings around Gaea do seem to even out the rotation of Gaea. That planet really doesn’t have a wobble.”

“Okay,” Joel replied. He smiled at the idea that his son was always thinking and tried to understand everything. All of his sons did that.

“The only seasons would come as Gaea orbits near Epsilon Eridani B,” Jimmy reasoned out loud. “That happens once in the four hundred- and thirteen-day year. When we add breathable air how will that effect the temperature?”

Joel nodded, “Good question. You know with all the CO2 we pumped into the air on Earth how it caused the entire Earth’s temperature to rise. That caused the Global Warming.”

“Why didn’t we pump more oxygen into the atmosphere on Earth?” Jimmy asked.

“We did,” Sara Beth answered. “By the time we got the technology to do that, the Global Warming had started, and it will take a while to reverse the process. It can be corrected.”

Joel nodded, “If all the people understand what happened and agree with what has to be done and agree to do it.”

Jimmy’s forehead wrinkled, “The evidence is right there! How can they not agree to do it?”

Joel chuckled, “One man or a small group of men are smart. Men in mobs are stupid. Education is key and applying that education. Mankind started the chain of events for hundreds of years. Each thinking that what they alone did wouldn’t matter, but it did. There were too many of these groups.”

“That’s another reason we are out here,” Sara Beth added. “Everyone on the Ark has the education and knows what needs to happen.”

“I read that Ran was a brown dwarf,” Ian confessed. “Does that mean the star is brown?”

Joel chuckled, “No, it’s a classification of the star. It’s about whether or not it can nuclear fuse hydrogen, the star’s mass and other factors. Ran is a good-sized star, and it is not brown, but has a lower mass.” He looked at Ian, “Do you understand about mass?”

“How fat it is?” Ian asked. “Not its size. Robbie explained it. He said if someone your size stood next to someone my size, the mass of your size stuffed with feathers and the one my size was stuffed with rock. I would be heavier! He said it was density.”

“That’s right!” Joel laughed. “You got it.”

The walk back to their quarters was a simulation of life on a planet. Joel knew that, but it was a good one. Back in their quarters Joel was not surprised to see almost every corner and every blank space had a plant growing there now. Trees, flowering bushes, roses, and gardenias were there now, pruned and looking full. He spotted Sara Beth’s precious orchids around and blooming well. Whatever the plant, Sara Beth could grow it.

“Is it too much?” Sara Beth asked Joel carefully.

“What!?” Joel asked surprised. “Not at all!” Then he pointed a parental finger at her, “Do I have to say it again? What you take out…”

Sara Beth nodded and said with him, “I have to put back in the Stasis Nurseries. I know.”

The usual nightly rituals were done and they went to bed.

 

No matter what century there were certain constants. Since the dawn of the Human Species, sons liked to watch their fathers get ready for their day. Joel didn’t mind the audience. He had done the same thing with his grandfather. Kevin, Jimmy, and Ian perched on the counter or sat nearby to watch Joel. How else could he teach them what it meant to be a male?

“Are we going to be as hairy as you when we grow up?” Ian asked.

“Hairy!?” Joel’s eyes widened. He looked down at himself. He and Sara Beth were not modest with their bodies. There was no shame with the naked Human body. There were religious groups that tried to make people feel shame for a long time. They were afraid the sight of the body would make you think impure thoughts. Please. Yet groups of Humans that had no qualms about the Human body had no problems. People could be such prudes! He had showered and wasn’t dressed yet. He wasn’t that hairy. He had pubic hair, armpits, some chest hair across his pecs, but he’d seen men with much more hair. Hair was a choice but no man on the Ark had long hair or even a beard. Joel’s choice had been dictated by his time in the military. It was still a style that he preferred. There weren’t even any bald men on the Ark. Treatment for men who were losing their hair was centuries old. No man had to be bald unless they chose to be. The nearly one thousand adult males on the Ark had chosen not to be bald. There were also no men with gray hair…correct that. There were three men that had graying at the temples, but no man was over forty on the Ark.

“You have those hairs you take off of your face every day,” Ian pointed at Joel’s face. “What happens if you don’t take it off?”

Joel chuckled, “Oh, well then, I will grow a beard.”

“We’ll grow beards too,” Kevin informed his brother.

Joel looked at Kevin, “Yours will be coming in any time now.” He grinned. “Peach fuzz at first. I did at twelve. It’s a curse because we have black hair.” He chuckled, “Guys like your Uncle Hank had to wait a few more years because he’s blond.” He pointed at Kevin, “You’re lucky. Grooming for people has gotten so much easier.” He held up his evidence, “The laser razor,” He twittered it in his fingers. Just a couple inches long and was rechargeable. “This baby makes cutting the hair from your face, out of your nose, and off your ears so simple.”

“Ears!?” Jimmy balked. “You grow hair on your ears!?”

Joel nodded, “As men get older, he loses the hair from his head and it grows off your ears! Excessive hairs in the nose grow…” He used his thumb to switch the little device on and a little blue light came on. “This burns it off. You can use a metal blade like they did in history, but this is more efficient.” He shrugged, “I’ll teach you to use a razor because if we lose power, you may have to use a metal razor.” He brought a a bottle out of the cabinet and rubbed some fluid on his face, neck, and ran his fingers on his ears. He waited the minute and the brought the laser razer up and extended the wand and ran the small blue light over his face from the edge of his sideburn and ran it down. “This burns it down to the follicle.” Just a single run over his face. “This won’t cut you like a blade will.”

“It won’t burn you?” Kevin asked, “It is a laser.”

Joel grudged a nod, “Yes, if you leave it in place more than a few seconds. When you use the extension wand on the inside of your nose, it can, if you wait too long. It will smell there too but not badly.”

“You don’t have hairs in your nose,” Ian objected.

Joel nodded and twittered the laser razor again, “Because I use this!” He chuckled again. “It’s saved many a marriage as women would borrow their husbands’ razors and dull them. That caused dull blades to nick a man’s face.”

“Mommy cuts hair from her face!?” Ian asked surprised.

“No,” Joel laughed. “She had any unwanted hairs removed. She’s a doctor. She used electrolysis to remove any unwanted hair.” He grudged a nod, “And she uses a hand-held device to rid herself of other hairs.”

Jimmy shook his head completely baffled, “Why?” He shrugged at some thoughts he was having. “It seems to me that nature put these hairs there for a reason.” He looked at his father. “Why take them off?”

Joel had to stop and think. He answered, “Hair or the lack of hair seems to convey a message we want to convey to others. For men it wasn’t surprising to lose hair as they get older.” He grudged a sideways nod of his head, “When males are young in their teens having a beard told other males we are older and can be trusted to make our own decisions. When males get older, we realize we are getting older and want to cut the hair on our face to show we’re still young. We struggled so hard to keep from going bald, so we developed treatments to keep our hair on our heads and stop it from going gray. To show we are still young.” He frowned, “For females, they want to be attractive and desired by males. Having no hair in certain places will do that.”

“Mommy’s pretty,” Ian stated to correct his father’s error. He didn’t mean his mother had to do that.

Joel chuckled, “Your mother is pretty and always has been…” he looked down at his youngest and smiled, “to me.” He stood up straighter. “She knew what she was doing and how to look to attract me. It worked! Now, she tries to keep the look she had to win me over.”

“And what do you do to attract her?” Kevin grinned.

“I work out,” Joel pounded his chest like Tarzan, but didn’t even try Tarzan’s yelling cry. “Men are to show they are capable of providing for his family, that he’s young and strong.” He seemed to convey something in confidence. “We left the jungles and caves, but we’re still those primitive primates inside. Only the strong survives!”

His sons were smiling at him when he said that.

“I looked at some images about human evolution,” Kevin said as Joel continued to burn the hairs from his face. The lotion to make the hairs standout and be dry would wear off. “They did a regrowth from some DNA samples about our past.” Kevin over enunciated the next syllables, “Dry-o-pith-e-cus?” He looked at Joel to see if he got the name right.

“Yes,” Joel answered making Kevin give a triumphant smile. Joel went on, “We lived in Africa, Europe, India, and China.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy confirmed what he knew from what he read. “They reassembled the image, using the DNA from bone fragments. We looked like chimpanzees!”

“We did!” Joel grinned and nodded, “Don’t go looking down at your great grandparents. Our cousins are the chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and other great apes are related to us.” He threw his hands out, “All life from Earth is family and sprang from the same great grandparents if we go back far enough to the beginning of life. Even plants are related to us.”

“The trees and Mom’s flowers are related to us!?” Ian balked.

Joel nodded, “Billions of years ago we all started from the same life. We’re moving to a new world to save them!”

“Even the bugs?” Kevin asked to understand.

“Roaches and mosquitoes, too.” Joel answered.

“We all changed,” Kevin said about what he now knew. “So, what will we eventually look like?”

“We won’t know until we get there,” Joel answered with a shrug. “We can only theorize and guess.”

“Back to the hair thing,” Jimmy directed the topic back to what started the chain of discussion. “Why did we lose our…” he frowned, “fur? And why did we keep fur or hair where we do?”

“Good questions,” Joel replied. “I don’t have answers for those questions. We evolved to look like we do.”

“People would go to war about evolution,” Kevin said.

Joel nodded again, “Many were executed for believing it. The idea that we are related to apes was impossible for many to except.”

“But the evidence!” Kevin objected.

“Which people refused to believe,” Joel sighed. “People didn’t like the idea that we, Humans, were not the center of everything. The stars, including the sun, Sol and other planets didn’t revolve around us. We didn’t like that we were not even the first species to evolve on Earth. In fact, we were one of the last.” Joel grinned, “I think we are a darned good one…a great one. We are bringing ourselves and other members of Earth’s species, our family to another world. No other species from Earth is doing that. We are.” He chuckled, “Life on Earth evolved due to environmental conditions. When life evolved in Australia, it was isolated and took a course other species didn’t. The same with Madagascar. If the Earth survives and if we succeed, it will be interesting to compare the differences that evolution takes on Gaea and on Earth. It’s a shame we won’t be around to see it.” He looked at his sons who were still in the clothes they wore for sleeping. “You have school! I know you haven’t showered. One of you can shower in here and the other two can double up in the other bathroom. And I mean shower, there will be no playtime. Hop to it!” He leaned in and smiled, “I love our discussions. I love that the three of you question everything. You’ll be great men.” He pointed at the shower, “After you shower and dress! Now, go!” He practically barked.

His boys knew he wasn’t angry and laughed, never scared of their father. They did a quick rock, paper, and scissors to find out who was showering in here. Joel grinned as Jimmy won the three bouts. He quickly took off his sleeping clothes and climbed into the shower in his parents’ bathroom. Kevin and Ian raced off to take their shower.

 

Joel watched as his three sons came in dressed for their day. The Ark’s coverall was worn by all. Sara was making a healthy breakfast. Grains in the hot granola cereal and with their toasted breads. Sections of fruit and fruit juices. They had been lucky on Earth. Sara Beth grew the fruits and vegetables they had in the mornings. All three liked raisins in their granola. Robbie stood off at the side watching the somewhat chaotic situation at the table.

“Good breakfast, Mom!” Kevin said as he ate with gusto.

Sara Beth laughed and nodded, “All I did was put things in plates and bowls, but I agree it is good.”

Jimmy looked at Robbie, “I will come up with a way for you, Robbie, to taste and eat. To know the feeling of being hungry and having that hunger go away after eating a good meal.”

Robbie’s body whirred, the lights blinked as he turned toward Jimmy, “I look forward to that day, Jimmy Nesmith.”

Kevin thumbed at Robbie, “He can’t evolve.”

Sara Beth shook her head, “That’s where you’re wrong. We will be the ones to have him evolve. He won’t evolve naturally but if Jimmy does figure out a way to do what he just said, Robbie will.”

Ian smiled, “Maybe we can evolve him to use just our first names?”

Robbie looked at Ian, “I can do that now. I don’t need to evolve to do that. I choose not to.”

Ian pointed at Robbie, “I knew it!”

Robbie whirred and blinked, “You are not incorrect.”

Having all of the family gather to begin the day was again, normal.

Joel chuckled at the ease they all got along, including Robbie. “I plan to begin martial arts class for everybody.” Joel said happily. “To teach you to relax and focus your thoughts and help you think.”

“Taekwondo?” Kevin smiled.

“I taught you some of that,” Joel nodded. “However, there are three people on the Ark who will teach you Tai Chi. They are experts.” He sighed, “It will also teach you to protect yourselves.”

“From who?” Jimmy asked with a frown. “No one on the Ark would attack us.”

“From whom,” Sara Beth corrected almost absently. “There will be men that might come to Gaea. Your father and I want you to be able to tell them no about something. We don’t have police or an army.”

“Dr. Bia Ch’en, Dr. Wei Ch’en and Lui Ch’en are the experts,” Joel informed. “They will be offering classes.”

Ian wrinkled his brow and frowned, “The bad men from Earth will be on Gaea?”

“Other men from Earth will probably come,” Joel pointed to each of them. “I don’t want you to ever use it, but if you need to, you’ll know it.” He smiled again. “If you don’t have to it will still give the discipline you need to study and think. It will be good for you.”

 

Joel and Hank checked on the equipment they would need in less than two years. For them it was about a week. Air was pumped into the storage compartments. Gravity of any kind was not there. The impossibly long cable that was coiled up that would be the track the Space Ladder or Elevator was taking up a good portion of the storage area. Approximately five hundred kilometers of the strong, unbreakable cable was stored in the vast storage area. You couldn’t get your hands around the cable, and it would lower the base of the elevator to the surface of Gaea. The elevator “car” would be constructed on the Ark. The orbital station the cable would descend from would also have to be built. The lander craft was like a big van or small bus. A wide and thick arrowhead with a rounded bow. The shape was to ease entry into any atmosphere. Six of them would go down to Gaea to survey the planet and decide where they were going to build the dome where they could move from the Ark to Gaea. There were also six jet-bikes they would take to go in different directions while on Gaea. Leif Andersen and Steven Combs would gather water samples. Joel and Hank would survey to see where the best place to build the dome would go. Larisa and Kurt would be getting ground samples of rock and what Gaea had for soil. The jet-bikes were about the size of a motorcycle and would fly because of the thrusts of high-powered air. They had small wings that could come out to stabilize the flights. Joel and Hank tested the engines of each of the jet-bikes and the lander. They had been stored in a vacuum, sealed, dust and dirt-free bay. They worked fine.

Joel knew what was happening inside of him. He was getting excited about arriving to the planet Gaea. He was finding it hard to think. He had to concentrate to get anything done. What they were doing was checking things out to make sure everything was in working order. Athena worked too well? Nothing was needing any fixing or maintained.

Hank was the one that voiced the problem as they went back to the Control Room. “I’m glad Sara Beth and I are going to be working on those gardening robots. It will give me something to do!”

Joel grinned as his eyebrows rose in surprise, “We can find you something to do.”

“That’s not the same,” Hank objected. “Busy work is just covering the problem from bleeding with a bandage. You feel it. I can tell. You’re anxious to get down to Gaea. Admit it.”

“Yes,” Joel nodded. “I’m very anxious to get there and get things going.”

“Do we?” Hank asked slyly. He gestured helplessly, “It will be a year and a half! Has anything gone wrong when we were in stasis before?” He asked and quickly answered his question himself, “No, Athena has done a phenomenal job. We’ve had no incidents at all. The Ark has traversed light years with no problems. We woke inside Sol’s solar system because it was procedure. We checked everything in case there was a problem. Did we pass through the Asteroid Belt in Sol’s system? Yes, we did. Did any debris hit the hull? No, it didn’t. Why? Because Athena was at the helm and took the necessary steps. She’ll have two more in Ran’s System. I say…” he held up his finger as he stated what he had to say, “Athena doesn’t need to revive us until we are in orbit around Gaea. She should only wake us if there is a problem.”

Joel chuckled, “That’s not written procedure.”

Hank nodded, “Uh, huh. And whomever wrote that procedure is dead! Second, who is going to report you? To whom would they report the breaking of procedure? Huh?” Hank continued, “It’s one revival from stasis we’d skip. It will be a surprise!”

It would be a huge surprise. Joel stopped, making Hank stop, as well. Joel pointed a parental finger in Hank’s face and shook it is he said, “Fine, but you tell no one and we layout the precautions that Athena follows to the letter. I’ll not take risky chances with all these lives at stake.”

Hank’s smile just grew as he grabbed Joel and hugged his friend. He quickly let Joel go and gave Joel a very sloppy salute, “Roger that, Commander.” If Hank had hard soles on his shoes, they would have clacked when he brought his heels together. “Not a word!” He even turned the invisible key to his mouth and tossed that key away. “Or should I have said aye, aye, Skipper?”

Joel shoved Hank gently, “I was right to make you the First Mate.” He chuckled.

 

As Hank and Sara Beth were designing the gardening robots, Joel met with Kurt, Xolani, Larisa, and Adam were setting the course for the Ark to arrive and achieve a Geosynchronous and Geostationary Orbit over the New Hawai’ian Islands. They all had agreed to the name and labeled all the islands after the islands on Earth. The big island was being named Hawai’i. It was a paradise on Earth and the residents on the Ark were going to make it a paradise on Gaea. Gaea would be approaching Zeus, or the Planet Godzilla when they arrived, and Zeus would be starting to stretch Gaea’s orbit as it had done for billions of years before. The Ark would be inside the rings of Gaea just above the targeted area. Joel would also begin to have Athena lengthen the day to match the thirty-three Earth hour day on Gaea. They would all have to adjust their own biological clocks to match it. There would be some very tired Humans for a while. Staying awake longer and sleeping longer would be an adjustment they had to make. As there was no real wobble, the day and night were about sixteen Earth hours in length…each. The Human body had been programmed by millions of years by the Earth. Reprogramming would happen.

Joel also checked any messages sent by Sol’s Human worlds. The trick was Athena knew where to look for the many messages. Sol’s System Worlds didn’t know where to send the transmissions exactly. The signals were just sent out in all directions. There really were no messages sent to the Ark specifically. Nor were they sent directly to the Ark III or Ark IV. Athena also knew in what direction to look for signals from the two additional Arks.

There were problems on the Ark III and a lot of problems on the Ark IV. The Ark III had suffered a change as to who was in charge. Joel predicted that would happen. When they chose the people for the Ark II there was a thorough screening process done for himself as well as the others on the Ark II. What was the screening process for the military on the Ark III? The military mind was torn apart and rebuilt through basic training and from years of service. The messages he got now about the Ark III were ten years old. The Ark III was just starting their journey. Why were they up? It was standard and written procedure to revive from stasis twice before they left the Sol System to make sure there were no problems. They had to have engineers onboard to make sure there weren’t. Medical issues and computer issues could occur but again, they had the personnel. The military might not even have been the ones to take over. Ark IV had trouble with the Stasis Pods. Almost half of the pods quit working. Why? Those onboard were now going into stasis in shifts. Half were in stasis and half were awake. Some of the food supplies were contaminated with radiation. They were already reporting deaths of some of the residents. Ark IV really had been rushed and things were skipped. Joel had to finally quit reading. It was pointless to worry. This Ark, Ark II, would make it. Now, he, like Hank, was anxious to get to Gaea.

 

Bia Ch’en prepared a good lunch. Mongolian Chicken Noodles. She added the grated ginger, hoisin sauce, and sriracha sauce telling Joel it would be spicy. Spicy didn’t have to mean hot, but this was on the boarder.

This time the image of it an interior of what looked like a temple or palace. Very ornate with many sculptured walls in gold and wood. Wood at one time was as precious as gold, as it had to be imported. Trees were not plentiful, if around at all.

 

While they were all in stasis this time, Athena along with the Ark were assembling the gardening robots. They should be ready and start rounds in less than a month. Sara Beth was giving strict instructions as to what should be done. In these robots’ case, they were nonverbal robots. Essentially, they were not Human-like at all. Tall, thin, silvery metallic robots that could stretch upward to the tops of the trees and prune what was necessary. There were five of those and two that were low and squat that wheeled tanks of the hydraulic fluid to the plants and drain the used fluid which could be recycled and used again. They could understand you and respond by doing what you asked. They were extensions of Athena.

As everyone was entering the pods again Sara Beth was giving Joel a curious look. Her eye squinted as they were getting in the pods. “What are you up to?”

Joel grinned back, “What makes you think I am?”

“Your face,” Sara Beth answered. “You have been smiling all morning!”

Joel grinned and shrugged, “I’m a happy man. I have a beautiful, brilliant wife, three smart and great looking sons. We’re heading toward a new home…”

“And you were smiling without any known reason,” Sara Beth continued. “And you add Hank with his inability to sit still. Concentration? Forget it. You two are planning something. I don’t know what, but I know it’s a good thing. I won’t press you for answers, so I’m not asking.” She smiled at him. “Just admit you are.”

“Okay,” Joel nodded. “I am up to something.” He grinned, “You’ll find out in a few minutes.” He shook his head, “You know me so well.”

“I do,” Sara Beth leaned over kissing him. “It must be good.”

“You’ll see.”

 

Joel opened his eyes this time and he knew he was smiling now but he had a reason. “Athena, any problems?”

“No, Commander,” Athena responded calmly. Did she ever sound any other way? No.

“I love you, Athena!” Joel said loud.

“Really!?” Sara Beth asked from her pod smiling.

“Really,” Joel nodded.

“Hank,” Rita chastised as she was being dragged literally behind her husband. “What’s the hurry?” She looked at Sara Beth, “I barely get the minimum stretches in and he’s hauling me out of the pod.” She waved at her daughters, “Them, too!”

“What ill effects do you get from not stretching?” Hank asked happily.

“Stiff muscles,” Sara Beth began, “some fatigue…”

“Nothing fatal?” Hank asked.

“No,” Sara Beth replied.

“So, stretch in the lift!” Joel said and went to his sons pods, “Come on, boys. I have something to show you.”

“Another Robbie?” Jimmy asked.

“Better,” Joel answered and pulled him from his pod.

They descended to the Habitat Ring and went instantly to the Communal Dining Room.

“Are we in position, Athena?” Joel asked.

“We will be in a few moments, Commander,” Athena answered.

“Open the port window shield, please.” Joel instructed.

The view port slid up as the Habitat Ring rotated slowly around. It was a few seconds when the rings appeared. The rounded edge of a world came into view. The curve of a planet was below them. The grayish water of the oceans could be seen, there were clouds that covered a lot of the surface but a few of the island continents could be seen.

“Welcome to Gaea,” Joel pointed at the planet below. Gaea wasn’t moving…well it was spinning in a rotation, but the movement right now was the Habitat Ring moving so Gaea could be seen.

Sara Beth, Rita, Chloe, Rachel, Kevin, Jimmy and Ian all gasped.

“Welcome to our new home!” Hank added.

“We’re not supposed to be here yet!” Kevin stated.

“We had six more months!” Sara Beth pointed out.

Joel chuckled, “Should I have us go back three months and then come back?” He waved at the planet, “We’re here! Now!”

“Yippie!” Ian bounced. “We’re here at last!”

“Yes,” Joel was smiling even bigger. “We are! Now, if you want to press charges for my breaching protocol you can bring the charges up, or we can swing by Earth, and you can press them there. Either way, we’re here!” He threw his arms out.

“It doesn’t look right,” Kevin objected. “The water is the wrong color and nothing’s green.”

“But it will be,” Joel pointed out. “In a few hours…probably tomorrow…I and our landing team will go down and survey the planet and then,” he held a finger up, “we really start to work. We’ll change the color of the oceans, sky, and the surface. Remember, this isn’t Earth. It will never be Earth. This is Gaea! It will feel like home soon. We need to wake the scientists that were up the last few times. We need to wake all the others and show them where we are. Then we can start to work.”

 

Nayef, Leah, Adam, Xolani, Kurt, Greta…all that had been up before all were shown Gaea. They all had the same startled reaction the Cavills and the Nesmiths had.

Joel pulled Nayef, Leah, Tom, and Cindy (Tom’s wife) aside. “We will revive everyone from stasis. There is a party planned, remember?” He chuckled as they nodded. “Anyway, should we wake others you feel will be the best counselors first and tell them what happened on Earth first so they can adjust? Or am I being too cautious?”

Tom nodded, “I think you are right to be concerned. Just as you said, we all left the Earth behind…”

“But we are still connected to Earth,” Joel restated. “They are our family if just our species. They will feel something.”

“We aren’t always right,” Leah said. “Nayef told me nothing about what Wei said to him and you. I was wrong about him. Nayef said his social awkwardness is due to something in his past. Now, since I’ve gotten to know him, I see he’s come around as he’s gotten to know us. I think telling everyone at the same time will be fine. We’ll just have to watch their reactions.”

“You’re very concerned with the mental health and wellbeing of everyone,” Nayef smiled at Joel.

“Sure, I am,” Joel admitted holding out his arms in exasperation. “When you have this many people in a confined space like this. As nice as it is, luxurious even…” he held his thumb and index finger close together, “The least little thing can set people off. As a military officer, we were taught to be aware of the possibilities and make sure it stays calm.” He waved at the Ark above him. “I have over two thousand souls aboard this vessel. I worry about everything.” He squinted an eye and pointed at them, “These are very intelligent and strong-willed people I am responsible for and their wellbeing is a priority.”

Cindy reached out and touched Joel’s arm, “And you’re doing a fantastic job! You and your wife do everything to make people comfortable.”

Tom nodded, “Adding the little touches…” he grinned and waved at a clump of trees and bushes off to the side, “like the plants!” He chuckled, “A very, very nice touch…and they’re real!” He thumbed at the plants. “I had to touch them to be sure, but they are real! And the many trees and plants on the walkway on the Habitat Ring with the breeze, the light made to reflect the time of day…”

“…and the bird calls and buzz of insects!” Nayef added. “I’m fooled every time!”

Joel gave a short, bowed nod, chuckled, and pointed at Nayef and Leah, “The lighting and nature calls are your brain children, Doc. Sara Beth couldn’t be at home without her beloved plants. You should come by and see our quarters! I’m inviting you all. She emotionally bonds with every single plant and talks to each one.”

Leah chuckled, “She is a Botanist.” She said logically.

Joel saw one of the Gardening Robots roll in on its rolling tracks. It was an odd-looking robot that was tall and lanky. A metallic stick with four long arms, metal fingers on two arms, a scissor like pruner on the two other arms.

“She and Hank worked on those robots to do what Sara Beth wanted to be done while we were in stasis,” Joel explained pointing at the robot. “And to reduce her workload when we aren’t.”

They saw the robot stretch upward and begin to sift through the leaves and clip here and there, putting what it clipped off in a compartment near its feet.

“And all this is doing a great job on everyone,” Cindy smiled.

Joel nodded, “I read from some reports that there were deaths on Arks III and IV. We will have some with our group eventually,” he held up a determined finger, “but I will do my best to not have any needless deaths with this group.” He looked at them, “So, do we revive the counselors first or revive them all and show them at the same time?”

 

Sara Beth, Rita, Joel, Hank, and Nayef prepared several dishes of chicken, vegetable sticks, dips, and again canapés to be shared by everyone and put them in the stasis cabinets.

 

It was decided to revive all the residents of the Ark at the same time. The other residents will see that those who could counsel were reacting to the same things they were. The counselors would have more empathy.

The pods were open at the same time. Sara Beth gave the instructions about the stretching and Joel cautioned them all about the zero gravity where they were now.

“Just to let you know,” Joel began. “We have arrived at our destination. I’m eager to show you. We have a lot of work ahead to make our home here.” He chuckled, “You don’t know this since the last time many of you were out of stasis, we had a party to say good-bye to the solar system of Sol. We rejected the planets around Alpha Centauri for a list of reasons. We are now in the Epsilon Eridani System, and we think we found the perfect world to bring a little bit of Earth. The planet was named Gaea, after the Greek Goddess Gaea who was the mother of everything in Greek Mythology. We are no gods, but I think the planet Gaea is the perfect blank canvas to paint a new Earth.” He waved them all toward himself, “So, come take your first look at our new home.”

The Communal Dining Area was the largest single room structure on the Habitat Ring. There were several ports they could look out, but not all at once. Xolani pointed to the area over their heads as the image of the solar system of Ran appeared. He explained the six planets including Zeus and its nickname Godzilla. Adam explained how he got the name Godzilla. Those that knew of Godzilla chuckled and those that didn’t had it explained by those that did. The image of Gaea as it was, came into focus with the rings and showed the vast oceans. Larisa further explained what was theorized would be in a hundred years after the gas generators were sent down to Gaea. Not a lot of change. Then a hundred years more after they introduced simple lifeforms to the oceans, and they began readying the land surface to grow simple plant life and animal life. A hundred years more as they brought more complex life to Gaea. The water became bluer, and the ground surface was becoming greener. Another hundred years as there were trees and larger animals roamed the surface and swam in the oceans. Another hundred years and Gaea was looking a lot like Earth had been before all the chaos.

“You will be alive for all of this!” Adam pressed. “We will be in stasis for much of the changes and only revived if there is a problem. Introducing large predatory species will only work if they have something to prey on. There must be a balance.”

Joel added, “Tomorrow a team of us are going down to the surface to get samples and bring those samples back to study. We will decide where to build our first settlement on the surface.” He smiled as a wave of excited chatter erupted among all there. Then he got serious, “Now, for some bad…or just sad news. I will remind everyone. We knew the conditions on Earth, and I will remind all of you, what you are about to see, we knew might happen. That’s why we’re here. The men and women that sent us out here…friends and colleagues are old or dead after fifty some odd years. We know that, but…” He waved at the overhead image. “Athena, show the first of the broadcasts I highlighted from Earth, please.”

The image of the pretty anchor-reporter came up as she reported the bombs in China. Images of the devastation were seen. Joel didn’t think they needed to see the bodies or the survivors that would die shortly after the bombs from radiation. They could see those later if they wanted to. The bomb in India, South Africa, and later in the United States and the others. These images and reports from the news service were met with gasps and sounds from the many here at the horror they all understood. All of this took about three hours.

“One more time,” Joel said firmly. “What you just saw, that was one of the reasons we left! We knew it was probable. It happened. But those people are dead! You’re not. I got the messages about two more Arks that were launched, and they are not doing as well as we are. We are alive!” He pointed around the room at the others. “You are alive. If it helps, we could become the only rational thinking Humans alive anywhere in the galaxy. If we are, I promise you now, we will make this work! The little bit of Earth we bring to Gaea will live and thrive! My children will grow up, have children of their own safe on a world that is secure, and they will thrive.” He chuckled. “The land surface we’ve tentatively chosen…” he said as the image of the islands appeared above, then inverted, “See?” he grinned at the cleverness of those presenting. “It looks like the islands of Hawai’i! See the Big Island of Hawai’i? There’s Maui above it? There’s Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau…” He waved at the image, “There are three other smaller islands that need names, but you see it, right?” He waved at the islands above them. “I visited the real Hawai’i and loved it even when we left. Now, I might be living there!? Yes, I’d love it!” He looked at them again seriously. “Whatever you are feeling now is how you feel. Go with that. Talk to someone about how you feel. You brainiacs were chosen because you were the best minds to do this. Everyone will be needed. I am not going to be a dictator. What we,” he swung his finger to include everyone, “decide is what we’ll do. Listen to those that will know what you don’t, and we will decide.” He smiled at them, “Got it?”

He walked up next to Sara Beth, his sons, Rita, and Hank.

“Damn!” Hank grinned at Joel, “You get my vote!”

Joel looked at him puzzled, “What?”

“That was a truly inspirational and moving speech!” Hank explained, “If you run for any office, you’d get my vote.”

“Mine, too,” Rita added.

“And you didn’t prepare, did you?” Sara Beth asked taking Joel’s arm and leaned into his side.

“Why prepare?” Joel asked. “I just winged it.” He looked at Hank, “And I have no interest in politics.”

“Maybe not,” Hank nodded with a smile. “It was sort of forced on you as Commander. You know there will be officials later.”

Joel frowned, “We have no currency, so no taxes. No services that need funding. No person should want to be in office here.”

“You know there will be,” Sara Beth reminded him. “A decision maker about future plans…” she held Joel out a little, “That’s what you’re doing now, honey!”

I was told to!” Joel objected.

“And doing a super job!” Hank continued to smile. “I’d follow you.”

 

The party did occur. It was not as it started, but soon everyone was talking and laughing. The news about what happened was absorbed and the residents moved on.

Sara Beth came back to Joel, Hank, Tom, and Nayef after speaking with Cindy, Leah, Rita, and Greta. “Honey,” Sara Beth smiled. “I was just reminded that we have some very talented people on the Ark. Some are very talented musicians! Maybe we should schedule a talent night of those out of stasis.”

“And not all are the Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven musicians,” Leah added with a smile. “We have Rock and Roll, Jazz or all sorts and just like with our resent samplings of different cuisines from where people here shared, there are musicians and music from around the world as well.”

Nayef frowned, “Leah.” He said warning his wife not to do what she said next.

She waved him off, “And why not? You’re a talented man. He can play the Oud,” she looked for understanding and didn’t see any sort, so she explained, “It’s a sort of fat, pear shaped lute. He can play the Rebaba which rests on the floor from a spike like a cello but much smaller. However, he’s best at the Mijwiz. That’s a kind of double flute.”

“Nayef!” Joel said a bit shocked. “You’re a renaissance man!”

“She forgot to tell you,” Nayef smirked at his wife. “She was in the London Symphony! She’s a violist. Plays the viola beautifully…and the violin. But earned her chair as a violist.”

“Which I will be happy to play,” Leah nodded. “I would prefer a chamber group. Find me others and I’m sure they brought their instruments with them. We did.”

“Matt Koval plays string bass,” Sara Beth informed them. “And he plays the electric bass. He and Mark met in college and were part of a group called Ultra-Mate. Mark plays the keyboard and drums.”

Joel nodded, “I guess when in a group named like that, they would become mates later.” He could see Matt with a string bass. That wooden instrument was as big as he was.

“Rita plays the French Horn,” Hank volunteered. “I can play the spoons and a comb.”

“Well, don’t I feel like the poor cousin?” Joel grumbled. “I tried the trumpet in middle school. We didn’t get along.”

Sara Beth shrugged, “I was never with a family too long. I took the oboe. I stopped at about twelve.” Then she looked at Joel. “My point was, we have these talented people on the Ark. We should have a talent night!”

Joel nodded, “That would be great. So, ladies, get busy!”

 

The party went on a long time. They didn’t really have a set schedule to adhere to. They would still be going by an Earth Standard twenty-four-hour clock. Joel was going to have Athena adjust the Ark’s clock to a Gaea based clock. Not now, It was too soon. If they divided the hours to twenty-four hours for a day, the meant an hour would be about one Earth hour and three or four portions of an hour more. Joel felt the beginnings of another headache coming. If they divided the months into twelve a year that came to twelve months with thirty days and a few with thirty-one…ow! He’d let the math wizzes handle this question and just follow it. Joel was adjusting his reflective pressure suit in the Control Room as Hank came in doing the same as he walked.

“I make this look good!” Hank announced followed by Rita.

The pressure suit was a metallic thin suit, but very strong. It looked silver but reflected light easily. Rita was carrying the helmet Hank would wear.

“The suit wasn’t to make any fashion statement,” Joel smiled. “It will make anyone in the suit easy to find if you get in trouble on land or in the water. Athena, kill the lights for a few seconds, please.”

The lights went out completely in the Control Room and it was pitch black. Then Hank began to glow.

“Hey!” Hank marveled looking at his arms, “I never knew about this!”

“If it’s daylight or middle of the night,” Joel continued. “You can turn the lights on again, Athena.” And the lights came back on, and they saw Joel pointing his wrist at Hank. At Joel’s wrist was a small light that was like a flashlight where it glowed a dim red, “We can find you even if you’ve lost communication with everyone.” Using his gloved hand, he touched his wrist and the light went off. “The reason for the reflective suit was made known when they instructed us on putting the suit on.” Joel grinned at Hank, “Weren’t you paying attention?”

Hank held his arms out helplessly, “It was a kind of chaos during those few weeks as we got ready to leave. I may have heard it but I simply forgot.”

Joel saw Steven Combs and Leif Andersen come in dressed the same way. Then Kurt came in with Greta. Joel was puzzled, “Aren’t we missing someone?”

Sara Beth came in, “Yes, Larisa won’t be going. Xolani is taking her place.”

“I don’t understand,” Joel looked at his wife. “Is she having problems with going to the planet?”

Sara Beth nodded, “Yes, and she has to be the one to tell you.”

That told Joel the reason had to be medical. Sara Beth would never divulge a confidential medical issue. Well, she would since he was in command and He quickly came up with a reason, but it was Larisa that needed to tell him. He felt a smile come over his face.

Sara Beth smiled back and shook her finger at Joel, “No guessing. She’ll tell you in a few minutes.”

Larisa and Ansh Bhatt came in and their body language told Joel they weren’t upset but very happy. Ansh had his arm around his wife in a more personal and close way. They were both in their coveralls.

“I suppose you know I’m not going with you,” Larisa said softly, but in a light tone. “I could, but Ansh preferred I didn’t right now.”

Joel grinned, “When are you due?”

Ansh looked a bit startled, “Sara Beth told you?”

Joel shook his head, “She just mentioned the substitution. I put together the reason on my own. Being pregnant is a medical reason, but it doesn’t have to be dangerous for a baby.” He stepped forward and held his hand out to them, “I will tell you congratulations. I know you’ll make great parents.” He shrugged, “Your child will be the first to be born here…at least in the Epsilon Eridani Solar System. Maybe on the planet Gaea if we move there faster.”

Ansh smiled back, “I never had a problem with her possibly working when pregnant before. Now that she is, I worry about everything. We might not have found out in time, and she could go down there and return just fine. Stasis Gas will affect the baby. Will it damage the baby as it grows?” He looked at Sara Beth, “I know we have a toddler in stasis, but that toddler was formed. It won’t harm the baby, right?”

Sara Beth chuckled lightly, “Evidence tells it won’t. There were five pregnancies before with people in stasis. All delivered healthy babies. Your daughter who is coming is very healthy.”

Hank slapped Ansh on the back, “Welcome to the Worry World of Fathers and Their Daughters! My two are the never-ending source of my worry.”

Rita rolled her eyes and shook her head, “And the never-ending source of your pride and joy.”

Xolani came in followed by Adam. Xolani wore his pressure suit. Joel and every parent going down to Gaea had told their children good-bye and the children and all the residents on the Ark would be watching as they descended to Gaea. Sara Beth would be monitoring each one of the people going to Gaea, watching their vital signs and keeping track of their progress. Like every first, this was going to be exciting. The first to step foot on the moon and on Mars were watched by everyone on Earth. They would be the first to step on a world that wasn’t in the home solar system. Sara Beth was setting herself up in the Communal Dining Area.

To access the lander, the quickest way was through that center portion of the Ark where the Stasis Pods were. Everything could be accessed better from the central point. Entering the lander, they sat in the couches there and buckled in. They were still weightless, but there was a breathable atmosphere in the lander. The air in the lander bay was sucked out and the bay’s outer doors opened to the emptiness of space beyond the Ark.

“Okay, Hank,” Joel said to his friend. “You have the stick. Take us down to Gaea.” He leaned in a bit to Hank and said quietly, “The coordinates were below us.”

Hank nodded and showed a little nervousness, “Thank you, Joel. I got that.” He pressed some lights on the control panel and the lander was lowered outside the Ark. He touched some more lights and Joel felt the connection to the Ark break and felt Hank accelerate and the lander began to move down. Hank maneuvered the lander’s nose down and touched the “control stick” firing the engine’s jets to the rear. The lander’s engine also was propelled by a version of the petroleum jets. A quick firing of those engines and the lander moved quickly away from the Ark. Those engines only fired to get them started and stopped once they were. They had each been taught to pilot the lander. They all knew about pitch, yaw, and roll when navigating in three dimensions. The front to back roll, the rotation around side-to-side was pitch, and the rotation around the vertical axis was yaw. Whomever designed modern aircraft liked the old-school stick-controlled piloting. It was easy…to Joel. Jimmy was right. Athena did so much and could pilot it remotely. What would Humans do if there was no Athena in some cases? Humans would get lazy and forget how to do some very important things. Hell, his sons could probably pilot the lander…once they got used to pulling back meant to climb or go up. Pushing forward made you go down. Left and right were just that. The foot controls were more involved, but when you got it, you had it! Hank was a genius. He earned his first doctorate at twenty-five! He got another at twenty-eight. Piloting just needed to go into his “learned memory.” Not his short-term memory. That would just take time and doing it. Flying like this needed quick instincts and Joel knew Hank would get it.

Joel looked out at Gaea as they descended. The planet was getting closer, and Joel could see the ring circle around Gaea above them. He noted the many colors in those rings. The Ark would remain within the rings’ circle from now on. It would help keep them hidden a little. He felt his weight return as he sunk into the couch at the pilot’s and co-pilot’s controls. Then he felt some shaking as they entered Gaea’s exosphere. That was about seven hundred kilometers above Gaea. They would extend the wings in the stratosphere and glide down. They saw the New Islands below them. The New Big Island was bigger than its namesake. Almost twice the original’s size. None of them were exactly like the islands in the Pacific Ocean, but they were damned similar. Joel had to teach Jimmy to read a map! Having a computer to show you instantly what you were looking for was great, but could you find something on a map without a computer? He and Jimmy had gotten used to seeing images on maps be it east to west or north to south and knew what they were seeing. Survival skills were needed to be taught and learned. Computers were great, but what do you do if you didn’t have one? Many of the men in the military had to learn to navigate terrain without anything. No computer or even a compass. You used your head! Joel noted the rise in temperature at the forward nose of the lander and saw the building of friction.

“I know,” Hank said stressed. “I know.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Joel chuckled. “You’re doing fine.”

At the appropriate altitude Hank had the wings deployed from underneath the lander. There was the mechanical whine as they stretched out and unfolded. The descent evened out with reduced chop, bump if you needed to know. Hank was reducing speed and circling the Big Island lazily.

“Where should I set down?” Hank asked. “We worked out the west side of the island, but where on the island?”

“You’re the pilot,” Joel answered. “You judge where is the best site to land. The vein of ore is on the west side. The continental shelf is on the west side. The rivers flow to the west from the mountains. We will use the jet-bikes to scatter and get the samples. You need to decide where the best site is to make it easier on all of us. You and I are doing the more in-depth survey of the land. It’s your decision.”

Hank maneuvered the lander over a flat area near the rivers and shore. Then he used the thrusters to lower the lander to a gentle landing on Gaea.

“Perfect!” Joel reached over and shook his friend. “No one can complain about that landing! No one was hurt.”

Hank sighed and held his arm out to Joel, “Yeah? Maybe, but take my pulse. My heart is pounding!”

Joel laughed lightly, “No one could do better!” He stood and moved slightly from one side to the other. “It feels normal, but slightly different. Natural gravity.”

“Agreed,” Xolani nodded standing up.

“Let’s not waste time!” Kurt said happily. “Put your helmets on and let’s go!”

Putting the helmets on wasn’t hard, you just made sure the grooves were aligned and twisted it on. It was an airtight fit. The suits air was turned on once the seal was made. It was a reflective helmet the same color as the suit. The suit was very comfortable and pliant. You could move very easily in it. Even run in it. The metallic material was impenetrable. No air was lost from inside and no atmosphere from the outside could get in. The suit also kept you warm or cooled you off when needed. Joel had the air in the lander sucked into tanks to be reinjected when they came back. Then he had the air outside slowly allowed in to balance the pressure. No, the air on Gaea would not be breathable yet. It would take a few minutes, but you would die.

He opened the hatch and grinned, “I should say something profound.” He turned to Xolani. “You think of something. You’re stepping out first.”

Xolani’s eyes grew, “Why me?”

“Someone has to be first,” Joel said logically. “The hatch will only let one man out at a time. You say something profound. You’ll be forever in history!”

“No pressure there,” Xolani grumbled. He quickly thought and stepped down the short ladder, “Esinye isinyathelo esincane kumuntu, esinye ukugxuma okukhulu kwesintu!” He grinned at the others, “That’s Zulu for Another small step for man, another giant leap for mankind.” Then he stepped on the ground.

“Paraphrasing a hero and changing it…I love it!” Hank said excited. “Neil Armstrong would be so proud!”

Joel motioned toward the hatch, “After you, Hank.”

“And whoever remembers the second man to step on a new world?” Hank asked irritated.

“Buzz Aldrin on the moon,” Joel began counting on his fingers. “Stephanie Gomez was the first person to walk on Mars followed by Dimitri Davydov was the second…”

Hank held his hands up to stop Joel, “Okay, okay…of course, you remember them.” He griped and walked down to the planet’s ground.

 

The two other teams had the necessary equipment for the samples. Leif and Steven were gathering water samples from the rivers, the lake, and the oceans. Xolani and Kurt were gathering dirt and rock samples around the areas they wanted to settle. Hank and Joel were going to survey the surrounding landscape, the mountains near there and the western shore.

“Wow,” Steven said astonished. “It’s only forty-three degrees!”

“Celsius,” Joel muttered back. “One hundred and ten degrees in the United States.”

“You yanks are so stubborn!” Kurt laughed. “You refuse to accept the metric system.”

“We’re steadfast,” Joel corrected. “And I’m not a yank and you’re not a Jerry.”

Kurt’s eyebrow rose on his left side, “Are you sure you didn’t mean Kraut?”

“So, you guys like sauerkraut?” Joel shrugged and pointed at Kurt. “They distributed it to counteract scurvy on navy vessels. There’s no insult in being a Kraut. I’m not offended when I’m called a Redneck.” Joel shrugged, “Everyone assumes I’d like collard greens or black-eyed peas. I don’t. You all know I don’t care for grits.”

Kurt nodded and chuckled, “Yes, we do.”

 

They moved to the side of the lander and Joel activated the doors for the jet-bikes. It was really automatic. On either side three jet bikes came out and was lowered nearer the ground.

Joel looked up to where the Ark should be. If he looked hard, he could probably see it. It was a speck from here. The rings could be seen, faded as they ringed Gaea. Ran was a sun. He looked at it and shrugged. Yes, it was a brown dwarf, but it looked like a sun in the sky. “How are you receiving us, Sara Beth?”

“Just fine,” Sara Beth tried to sound light-hearted, but Joel heard the added concern in her voice. “We all can.”

Joel chuckled, “Then we’ll keep this for all general audiences.” He added softly, “We’ll be fine.”

“Just be careful,” Sara Beth said urgingly. “We can’t risk anyone. I can’t risk you.”

“I know,” Joel replied.

 

The jet-bikes were a little bigger than a motorcycle. Sitting in the seat, Joel turned the motor on. He could almost feel like he was in that movie Easy Rider with Peter Fonda. Again, 1969, but it was a good movie. Starting up the motorcycles and having them roar to life and taking off down the road. Every guy seemed to like that!

“Stay in touch,” Joel ordered. The small, winged stabilizers came out and Joel saw the dust around the swirl. They didn’t need to go high but skim over the rough terrain. Steven and Leif went higher up the riverbed. Xolani and Kurt knelt down and began gathering soil and rock samples right there. Hank and Joel also went up the riverbed but to the edge of the mountains. It felt like they were in Arizona or New Mexico. It just never stopped and there were no patches of grass, or tumbleweed, or cactus. Not yet.

He had gotten used to simply focusing so far. Now, the horizon took on a strange new feeling in him. He understood that happened to submariners after a long time below the surface. An almost agoraphobic reaction. Open spaces could be scary. The shoreline was attractive and inviting to go in the waves. There were waves. Not the huge ones around the original Hawaiian Islands. These were sort of peaceful and lapping. The rings had an effect Zeus and it’s pull on Gaea. Joel understood that Gaea and Zeus were orbiting in the same direction but at different speeds around Ran. Zeus took longer to complete its year. The tides on Gaea would follow a pattern, but not always at the same point in the year.

Gaea was beautiful. There was almost an eerie familiarity on the surface. The ocean here was doing what oceans did, it made sand on the beach. No, it wasn’t the bleached white sand they knew. It was a fine sand of brownish grains. Joel looked across the vast waters beyond the shore where Ran would be setting. It would be a beautiful sunset in about ten more Earth Hours. He looked back and up at Ran, which wasn’t even at a noon position yet. Sure, it had been up six EH (Earth Hours), but it not gotten even halfway on it’s journey across the sky. He also knew with the added oxygen and other gasses; the sky and Ran would change colors from what it was now. The only thing needed was the images of life! The temperature on Gaea, on these new Hawaiian Islands would go down fractionally. In Joel’s mind’s eye he could see palm trees, seabirds, and people in the water and on the beach. He hoped he would be in the crowd of people. Frolicking in the surf, looking for seashells with his grandchildren. He could see the many exotic flowers that would bloom here because of Sara Beth and the other Botanists. They would make this the New Hawaiian Islands. The many islands here meant they could do it on all the islands. This would be paradise. All they needed were the leis! Those flowers strung together and put around a visitor’s neck when they came to Hawai’i. He looked forward to looking out and seeing the backs of dolphin and whale surface. Those seabirds diving to catch the fish it spotted.

“Can you see it?” Joel asked Hank in a near whisper.

Hank was sitting on his jet-bike next to Joel. He chuckled, “I see rock and lots of water.”

Joel looked at his friend, “Do you have an imagination?” He asked mockingly gruff. “See what we’re going to make here!”

“I know all the work that needs to be done to make it happen,” Hank nodded, “but yeah, I see it.”

Joel looked back at the nearby mountain peak. He pointed at them, “The vein of metal ore runs from that mountain near the base and stretches out in front of it. Wei will have to put the Space Ladder’s base near there. The miners will have to be able to get the ore they excavate up the ladder so Athena can process it.”

Hank nodded and laughed again, “Jimmy was right to ask. What is it we do?”

Joel shrugged, “We reap the benefits from what our minds came up with to make work easier. We made Athena and the equipment on the Ark to do the work. We can drink pina coladas and daiquiris while soaking up Ran’s rays!” Joel grinned. “Now, let’s go see what is at the base of that mountain.”

They didn’t need to, but it was just fun to race full throttle to the base. Water again had done its job. The evidence of a path to carve out this part of the valley was there. There was even a waterfall that was still at work as it cascaded down the rocky slope of a cliff that stood hundreds of feet high. They could hear the water splashing on the rock that protruded at different amounts down to a large pool of water at the base of a cliff. Joel’s mind’s eye added the flowers, palm trees and jungle-like plants there and knew this would be very popular!

“I know you’re not going to mine this part of Gaea!” Hank declared. “You live with that gorgeous, tree-hugging environmentalist for way over a decade…”

“Thank you, Hank,” Sara Beth’s voice came over the communicator.

“…I don’t care if there’s solid gold under here,” Hank shook his head. “You can’t destroy this.”

“Who is going to destroy anything?” Joel smiled. “There are alternate means of getting to the ore.” He leaned back a little on his bike. “And what would we do with gold!? Our only commodity right now is what we each know and what we do!”

Hank looked surprised at Joel, “For all those circuit boards! Do you know how much gold is used to conduct pathways on the Ark and don’t let Athena hear you. She’s loaded with gold!”

Joel laughed and nodded, “I do know that. Athena uses gold found on the asteroids in the Asteroid Belt and other mines.”

“Exactly,” Hank pointed at Joel. He looked down at the small screen on his bike. “Besides, the vein is over there.” He pointed away from the waterfall and pooled water. That pooled water joined another river that flowed to the large lake and eventually flowed to the ocean. “We need to go about a kilometer that way.”

“What are we waiting for?” Joel switched his thrusters on and rose again from a cloud of dust and headed in the direction.

Wherever these waterfalls, and there were several, came from above. They would have to locate the source. The waterfall and pool they just left was prettier…in Joel’s opinion. Joel noticed a vast number of large rocks…boulders really, on the ground near the base. Wind and water have formed the valley and rivers. He watched as Hank got off his bike. Hank parked using a double kickstand and walked closer to a sloped edge that went up a few meters. Yes, Joel needed to use the metric system. Only people from the United States clutched to their inches, feet, and miles. Hank was Canadian but knew both and used what Joel was the most comfortable with. Joel looked up as he saw some small rocks became dislodged and began to fall downward.

“Hank!” Joel shouted, which he didn’t need to do, but it was a Human reaction. “Look out!” Joel got off his bike and raced the few meters to Hank, who was looking up startled. A very large boulder was falling now. Joel pressed himself and Hank against the rockface of the cliff as the shower of rock began hitting his helmet making the quick thudding sounds. Pressed against Hank to protect Hank and himself Joel felt the impact of the boulder against the back of his helmet and against his back.

“Joel!!” He heard Sara Beth’s screaming cry in his helmet.

Then Joel saw everything went black.