Ark II - 16. The Alcubierre Drive

When Joel woke up for the next day of work, he felt this sensation he had not felt often. Satisfaction. He couldn’t deny contentment. The Ark was finally beginning the mission they were sent out to do. Today Alejandro Rojas was testing his Alcubierre Drive with Joder Mast’s Wurtzite Boron Nitrate crystal. The technology for the Alcubierre Drive was new, but the theory was centuries old. That was exciting. The settlement on the New Hawaiian Island had begun to be built. However, the news of the new life coming to the family gave him a huge feeling of satisfaction and contentment. A little girl. He smiled at his thoughts. He was a father of three boys. Would he be a good father to their daughter? He determined to be. His beautiful wife was having another baby and along with the satisfaction was the worry. Joel had been worried like this with his other three. There was no perfect parent, but he would try.

He felt Sara Beth move beside him as she woke up herself. “How are you?” Joel asked.

Sara Beth struggled to sit up, “Fine.” She answered. “Let me get up and we’ll see.” She glanced at Joel, “I had morning sickness with all three boys. I know what worked with them. I should be fine.” She smiled at Joel. “I’ll talk to Darrin if I have any. Don’t worry.”

“You know I will,” Joel shrugged. “I tell you not to worry when I’m about to do something dangerous. Do you listen?”

Sara Beth chuckled, “I listen, but I worry anyway.”

“Same for me,” Joel shrugged.

She tapped him on the chest and leaned over him making him lie down again, “THIS time I will have you with me throughout the pregnancy! No missions away!”

Joel shook his head, “You’re with ME this time!”

She grinned, “I can feel you’re up.” She maneuvered over his waist.

Joel smiled back, “The pun aside, morning erections are common for men. You know that.”

Sara Beth’s expression showed she was having fun, “So, we just waste it?”

“We waste nothing on the Ark,” Joel grinned. He was about to turn them, so he was on top, but Sara Beth shook her head. “Oh, you want to be on top. I’m game.”

Robbie had gotten the boys breakfast and turned as Sara Beth and Joel entered the dining area. “Good morning. I hope you had a pleasant night.”

“The best in a great while,” Joel replied and greeted each son with a tussle of their hair as he passed them. “’Morning, boys!”

“Dad!” Jimmy said excitedly. “When are they sending that thing out? Where are they sending it?”

Joel grinned as he went get his latte. “I slept fine, Jimmy. It’s been a great morning so far. Thank you for asking.” He smiled at his son. “Do you want your hot tea, honey?” He asked Sara Beth.

“Please,” Sara Beth nodded and sat at the table.

“Daad!” Jimmy said the name in that long way every child knew how.

“This morning,” Joel shrugged. “A few hours from now.” He shrugged, “I don’t know. We have a schedule for day and night, but no set time to do things.” He got Sara Beth’s tea and put it in front of her. He returned to the dispenser and got his cold latte. “I’m told Troy has passed us…” he paused, “or we passed it. Gaea and Troy are going in the opposite directions,” he shrugged again. “I don’t know.”

“It was supposed to take us six months to come to Gaea once we got into Epsilon Eridani’s Solar System,” Kevin said his thoughts deepening. “Even at the speed of light, a trip out and back will take a long time.” He was reasoning. “We might not know for a year if it’s successful. How are we tracking it?”

Joel smiled again and shrugged, “I don’t know. We’ll find out together.” He looked at Sara Beth, “What can you eat?”

Sara Beth nodded, “Well, our new little one needs a balanced diet, meaning I have to have that balanced diet. I’m just a little queasy, so just some toast for now.” She grinned at her sons. “All of you made me queasy in the first trimester. I learned what I could and shouldn’t eat at first. I’ll have a more balanced lunch and dinner.” She touched her abdomen, “Your sister is doing the same thing. Just toast for now.”

Joel nodded, “Coming right up!”

“You get sick having a baby?” Ian’s brow wrinkled in concern.

“Yes,” Sara Beth nodded. “My body is releasing and shifting hormones to give our new addition what she needs to grow healthy. It happened with each of you.”

Joel got her toast and brought it to her, “Just wait until the cravings.” His eyebrows danced up and down.

“Cravings?” Jimmy asked. “What kind of cravings?”

“It’s called pica,” Sara Beth explained. “Those same hormones often send signals to my brain to make me eat something the baby needs. It also makes me not like things I normally enjoy.”

“Your Mom had to have pickles with all three of you,” Joel explained. “And certain smells made her feel sick.” He got some scrambled eggs and sausage for himself. “We’ll see how it goes with this one.”

Robbie turned to Sara Beth, “I will assist you as you need, Mom Sara Beth.”

Sara Beth’s smiled and nodded, “I know you will, Robbie. Thank you.”

“Hey!” Kevin brightened, “He can help take care of our sister after it’s born!” He looked at Robbie, “Can you change diapers?”

“I have with the three of you,” Robbie answered simply.

“Was it icky?” Ian asked with a turned-up grimace on his face.

“It is a natural Human body function.” Robbie said logically. “It happens and I deal with it.”

“That was when you were three feet tall,” Kevin said. “Can you do it now?"

“I should be able to do so more easily,” Robbie answered.

Sara Beth chuckled, “Each of you survived. I know your sister will be fine. I plan to take her with me at first when I return to work.”

“Or with me,” Joel pointed out. “I’ve changed thousands of diapers!” He diverted the subject, “Any ideas about the name yet?” That led to a very active conversation at the table.

 

Sara Beth went to the Sick Bay and Joel went to the lab where Dr. Rojas and Dr. Mast was speaking with another person there. He had to spend more time getting to know these people! He knew her as Dr. Adel Lavigne. She originated from France. His first impression of her was she was tall! Six feet with no high heels on. A beautiful woman in her mid-thirties. Long dark brown hair and green eyes. The Selection Board for the Ark originally rejected her. Why? She was brilliant. She had degrees in physics, astronomy, and was a radio-astronomist. She sought extraterrestrial life listening for signals. Her husband was thirty-eight and from France. No, the reason she was rejected was she had been born male. He knew she had said very early she was a girl, not a boy. At twelve she went with a girl’s wardrobe and took hormones to correct the error. At seventeen she had the needed operation and has been a female since. The problem the Selection Board had was she could have no children. Until Matt and Mark Koval told them that was ignorant. Adel carried the needed chromosomes, and they could be added with someone else’s. Her husband, Brice was a gifted botanist and biologist, could have children. It would take more work, but it could happen. Just because she carried the XY for boys instead of the XX for girls was no reason to keep her off of the Ark! The Selection Board agreed. Adel was a woman! Tall, but a woman. The hormones she took had transformed her body well. She had the right curves and there was no visible Adam’s apple.

“Hello, Commander,” Adel greeted Joel with her hand out to shake.

“Hello, Dr. Lavigne,” Joel shook hands with her. “Now that we know who we both are and have titles, can we go to first names?” He shrugged, “I prefer to work with friends.”

Adel chuckled lightly, “I do too, Joel.”

Joder grinned, “We asked Adel to help us. She agreed.”

“To do what?” Joel asked.

“Communicating with the drone,” Adel shrugged. “Athena can keep up with the drone a while but will lose it due to the distance. I have a solution…” she said and then added, “I think.”

Joel’s eyes rolled and he shook his head, “Here we go again.” He held his hand up, “I know, it’s just a theory. Can I know what that theory is?”

Adel smiled, “I worked with radio astronomy. Listening for signals from space.” She held her hand up, “but I also worked with communications between the Earth, Mars, and the mines around Jupiter. A more direct and faster means of communication was needed. There were days when the Earth and Mars were on separate sides of the sun. Communication was cut off because the line of sight.” She held up the finger that says she had a point, “So, we put satellites in orbits around Sol. Mars could be on the opposite side of the sun, but we never lost contact.”

“Okay,” Joel nodded. “How are we doing this here? The Ark is the satellite.”

“Yes,” Adel nodded. “We’re using Joder’s WBN to boost the signal.”

“Sure, the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate,” Joel nodded. “To boost the power.”

“You got it,” Adel nodded. “A signal by radio or any form of energy will travel at the speed of light. Using the Alcubierre Quantum as the projector, that signal will travel, like the drone in a Alcubierre Bubble…sort of.”

Joel nodded, “How fast?”

Adel shrugged, “In theory, it will be instantaneous! It depends on the power we give the signal.” She pointed to the drone, “Any transmissions are essentially power. Energy. Using the WBN crystals that energy provides the Alcubierre Bubble the power. I had to add the signaling device to the drone. Athena will be sending the signal to the drone and will be able to track the drone better that way.”

Joel grinned more, “My son was asking me about that this morning! Let’s get started!”

All these scientists were working for the same reason, to make life on Gaea happen and work. Was it any wonder the technology was excelling as it was? The theories had been thought of centuries ago. Now they had the resources and time to make it happen. Joel could imagine sensors focused outward to see if they had any visitors from anywhere.

 

Joel went to the Control Room whistling. Hank looked up from his console and his eyebrows rose.

“You had a good night,” Hank’s statement wasn’t a question.

“I did,” Joel nodded sitting at his console. He began his search through any information sent from Earth, Mars, the mines, Tau Ceti, and Canis Minor. All places that Humans were now. There were a number of stars that made up these constellations. They could have changed their destination as they had on this Ark. There had been no signals to say they hadn’t. The deaths were reported. Tau Ceti had a single star with seven or eight planets. Again, if none passed they could have gone somewhere else. It wasn’t surprising that most of the messages were coming from Earth’s moon and Mars now. The earth was trying to recover from the bombs. The moon and Mars were dealing with the number of people trying to come from Earth to escape the fallout. The lack of wisdom of whomever set the bombs off was not questioned. It wasn’t just foolish; it was just plain stupid! Joel hoped those that did set them off were suffering the consequences. Death would be too easy. They needed to suffer. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he was told to be understanding when he thought that way. He understood just fine. These people were at the bottom of any gene pool and should not reproduce, Suffering was not a good thing, but these people should suffer or simply die. They would not be tolerant on Gaea. Anyone convinced they were absolutely right about anything was dangerous.

Religions. There were a number of different religions on the Ark from Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, followers of Shiva, and many others. He didn’t NOT believe in God. He knew something had caused the Big Bang and got things going. Who that was he had no idea. He didn’t believe in an old man on a throne somewhere in the sky, but the complication of it all was just too much for random chance as far as Joel was concerned. He admitted it, he didn’t know!

Holidays. There were still holidays, but not any were all inclusive. Joel hoped Christmas would still be honored, Hanukkah, Ramadan…Thanksgiving was celebrated in almost every country, not the same day, but celebrated. Halloween! As a child he loved Halloween! Sara Beth had not cared for some of the costumes. Joel had been a vampire for several Halloweens. He knew it was more about all the candy than the day itself. The days of Trick or Treat had gone. It was too dangerous to allow children to just go from door to door and get candy. Schools and private homes now had Halloween Parties where they could get the precious candy. Joel knew there would be new holidays on Gaea. Gaean Thanksgiving could be for the day they arrived at Gaea.

Mars was reporting more conflicts as settlements there were being raided, mostly for food. Other rebel settlements were responsible. All they had done was move the trouble from Earth to Mars. Joel sighed at the thought of what was happening. There was nothing much from Canis Minor or Tau Ceti. He almost forgot about the drone.

“We’re ready, Joel.” Alejandro’s voice said. “We’ve got the drone ready to launch.”

Joel drummed his desk excitedly in front of his monitor, “Yes! Do it!” He looked up, “Let me see it, Athena!”

“Certainly, Commander,” Athena replied calmly.

“Allow anyone who wants to see, let them see it,” Joel said further.

“Certainly, Commander,” Athena replied.

The screen showed the outside of the Ark and a port opened. The drone left the Ark and drifted away from the Ark.

“Activating the Alcubierre generator,” Alejandro’s voice told them. “I created an image to show you what’s happening.” The image of the drone’s missile like structure was surrounded by a bubble. “Activating the engines now.” The drone’s rear thrusters fired. They were not the ion engines, but thrusters that fired real gas out of the rear. The drone moved forward.

“The WBN power amplifiers activated,” Joder’s voice said.

The image of the bubble encompassed the drone and extended in front of the drone again, again, and again and the drone seemed to disappear! The image of the drone showed the process was ongoing and the bubble extended in front of the drone, and it wasn’t stopping.

It wasn’t long before Alejandro reported, “It’s approaching the orbit of Ares.”

“Already!?” Hank balked.

Joel pointed to another screen that showed Athena’s tracking of the drone, “See for yourself!”

“Incredible!” Hank marveled. “How is the communication?”

“Communication is fluent,” Athena reported. “I am receiving reports from the drone, and I am sending messages to the drone. There is no pause.”

“Yes!” Joel pounded the console in excitement.

“Where’s Zeus?” Hank asked.

“He won’t interfere with the drone now,” Alejandro reported.

“How long ago was it launched?” Hank asked.

Joel looked at the chronometer, “Ten minutes.”

Hank sat back in his amazement, “Wow!”

Joel nodded, “Wow is RIGHT!”

“Why the HELL didn’t they let us use this on the Ark?” Hank asked. “We could have gotten here so much faster!”

Joel shook his head, “On a propulsion system that hadn’t been tried, much less proven? That wouldn’t happen. The ion drive was controversial enough. They’d never sent a manned rocket or ship out of the solar system before.” He laughed. “Carrying seeds from Earth to rebuild Earth. They weren’t risking it.” He grinned at Hank. “The trip here wasn’t THAT long.”

“Fifty plus some odd years!? That wasn’t long?” Hank asked.

“A few weeks,” Joel shrugged.

Hank nodded, “Oh, yeah. Right! Being in stasis doesn’t count. I say it does!” He pointed at Joel. “Did they use the same engines as we do on the other Arks?”

Joel shrugged again, “I don’t know. I think they used the same engines as we do.” He waved at the screen in front of him. “Now, we have another one! YOU are going to be very busy!”

“Aw, I got used to the laidback pace on the Ark,” Hank sounded like a child who was facing tasks he wasn’t looking forward to.

Joel knew better, “You were just complaining about not getting your hands on anything mechanical.” He grinned. “If this works out,” Joel held a finger up, “and I know it will, we are going to need ships.” He looked at the screen again and saw the drone was continuingly adding the power to increase the bubble in front of the drone. The drone was not needing the extra propulsion, it was the Alcubierre Field and the bubble that caused it to travel faster. “There will be problems with the drive, and the communication system. We’ve been lucky that there have been no real problems with all we’ve done.”

Hank grinned, “Because we have assembled on this Ark, the best minds they could find on Earth. They had proven what they can do and have anticipated all potential problems.”

Joel nodded, “As you did with the engines creating an engine with no moving parts to prevent wear.” Joel looked at Hank. “Now, you can do it again on smaller ships that can travel, using the Alcubierre Drive for local and interstellar travel.”

Hank’s happy demeanor grew serious, “Equipped with weapons.” It was a statement.

“Yes,” Joel answered. “I’m not being paranoid. Men from Earth will find out where we are. From Canis Minor, Tau Ceti, Mars, or Earth itself. We left a violent Earth behind. There are good people there still, but those that aren’t seize power and want what THEY want. I know we will build a very good and successful world here on Gaea. If they come they may not think twice about taking what we have.”

“I don’t think you’re paranoid, Joel,” Hank sighed. “You saw some pretty grizzly stuff in the military firsthand. It’s just a shame we can’t escape.”

Joel bobbed his head, “We could give birth to the worst tyrant this galaxy ever saw, right here on Gaea.”

Hank’s eyes grew, “From HERE!?”

“Psychiatric illnesses can spring up seemingly from nowhere,” Joel nodded. “Something goes wrong with a baby’s development in the womb, the brain doesn’t expand areas it’s supposed to, and they have emotions we know aren’t right. I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist.”

“Have you killed someone?” Hank asked, quickly raising his hand to stop Joel from misunderstanding his question, “I don’t mean a group of enemy soldiers with a bomb. I mean one man killed by you.”

“Yes,” Joel answered. “I had to stop him to keep him from killing others.” Joel shrugged, “There was no choice. We had counselors to help afterwards, but it bothers me sometimes. I hated to do it. I don’t regret what I did.”

“So, we’re going to build what?” Hank asked. “Fighters?”

“We have to,” Joel said sadly. “We’ve worked too hard to lose it now. I want it to be preventative. Not aggression but for defense.”

Hank nodded, “We’ll need people to fly them.” He said logically.

“We’ll have to get some of our people willing to do this,” Joel looked at Hank. “Despite your saying otherwise, YOU are a good pilot. I’ve flown over a decade. Steven Combs did a great job when we had to leave Gaea in that accident on Gaea. I know there will be others. We need to find out who they are.” He waved at the surroundings, “Athena will need to act as defense while we are in stasis. She’ll need the weapons to do that. Not for just potential threats from Earth’s people, but from meteors, asteroids, and other falling debris.”

“I get it,” Hank replied. “We’ll have these great minds work on some things.” He looked at Joel. “There are a number of pacifists on the Ark. They won’t be cooperative.”

“I know,” Joel nodded. “The pacifist that remains true to their principals is impressive, but when a gun is placed near their head…or worse to the head of someone they love such as a spouse or their child; the fact is THAT someone often WILL shoot. It’s enough to give up your own life, but not someone they care for and that passivity disappears. I’m not willing to wait for that to happen.” He grinned, “The Ark’s defenses will need updating, too.”

Sara Beth had come in while they were talking. Joel smiled his greeting and asked, “How is the queasiness?”

“Gone for now,” Sara Beth answered. “It will reoccur but will lessen in a few weeks. Your daughter is fine.” She smiled, “I got my prenatal injection and feel better. I was given a new doctor, Dr. Dedra Orlov. I know you remember her.” She sat in a chair near Hank and Joel. “I will be giving them to myself after this last visit.” She smiled slyly. “You will see a new plant in our quarters.”

Joel suspected what kind but asked, “Okay.”

Hank may have known but asked, “I’m gathering it’s not a rose plant.”

Joel laughed and shook his head, “She wants to be sure she has the pickles she craves at the end of the second and into the third trimester.”

Hank grinned, “Pickles huh. With Rita, she craved Kung Pao Chicken and their Spring Rolls at least twice a week from this Chinese restaurant near our house.” He chuckled. “I dread what she’ll do when she expects another child. We’re doing our part. It just hasn’t happened yet.” He looked at Sara Beth. “No ice cream with your pickles?”

Sara Beth smiled and shook her head, “No.” She grinned at Joel, “I did have some other craving I don’t think you knew about.”

“Oh?” Joel asked.

“Raw Green Beans,” Sara Beth replied. “I ate a bagful a day during the second and third trimester.”

Joel wasn’t shocked, but he hadn’t known, “Oh.” He frowned. “Raw vegetables from the market weren’t recommended because?”

“Pesticides, chemical enhancement, fertilizers…” Sara Beth replied. “The Green Beans I ate I raised free of all that.”

“You’re normally a veggie freak,” Joel shrugged. “I never noticed anything odd.”

“Why is it you crave things normally not sought out when not pregnant?” Hank asked.

Sara Beth smiled, “The best school of thought is a woman’s hormones need something for the baby and triggers a woman’s brain to get something with that needed additive. The brain remembers when it got that and triggers the craving to get it.” She waved at Joel. “For me it is the tartness of the pickles I get this yearn for. You get cravings for bananas after you run. Your brain knows it needs phosphorus and triggers the craving.” She leaned forward, “There are women who get bizarre cravings like dish washing detergent and even dirt. I never had those.”

“Have you seen the drone?” Joel asked excitedly waving at his monitor screen.

“I have!” Sara Beth nodded. “This great!”

“Athena,” Joel began. “Have there been any delays with the communication?”

“A fraction of a second,” Athena replied. “It’s passing the orbit of Zeus now.” The screen showed the image of the big, blue gas giant. It was so enormous it could easily be seen even at a greater distance. “The intense gravity of Zeus is having only a slight effect on the probe.”

“Yes!” Joel said louder.

“I did well with my piloting training, Joel,” she said. “I know Rita did, too.”

Joel wasn’t ready for this. He knew women made excellent pilots, but she was his wife! It was natural he was protective of her.

Hank, however, wasn’t liking the idea, “You would want Rita in a combat situation!?”

Joel nodded at his friend, “I don’t want ANYBODY in combative situation. Sara Beth did well in training. I know Rita did, too. If we do get threatened by someone, we need people that could do the job.” He sighed, “Right now Sara Beth is carrying our child. I would NOT put her in a situation where she can be killed or even simply hurt. She won’t always be pregnant, and she may be the deciding factor turning a defeat into a victory. I would be foolish to not use her.” He looked at Hank, “Or Rita.”

Women in combat had been an ongoing debate for centuries, but the women who fought proved to be just as brutal and deadly as any man. There were a number of women during the Civil War and the American Revolution that entered the war posing as a man and got killed. Still, all of the social training and evolution told men to protect his woman! That was a truly a primitive, caveman approach. He wasn’t a caveman, but that protective urge was there. It wasn’t necessarily a caveman approach. He would be as protective of his children and his friends. Did that mean he was a caveman? Or was it he valued the lives he could protect. He’d kill anyone that threatened any of them. No questions.

“We’ll need to begin gathering people willing to do that,” Joel said. “That will include Rita and Sara Beth.”

 

They watched as the drone flew out to the orbit of Troy. The drone was sent to this orbit because Troy would be seen as it approached…from the opposite direction. It wasn’t the biggest planet, almost the size of Earth’s moon. It was a rocky, barren ball. The images the drone sent was helpful. There would be other scientists who could determine if there was something that could be mined and used. Later. This trip out had taken forty-seven minutes since it was launched. Now the image of the drone and the bubble around it had disappeared.

“Bringing it back now,” Alejandro said.

The drone’s bubble came back on, and the thruster fired. The power formed again, and the process began again, and the drone was zipping back toward the Ark.

The whole trip out and back took roughly an hour and a half.

Joel, Hank, Sara Beth, and Rita met with the three scientists as the drone was guided back inside the Ark.

“That was AWESOME!” Joel loudly said hugging Alejandro, Joder, and Adel. “Why was there a delay with this?” He waved of the drone.

“Money,” Alejandro stated simply. “The people I worked for and with thought it was an interesting possibility, but to divert funds to this project wasn’t possible fiscally. There were more lucrative directions they wanted to go. The companies that went to the outer colonies and mines would suffer. Those companies providing the infrastructure didn’t like cutting their profits.”

Joel nodded, “I understand greed, but it makes no sense.” He turned to Joder, “And your Wurtzite Boron Nitrate? How much do you have? Can we equip anything else with it?”

“I have more,” Joder replied. “Not a lot. It was found in greater quantities on several asteroids around Earth’s sun. I’ve studied the areas asteroid belt, there are a few asteroids that show promise. I believe we will find it there.”

Joel turned to Adel, “And you! That system you came up with has changed things so much!”

Adel smiled and looked embarrassed, “There was a slight lag in the transmission…”

“A fraction of a second!? Big deal!” Joel stated and physically waved that concern off.

“Communicating with any other settlement will only work both ways if both the giver and the receiver use the same system,” Adel said.

“Don’t miss the point!” Joel insisted. “We’ll have better results. Any corrections will be done. I have no doubt about that.” He spread his arms out and wide. “With this many geniuses on the same ship, how could we not progress like this?” He pointed at Alejandro, “You said the Alcubierre Drive isn’t yours. I say it is. Miguel Alcubierre came up with the theory and the math, but YOU came up with the GENERATOR!! Using applied power with the assistance by Joder’s Wurtzite!” He pointed at Adel, “And YOU, used the quantum bubble of the Alcubierre field so we didn’t have to wait years to know if it was successful or not! Those shortsighted people on Earth would eat their HEARTS out if they knew how well this worked!” He pulled Alejandro in and kissed him quickly. “You guys are BEAUTIFUL!” All three scientists were smiling at Joel as he kissed each of them. “How fast was the drone going?”

Joder shrugged and smiled, “A few hundred kilometers an hour.”

Joel’s eyes widened, “That’s ALL!?”

Alejandro nodded, “Once the momentum begins, the Quantum Field, the power added to the Alcubierre Field splits space…sort of, and that initial momentum causes the bubble to go much faster with less propulsion. It uses a minimum amount of fuel.”

Joel did an excited gig and asked, “Can we add this to a manned vessel?”

Alejandro shrugged, “Sure. We have a couple of Aerospace Engineers on the Ark. They could do it.” He waved at the drone. “We designed this one. Equipping life support to protect a Human Being takes precautions he would know to do.”

Joel turned to Hank, “See? You’ll have engines to put your hands on and build!”

Hank grinned, “Yay.” He said lightly but was a little happier.

“Yeah, but…” Joel smiled. “Where was that burst of light? You know when a vessel goes into warp and WHOOSH there is that burst of light.”

Alejandro’s face was confused, “What?”

Hank’s head wobbled, “He’s talking about those television and movies that showed the theatric light display.” He chuckled, “That’s just theatrics, Joel.”

“I know,” Joel admitted reluctantly. “I still think it’s cool.”

Alejandro chuckled, “I’ll see what we can do.”

Joel looked at Adel, “Explain something,” he began. “The messages are inside an Alcubierre bubble? What generates the bubble there?”

“The signals as I explained are basically energy,” Adel started. “Power, if you will. There is no mass. The bubble forms immediately around the signal and the signal propels the bubble forward. We give the signal the needed power and it goes very quickly.”

 

Joel was practically skipping on the way back to the Communal Dining Room. It was time for a meal. It was past lunch and not quite dinner time.

“This was another giant leap forward for us,” Sara Beth said.

Joel nodded, “It certainly is.” He got serious a moment. “We will need to discuss a direction you may not want to.”

“About what?” Rita asked.

“Things to fight back with,” Joel said hesitantly. “The high-powered lasers are great.” He hurried on, “The chances of a meteor, comet, or even some other form of debris from space makes that necessary. I’m talking about weapons that will cause greater impact on contact. Missiles or bombs. Projectile weapons…”

Sara Beth frowned and put a little space between her and Joel, “You want to start a Cold War again.”

“No,” Joel answered sadly. “I don’t want to have any kind of war, but if someone comes up to you and wants what you have…they don’t ask you for it. They demand you hand it over and points a gun in your face…you better be prepared to fight back.” He sighed, “We will need to have things we can fight back with. The nuclear missile scare in the late twentieth century…the balance of power was to maintain an obvious show of strength. The United States, Russia, China, England, along with other countries had these missiles to tell everyone they could defend themselves and to think twice from taking what they had.”

Rita sighed, “We’ve just moved farther away. It’s the same thing we did on Earth.”

“Yes, it is,” Joel agreed.

“Will we ever get beyond this need to kill and take things?” Sara Beth asked. “We’re so self-centered. It’s all about us.”

“We’re heading in that direction,” Joel smiled. “When we stopped just shooting animals and considered why they are doing what they are doing. Are they scared? Are they protecting their family? Are THEY hungry and doing what the hunter is doing? We’ve got a long way to go, but the reason Earth was in such trouble was so many Humans don’t think that way.”

They entered the Communal Dining Room where Robbie and Robot was still holding class. The various pets were on the floor, or in laps. Again, the odd thing with them was they weren’t being hyperactive wanting attention. Those on the floor were sitting patiently.

“Dad!” Kevin called seeing his father come in. “I know you saw that drone!”

“Drone?” Joel asked with a grin. “What drone are you talking about?”

Kevin’s eyes rolled, “The DRONE!” He waved in the direction outside the Ark. “THE DRONE! That fast-moving drone that covered the distance to Troy and back in about an hour!”

Joel smiled, “Oh, THAT drone. What about it?”

“How fast was it going?” Jimmy asked excited.

Joel shrugged, “Perhaps a few hundred kilometers an hour.”

“That’s not possible!” Alan protested. “It traveled more than at a few hundred kilometers in that hour!”

“It was the Alcuberry bubble!” Kevin added. “Wasn’t it?”

“Alcubierre bubble,” Joel corrected with a nod.

“Yeah, that,” Kevin dismissed in excitement.

“What about Einstein’s Thought Experiment?” Lunga asked. “Did time slow down for the drone?” He shrugged, “For that matter, did time slow down for us? We traveled close to the speed of light. Did time for us slow down?”

Lui Ch’en looked at his classmates, “How would we know? Time did slow down…at least for us. We should be in our fifties, sixties, or seventies. The Stasis Gas ended our aging.”

“Sure,” Lunga nodded. “Einstein theorized about a man in a spaceship traveling nearer the speed of light, time for that man would slow down. The time dilation could be measured by comparing two clocks. One on Earth and the other in the spaceship and there would be a difference. The one on the spaceship would have slowed down by time.”

“Did it?”” Alan asked Joel, Sara Beth, Hank, and Rita.

Joel was now smiling even more! These students were the children of some genius parents! They were geniuses, too. Joel shrugged, “I don’t know!” He held a finger up. “But technically the drone did not even come close to the speed of light. The Alcubierre Bubble did.”

“The Alcubierre Field protects the drone,” Rita answered.

“The clocks on the Ark synched with clocks on Earth and Mars,” Joel said. “I say that Einstein’s and even Galileo’s theories are still just theories for now.”

“But the drone traveled more than the speed of light!” Alan insisted. “Even in the Alcubierre bubble!”

Joel held his hands up, “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he grinned. “This is a great subject for debate,” he rubbed his abdomen, “but not on an empty stomach.” He pointed at them. “Personally, I wonder about people who just thinks about math. If it takes ten years to get from one star to another or ten minutes, it’s the same amount of time. Period.” He turned to Sara Beth. “I’m hungry.”

 

The meals consumed and they returned to the Control Room. Life aboard the Ark had settled into a nice comfortable pace. No one was frantically hurrying what they were doing. Scientists often got so focused on their work they forgot about anything else. Resources needed were used with no objections. On Earth there were priorities that overshadowed their work. Here, if it was available it was used with little objection or question. There was entertainment in the evening hours after the last meal. Joel was impressed by the number of talents on the Ark. Ansh Bhatt and Larisa Bhat did a wonderful concert. Ansh played this drum looking thing he had seen once but had not heard, a Mridangam. It was long resembling two drums glued together making the center chubby. It did not sound like a drum. Larisa played a Vina. This long-necked guitar-like thing with a small gourd-like body that was strummed or plucked with fingerings like a guitar on the long neck. They were both very good. They even had a quartet chamber ensemble that Rita played in on her viola. The contemporary instruments used no wood and did not look like a traditional violin, viola, or cello. They did sound just as grand as their wooden ancestors. Another group formed a band that performed some more contemporary songs from Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Electric Light Orchestra. Joel really liked that concert. Lunga Friend played songs from Mozart, Bach, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff.

Ethics. That was a touchy aspect of science and Joel not only asked but insisted that he be informed before any experiments that would be questionable. He consulted with other scientists to get their input on any subject like that. Matt and Mark Koval had that artificial womb they wanted to use to not only create life for the many animals on the Ark, but Humans, too. Matt and Mark met with him, Sara Beth, Nayef, Leah, Tom, Cindy, Dr. Darrin Walters, and a few other doctors and scientists and announced their desire to try to create a child for themselves. Meaning it would be a child made of Matt’s and Mark’s DNA.

“Okay,” Sara Beth nodded. “I know you know what has to happen with an embryo. You need the X chromosomes and Y chromosomes for a boy, two independent X chromosomes for a girl. You plan to do this without a Human mother.” She looked at them seriously, “You also know the mother releases certain hormones and enzymes to cause the embryo to form correctly. How are you doing that in an artificial womb?”

Matt nodded and admitted, “Yes, I know. I’ve studied Human embryotic gestation thoroughly and there are the hormones and enzymes needed at key points of the child’s development.” He smiled tightly. “Even with a woman’s body, sometimes those hormones and enzymes are not released in the correct amounts, resulting in psychological difficulties such as sociopathic tendencies, criminal tendencies,” he shrugged, “even homosexuality.”

Sara Beth’s eyes widened when he said that. “Because the enzymes needed to masculinize an infant is not released.”

Joel nodded. “I’ve heard and read about that. Studies were inconclusive. As I understand it, the area in the hypothalamus. Areas of the brain that regulate gender identity and what makes a male a male, added with the environmental and nurturing influences overlap. Human development is so complex. There were trials to create the perfect male and the perfect female. That didn’t turn out like they wanted and even led to more strict laws on creating the perfect Human in a laboratory.”

“And it should have been,” Mark agreed. “No scientist has the right to make himself a god.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Nayef asked. “God or just nature has determined that two males of any species cannot have an offspring.”

“There are some amphibians that can changed gender in a single gender rich population,” Matt nodded. “That is nature.”

“But Humans stopped reproducing by instinct and now are having children by choice,” Mark stated. “We’ve taken control.”

Darrin asked, “Have you asked Connie or Nancy? I know they will want a child.”

Matt’s head gave a slow grudging nod and shake, “Yes, but it isn’t fair.”

Joel’s eyes again grew. “I’m sorry,” his head came forward a fraction of an inch. “What’s not fair?”

“They both carry eggs!” Matt protested. “We don’t! Even if we got a donor egg and I took out the donor’s genetic material. We still need a woman’s womb to allow gestation!?”

Mark chuckled, “The artificial womb will double as an artificial egg. The fetus will be raised inside the artificial womb.”

“You’re using your own DNA,” Sarah Beth confirmed. “No one else’s DNA.”

Matt smirked, “That sort of defeats the purpose. We want a child that is ours. Mine and Mark’s.”

“One quick question first,” Mark began. “You’re pregnant now, Sara Beth.”

Sara Beth nodded.

“We will be going back into stasis in a few weeks to months,” Mark continued. “A pregnancy while in stasis is proven safe, right?”

“So far,” Sara Beth answered smiling at his natural concern. “The body basically stops but is kept alive. Kiri is not even two and she’s developing just fine. All body functions in a woman pretty well stops. She gets the stasis gas and so does the baby through the mother. There have been many women who were pregnant in stasis back in Sol. Those pregnancies were fine.”

“No ill effects,” Mark pressed.

“No,” Sara Beth laughed lightly. She looked at Darrin and the other scientists, “It’s their genetic material so it will be their child.”

Nayef leaned forward and said seriously, “I just want to make sure you know…” he looked at them firmly. “You aren’t just doing something no one else has done to my knowledge.”

“This shouldn’t just be an experiment,” Leah added.

“Of course not!” Matt said quickly.

“You are creating a Human Being,” Nayef said.

“Part of both of you,” Cindy reminded them. “A new Human Being that will be made up of you, Matt,” she looked at Mark, “and you, Mark.”

“Because this has never been done before,” Leah added, “are you prepared for what will happen if it fails? I mean, it starts off well, you have a heartbeat and movement, and it goes wrong, and your potential child dies.”

Both Matt and Mark looked a little uncomfortable. Mark swallowed and looked at Matt. “If we don’t try,” Mark said quietly. “We’ll never have a child that’s part of both of us.”

Matt smiled, “We might father children…in fact, I’m sure we will, but a child that’s ours?” He shrugged, “It won’t happen if we don’t try.”

Dedra Orlov, from Russia, was a doctor and genetic scientist and a talented pediatrician and surgeon. She and her biochemist husband Lev Orlov had done great work in the genetic and chemical fields. Dedra had done many things to push the medical field forward including performing surgeries on the unborn infants…taking them out of the womb early to correct defects that would kill an infant during the birth process. She corrected heart valves, lung deformities and other issues, puts the baby back in the womb to finish developing and the baby would be born normally. The healing done by the mother’s body and the baby lived! On the Ark there should not be defects, but who knew what was in the genetic code? An injury and a child needs surgery, she was the best!

“We do it with cows.” She shrugged. “What the Hell?”

Sara Beth pointed at Matt and Mark, “You’re connecting this to Athena, right?”

“Of course!” Matt answered quickly. “She has all the data of Human gestation, including the timetable about those enzymes and hormones that are needed and will add it when necessary.”

“She will have a continuous update on the baby’s progress so we can keep track of it,” Mark nodded. “You can, too.”

“You’ll need to talk to it all the time,” Dedra stated. “I recommend one or both of you be attached by a microphone so the infant can hear your voices often. The child will become used to your voices.”

“And music!” Sara Beth said brightening. “Everyone knows Mozart increases brain power in children. I’ll give you a playlist of music that supposed to make a baby calm.” She grinned. “And sugar can be your enemy. Not just the crystal sugar, but natural sugar in things like pineapples can affect children and create little monsters.”

“Don’t be stingy with anything,” Leah cautioned. “Limited amounts of sugar don’t have to be too drastic.”

Matt nodded, “Let’s get this little person started and THEN we can discuss child rearing in more detail.”

Mark nodded and grinned at Joel, “We have several good choices to get advice from. You each have different parenting styles. Joel and Sara Beth with their three boys, Hank and Rita with their two girls. Some have both. We will need your counsel.”

 

Later, after the last meal, Joel and Sara Beth had gotten their sons back home and were relaxing together. Kevin had gone to his room to “study.” It wasn’t that Joel didn’t believe him, he knew his eldest son was a good student and studied hard. He was maturing and…well, he was at the age of figuring out things for himself. Yes, Kevin probably knew about masturbation just as Joel had at this age. Joel would respect Kevin’s privacy and would not be shocked like some parents were. Jimmy was going over the many schematics of the many robots used by the Ark. He was going over the diagrams about Robbie and was still fascinated by Robbie’s innerworkings. Ian was practicing on his piano in his room. It naturally was a lot smoother than it had been when he started, and he was learning songs to play and making up his own songs.

Sara Beth had those electrodes attached to her abdomen that allowed their daughter to hear music and listen to stories from books. No complicated plots for the stories, more like nursery rhymes and various stories. Songs about numbers and the alphabet which their daughter may not understand right now, but they had played these same songs for their three sons and when it came time to learn them in school it was so much faster! They had soaked it in like sponges. His sons would hear a song played by Sara Beth or Joel and knew it was familiar and would hum it easily. Those electrodes allowed Joel to speak to their daughter while she was in her comfortable place, in the warmth and protection inside her mother. Sara Beth had Kevin, Jimmy, Ian, and Robbie speak to her daughter so she would recognize their voices and not be startled. The goal was that their family would be a source of comfort to their new daughter.

Joel was singing a song to their daughter. It was sung at a low volume and tempo like a lullaby. Sara Beth smiled as it was clear Joel completely loved his daughter and wanted his daughter to know it. He stopped and looked at Sara Beth, “You know, we need to give her a name. That will help her know who she is, and we can address her more directly. Have you any ideas?”

Sara Beth smiled touching Joel’s hair as she caressed his head and face, “I have.” She smiled. “Daylia.”

Joel smiled, “That’s a nice name. Can I know why?”

Sara Beth looked a little embarrassed and looked away briefly, “It’s silly, but…” she looked at Joel again. “It’s from a series of stories I was given as a young girl. It was about another young girl who like I did, lost her parents at a young age. She was raised by two other good people but didn’t fit in with the children at school and just didn’t feel like she belonged. She found out later she was a kind of changeling.”

“A changeling?” Joel repeated. “A fairy changeling?”

Sara Beth nodded, “Her real parents were fairies. She was a fairy. Her real parents were warriors and she learned she was to lead her fairy people in a war against Humans! She couldn’t. Through a series of books, I read where she began to be a liaison between the Human world and the Fairy world. She WAS a leader.”

Joel grinned, “I think that’s perfect! Daylia Nesmith.” He held up his finger. “We need to run this by her brothers.”

Sara Beth chuckled, “We will.” She smiled at him, “You know what happens in two weeks.”

Joel sat up a little puzzled and thought a moment and came up with nothing, “Apparently not.”

Sara Beth laughed lightly, “You son Kevin turns eleven?”

Joel’s eyes grew, “He does?” His head nodded quickly, “I knew it was coming, but two weeks?”

Sara Beth nodded, “We need to plan a party.”

“We do!” Joel nodded and sighed, “With us about to move to Gaea and with the time differences, twenty-four hours verses thirty-six hours, three hundred and sixty-five days a year verses four hundred and thirteen days a year…only a computer could keep up with those time differences!”

“True,” Sara Beth confirmed. “We have someone that does that. He deserves a party.”

“Sure,” Joel nodded. “He’ll have one. They each will.” He pointed at Sara Beth, “We need to have a clock that keeps time on a galactic schedule.”

“So, get busy!” Sara Beth chuckled.