Ark II, Launch

Story: Ark II

Chapter: 15 Life and Art

Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)

Mature Adult Readers on due to sexual situations and graphic sexual content

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The Ark enjoys a talent night. Surprises of delight occurred, and they were reminded the lives brought from Earth were only part of the treasure.

Life and Art

The entertainment began, and Joel was very impressed by the number of talents on the Ark. It was known that a brilliant mind was assisted by certain types of music. Sara Beth insisted that all her sons were accustomed to classical music. The most popular music were pieces by Mozart. The strolling melodies helped to stimulate brain development as a baby was forming and growing. She played the same music in their nursery when sleeping. Before the boys were born she had electronic...speakers? That wasn't quite right. She attached these electrodes to her stomach in key places which made her body a sound studio. Their sons...when they started to fidget inside of her...would have the soothing sounds played for them and they relaxed. She could even do it at work! No one else would hear it. Just her son and Sara Beth. Sara Beth let Joel try it and he did clearly hear the music. Beethoven was played, too. Chopin.

No, Joel wasn't bias about any form of music. It was all good, as far as he was concerned. Yes, he did LOVE rock and roll. He loved disco and heavy metal. Techno. Country western was great. Jazz! Rap he liked. He didn't care for the artists that screamed their music, but the artist had something they wanted you to hear, so he would listen. Anita, a woman on Wei's Engineering Team sang a song that impressed Joel. She sang "Le Jazz Hot" from Victor/Victoria and hit every note perfectly. She had a beautiful voice, and she got a standing ovation! Then there was Lunga, Adam's and Xolani's son, and Joel was blown away! The young man came to the keyboard, which essentially was just that. It was a keyboard of a concert grand piano. There was no wood or any frame of any kind behind the keyboard. It had all of the keys and the three pedals for his foot.

"I'm going to play Mozart's Piano Concerto Number Twenty-one in C major," Lunga said and sat on the small bench and adjusted it so he could reach the piano keys he needed.

As he'd seen other concert pianists do, Lunga was focusing himself as he raised his hands and was about to play.

Joel saw Adam and Xolani smile confidently and with pride as their son began. Modern instruments like this piano sounded just as grand as the wooden framed Steinway with the spectacular rich sound. Typical with Mozart, his music started and quickly blossomed. Joel had heard this song before, and he was not surprised until he watched Lunga begin one of the first finger-runs and Lunga's fingers almost disappeared! The runs were fast and Lunga hit every note! He knew this music! Lunga did the body movements that most musicians did as the music seemed to flow from inside of him. He leaned forward and back as the runs came again and more complex, but again Lunga knew this song! Joel knew it wasn't a short and simple piece of music, but time just went out the window as he knew his mouth had dropped open in awe! With the flourish, Lunga ended the song and waited. No one dared to even breathe! No one wanted to break the spell. Joel suddenly stood up and clapped harder than he had before. Others quickly joined him doing the same thing and there were whistles and shouts of "bravo" and "brava!" No one was still seated.

"Lunga!" Joel said in mocking crossness, "You are in big trouble now! You have GOT to do this again!" He grinned coming up and hugging Lunga. "Are there more songs like this in you?"

Lunga's head bowed from embarrassment, "I love Mozart." He shrugged. "I love Bach and Beethoven. I have more."

Joel pointed at Adam and Xolani, "And YOU!" He had to yell as residents were still applauding. Otherwise, he wouldn't be heard. "You kept this young man's talents to yourselves?"

"No, Joel," Xolani chuckled hugging Adam in the one-armed hug men do at times. "We're very proud of him. We had to MAKE him go outside! He was either studying or practicing. We were forced to get him to play outside!"

"The young man is a prodigy!" Sara Beth added. "That was amazing!"

"He began playing at three!" Adam bragged. "He played by ear, but then ran with it. He's done several concerts."

Sara Beth laughed and shook her head as she hugged Lunga, "We knew he played the piano. He also plays the organ and harpsicord. We concentrated on the parents and what they offered to the Ark; we didn't delve that deeply into the children's abilities."

"No pressure," Joel didn't want to cause anyone problems. "It's nearly time for bed." He grinned at Lunga, "Do you have one more for this evening?"

Lunga's face showed he gave this question little thought before he nodded, "I do! I've worked on several of his pieces." He grinned at Joel. "Can I have a quick word with Athena before I play it?" He said more in confidence to Joel, "In private?"

"Sure," Joel said quickly. "Athena, allow me to speak with everyone, please."

"Go ahead, Joel," Athena said right behind him.

She wasn't there before and suddenly was, startling Joel. "I think Hank was right. There should be an announcement before you simply show up." Joel turned toward the others in the Communal Dining Area. "Don't go away! Lunga is going to play one more song before we separate."

There were the usual comments from everyone who stopped milling about and talking, now were eagerly sitting, showing that idea appealed to everyone.

It didn't take Lunga long as he spoke with Athena, which was bugging Hank as Athena hadn't moved from them to get closer to Lunga to hear.

"He needed to talk with you," Hank pointed out to Athena.

Athena nodded, "He is doing it right now."

This time, Lunga didn't announce what he was going to play. Sitting again, he prepared himself and raised his hands. The lights dimmed in the Dining Area and all it took was the one dramatic chord for Joel to know what he was going to play. If you didn't, the images of the breathtaking mountains and most knew where these mountains were. Scenes of the snowcapped peaks, the aerial shots as they sored over beautiful lakes. Unlike Mozart, this composer hit the song at the start hard, sudden and just drifted loud and quickly down the octaves and then rolled back up. Edvard Grieg! These were the many mountains of Norway! There was a lot of snow, but in the spring and summer there was a lot of green and flowers of many colors. Joel recognized the famous "Seven Sisters" waterfall with the seven waterfalls. The melting snow and ice added to the amount of water cascading down from the tops of these mountains. Grieg had finger-runs but his were more flowing, like the water. Lunga played the music, but Athena chose the scenes. As Lunga played the flowing runs, Athena had the scenes of the many rivers that cascaded across rocky paths to the lakes and finally to the Norwegian Sea.

Joel realized he was crying. He was loving what he saw and mourning what was being destroyed. He knew most of these images were older and Norway didn't look nearly as beautiful as it had. The song ended and this time there were only a few claps. They appreciated Lunga's talent, but what they had been shown gave everyone a reminder as to what was being lost. He got up again and walked to Lunga hugging him tightly. "Thank you." He wiped his face free of the tears. "Thank you so much." He looked up and there didn't seem to be any dry eyes anywhere. Leif was crying harder and being comforted by his husband. This was the area he called home! This was even more personal for him.

"Lunga," Joel said to everyone, "this talented young man has reminded us of what was." He leaned in to Lunga, "That was what is the name?"

"Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 16," Lunga grinned.

"I knew the song as soon as you hit that first chord!" Joel claimed. "I did! It became unofficially the song of Norway, didn't it?" He held a finger up and announced to everyone, "And we will not and should not forget! Ever! I won't let anyone here now or in the future forget. We are going to build a new world here." Then he bounced, "And no one will dare to call Athena just a computer program." He looked at Athena. "Lunga didn't tell you what scenes to show, did he?"

"No," Athena answered. "He simply asked me to show scenes of Norway and what song he was going to play." She shrugged. "I thought the ones I showed everyone were appropriate."

Joel marveled as his head waggled, "They most certainly were." He sighed. "We are not only building a new world, but we're also holding treasures of the world we left behind. Forging a new path, but bringing the art with us in music, paintings, sculptures, poems...many forms of art the give us an emotional reaction. There was a lot of beauty man created and we will treasure them here. We couldn't bring the statues or original paintings, but we have those as images in memory." He brightened, "Hell! I have no doubt we have a Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet with us now! We have a Mozart and Bach here, too!" He looked at Lunga, "We have a Rachmaninoff right here!" Joel shook his head, "And I hope you will play again for us soon."

Lunga's head bowed slightly from his embarrassment at receiving the compliments, "I love to play." He shrugged. "I'm happy to do it."

Joel pointed out at the rest, "And if there are other talents out there we don't know about, don't keep them to yourselves! Share with us. I hope we have plays, too. Live performances. We need that as a people." He smiled as Lunga went to join his fathers. "We've got a busy few days coming up, but we have no time schedule and no one..." he pointed at a few people, "no one is going to keel over from work exhaustion." He grinned at one, "Wei." He smiled, "Get excited about what you're doing but remember your health is important." He clapped his hands once, "Now, go! Get some rest. We test the Space Ladder in ten hours. Relax. Be with your family." He did the shooing wave with his hands at them.

Naturally, most everyone wanted to speak with Lunga, but he was busy. He wasn't going anywhere, so they'd speak to him later.

Ian came up to Joel as Joel was speaking to Xolani, Adam, Lunga and others. Ian tugged on Joel's arm.

"Yes, Ian?" Joel smiled at him.

"Can anyone do what Lunga did?" Ian asked.

"Anyone willing to learn and practice," Joel nodded and knew what was coming next.

"Am I old enough to learn?" Ian asked.

"Anyone can learn at any age," Xolani answered. "You should learn to read music."

Ian nodded, "I've learned some."

Jimmy came up and added, "We learned the Every Good Boy Does fine, for the E, G, B, D, and F for the lines of a measure...and Face for the F, A, C, and E for the spaces. That's for the Treble Clef. We sort of got busy and didn't learn the Bass Clef yet."

Ian brightened, "I know where middle C is on the piano!"

"You've got a good foundation!" Adam nodded with a smile.

Lunga smiled and offered, "I can teach you some songs to play on the piano, if you like. I won't force you."

Adam moaned and looked at Xolani, "Remember Mr. Meeks?"

Xolani groaned and nodded. He looked at Joel, "We were wasting Lunga's talent, he said to Adam and I."

Adam leaned forward and confessed, "We were being selfish."

Hank's face was confused, and he simply asked, "Huh?"

Xolani chuckled, "Mr. Meeks wanted Lunga to play in many concert halls. He was eight when he played at Carnegie Hall, then the Royal Albert Hall, Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, Vienna's Konerthaus..."

"But we never forced Lunga once!" Adam added. "To him it was just fun!"

"We weren't joking when we said we had to make him go outside and play," Xolani said. "He either had his nose on the computer studying for school or learning new music."

"We didn't want Lunga to be overwhelmed by what he was asked to do," Adam grinned. "We told Mr. Meeks to back off."

Hank nodded understanding now, "Oh."

"If he loved it," Joel nodded. "It was never a labor."

Hank shook his head at Lunga, "And you didn't even have any music in front of you!"

"I have it in my head," Lunga grinned.

"He can play thousands of songs from memory," Adam bragged. "He could probably play them while he's asleep!"

Joel looked at Ian, "Do you want to learn?" Ian nodded with no hesitation. Joel looked at Lunga, "If you want to."

They were bringing Earth to Gaea and that was more than just the plant and animal life.

On the way home Joel and Sara Beth walked at a leisure pace while their sons walked with them enjoying the darkened passageway. The night sounds again caressed their minds and ears allowing them to relax more.

Joel began, "I understand what you said about we concentrated so much on the parents we missed what their children had, but how could we miss Lunga?"

"Well," Sara Beth smiled. "We found out and he was very good."

Joel nodded, "It was a perfect talent night."

Joel and Sara Beth had no trouble getting their sons to bed.

Breakfast consumed and everyone went to do what they needed to do. Joel entered the Control Room and wasn't surprised to see Wei there looking over the Space Ladder. Inspecting all the parts of the ladder carefully.

Hank came in right after Joel and they both looked over at Wei who didn't even seem to know they were there.

"How long has he been here?" Hank whispered to Joel.

"Wei," Joel said smiling as Wei jumped slightly. "How long have you been here?" He held up his hand, "And remember, Athena won't lie. I can ask her."

Wei grinned and shrugged, "Two hours maybe?"

"I suppose waiting another day is out of the question," Hank asked.

Joel watched Wei's eyes widen and he hit Hank lightly in the shoulder, "Don't tease Wei." He chastised.

Wei's demeanor returned to his calm normal. "Thank you, Joel. I was only momentarily alarmed. I am flattered you include me in your teasing."

"Of course!" Hank came up behind Wei and patted him on the back affectionately, "You're one of us!"

The door opened and Bai walked in looking at her tablet, "Lao gong, ni hui..." she stopped when she looked up and saw Joel and Hank. "Forgive me, Commander. I should have realized you would be here."

Hank grinned, "Wei was too excited to take the Space Ladder. We knew he would be here early."

Joel did a slight bow and said, "Ri an, Bai."

Bai bowed back, "Ri an, Commander." She smiled and asked. "You honor us by greeting us in Zhong Wen."

Hank nudged Joel and stage whispered, "What's Zhong Wen?"

"Chinese," Joel said and looked at Bai, "Or is that called Mandarin?"

Wei chuckled, "It is both." His head cocked, "Do we say Hey to you?"

"You could," Joel replied and pointed at them each. "I'm a Southerner who never said y'all."

Wei looked at his wife, "Is there something I need to know?"

"When you go to the surface of Gaea," Bai began showing him her tablet. "Do we know the placement where the power bank will be?"

"Power bank?" Joel asked. "I'm ignorant. I thought we had enough energy thanks to Hank's Ion Generator."

"We do have more than enough power now," Bai smiled. "We can run all things on the Ark. The demand for power will come when the refinery and smelter come online. The robots on the Gaean surface will need more power. Our new settlement in New Charleston will need more power to run the homes and labs in New Charleston. The Space Ladder will need power. The Ark will still need power..."

Joel held his hand up, "Got it now."

"We have the Collectors we will deploy in space which will gather the solar power sent out by Ran," she held her pad up for Joel to see what she pointed at. "Some of these things will need building, but once the collector is deployed, concentrated power will be aimed at the refinery, smelter, the ladder, and to the bank of Gaea. The robots will stay charged and run indefinitely from the bank."

"That will be less of a demand on the Ark's Ion Generators," Wei added.

Joel scratched the back of his head, "Damn. You guys are smart."

"Joel," Bai said almost scolding. "You are very smart. Thank you for the compliment..."

Wei continued, "...some very smart men made some very foolish choices. Being smart is good, being wise is far better."

"And you apply wisdom with your intelligence," Bai said. "Such as last night's talent show."

"That wasn't just me..." Joel corrected.

Hank looked at Joel, "I was there. Medika told you a problem was building, and you came up with an entertaining way to deal with it."

"With Sara Beth's help, and Rita's, Nayef..." Joel named those he knew planned it.

"And?" Wei asked. "You asked them to do it while on the surface and also knew they would do a very good job." She shook her head, "Knowing who to delegate tasks to is just as important. We're not really talking about that. You are a wonderful leader. You see things in advance that I doubt any of us would have."

"Such as any potential threats you see could happen," Bai threw her hands out. "That would never have occurred to me!"

"That thinking was honed by the military," Joel qualified.

Wei shook his head, "Do you think we didn't check your background, Joel?" He smiled. "No doubt the military did make the decision processes sharper, but you were chosen from thousands of men and women that could have done the job. Your wife was part of the package you brought to the Ark. There were others that could have done this, but you were chosen because of your ability to foresee problems and knew the best way to deal with those problems."

"And people LIKE you!" Bai said in amazement. She looked at her husband, "We do!"

Wei grinned, "We sure do. No matter what field the person works, or the age...they like you!"

Joel remembered Lunga's embarrassment when he gave him the praise. He wondered if this was how he felt. Then his grandfather's words kicked in and he did what he was instructed to do and simply said, "Thank you. I hope I never let anyone down." Then he thought a change of subject was needed, "Speaking of which, we need to schedule times to train some of our residents into a militia of some kind. I know there are some on the Ark who had some military..." his head wavered a little, "or at least had some combat training or self-defense classes. We need to ask them to be available to defend the Ark and Gaea. My hope is we never have to use it, but we need to prepare. Bai, your ability with Tai Chi will be great."

"Schedule!?" Hank blurted. "I thought we left schedules on Earth!"

"We need schedules, Hank," Joel grinned. "If just to be sure everyone shows up at the same time. There won't be a timeclock."

Hank sighed, "Oh, thank god. I just got the raise; I don't want to be docked pay for being late!"

Joel chuckled and looked at Wei and Bai, "I'll explain that later. I think poor Wei has waited long enough. I say it's time we suit up and take the long elevator ride down to Gaea." He waved at Hank, "We're burnin' daylight! Let's go!"

Again, Medika, Joel, Hank, Wei, Bai, Xolani, and Adam were going down to the planet. The cart to take them down and up again could contain more than the landers, but the transport from the Ark to the Ladder's Orbital Station didn't need the engines the landers did. They would be constructed further on.

"We know this thing is safe," Hank muttered to Joel. "Right?"

"Ask Wei!" Joel grinned. "He seems confident." He looked up at Wei, "Hey, Wei...is this thing safe?" He watched Hank hide his face as he fastened his suit together.

"It's very safe, Commander," Wei nodded knowing who the question really came from as his gaze was on Hank.

"See?" Joel nudged Hank.

The trip from the Ark to the Ladder's Orbital Station was short. The Ark was so large it only shrunk in size minimally, yet it was several kilometers away. Joel was again reminded how big the Ark was. The refinery and smelter were also being built. They had to use some of the material they had brought with them. The refinery and smelter had also been prebuilt before they left Earth with the understanding they would be expanded when they got to where they were going. In many ways, the Ark had been gutted! Those internal areas could be used for other things and would be. Those great minds on Earth had given them all they needed and more. Every possibility was planned for. Joel had the feeling the Ark III had been modeled after the Ark II. The Ark III was done far quicker than their Ark. Ark IV seemed to be very rushed. Both Ark III and Ark IV were bigger and had more people onboard.

And that leader...Joel couldn't remember exactly who it had been. Somewhere in the Middle East, if he remembered at all, thought being a Naturalist meant you weren't a man. What!? How does a man become less of a man because he loves nature? He remembered a quote, "The tree-hugging Nancy-boys can talk about global warming and conservation all they want. The greatest thing a man has is power!" Joel loved trees, flowers, and butterflies! There were plenty of other things Joel loved, too many to name, but if that made him a Nancy-boy, fine. He was proud to be a Nancy-boy. How was being macho part of the whole thing? What was masculinity anyway? He wanted all three of his sons to be the best Human Being they could be. Be their own men.

Joel had Medika pilot the lander this time. It was important for everyone to have practice as a pilot.

"I think you should talk with Alejandro Rojas," Wei said as the docked with the Ladder's Orbital Station (LOS).

"Why?" Joel asked curious. He knew of the Cuban and his wife Maria.

"What do you know about Alcubierre Drives?" Wei asked.

Joel's eyes widened, "You mean Quantum Drive?"

Wei nodded reluctantly, "Well, yes. Quantum Drives use Quan Tanium to fuel the engines where a field of negative energy density is projected forward contracting space in front of you. It also creates a bubble around the satellite or ship and propels it farther, faster."

Joel grinned, "A warp bubble?"

Wei's head bobbed a little, "Sort of. Perhaps we can call it an Alcubierre Bubble?" He grinned back.

"Whatever," Joel rolled his eyes and looked at Wei. "He can do that?"

"He wants to try it on a probe," Wei clarified.

"Doesn't this Quantum Drive require a lot of power?" Joel asked.

"It does," Wei nodded. "He got with another scientist, Joder Mast who has come up with a more powerful focus for the power needed. He was working on a way to boost the power output from our solar collectors and give more. He used Wurtzite Boron Nitrate in its hexagonal form. It is so dense it makes a diamond seem to be loosely packed." He grinned as Joel's eyes widened. "It's more common in asteroids, where he got what he has from Sol to use on the Ark."

"Not Dilithium Crystals?" Joel asked.

Wei chuckled, "No. No matter-antimatter reactions. Dr. Rojas wants to try an Alcubierre Drive on a probe. He says he can reduce a trip of ten lightyears down from decades to months or even to a week. He theorized with the right power it could be down to hours."

"Hours!?" Joel blurted in disbelief. "How the Hell can he do that!?"

Wei nodded smiling in his own excitement, "By continually projecting an Alcubierre field in front of the probe or ship." He held his finger up, "And Dr. Mast says the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate could be added to Athena's defenses. I know you are worried about potential threats; Athena's new lasers could slice any asteroid into pieces!"

"Ready phasors!" Joel said loud. "Fire!"

Wei laughed.

"Do I need to bring you tea?" Hank asked mockingly annoyed. "Maybe some biscuits?" He was propped against a wall near them. "Wei, you wanted to go down to Gaea and now you sit here chatting with Joel. We've been at the LOS ten minutes. We're waiting on the two of you!"

"Oh, no!" Joel stood up and shook Hank lightly in affection. "We need to get down and back up! I've got to talk with Drs. Rojas and Mast!" He pulled Wei to his feet, "Let's go, Wei!"

The trip down to Gaea was longer than a flight would have taken. It was about two Earth Hours. Gravity helped the passenger container down.

"I feel like I'm in an elevator, but where is the irritating music all elevators have?" Hank asked Wei.

Wei wasn't fooled by Hank much anymore. He looked upward, "Athena, could you give Hank the appropriate elevator music he's missing?" He grinned.

"Certainly, Dr. Ch'en." Athena's calm voice came, and the calm musical renditions of some modern songs began to play.

Wei's expression asked Hank if he was happy now.

"Ambience is everything," Hank reasoned. "How can it be an elevator without that music?"

The passenger carriage they rode in was very much like an elevator. There were couches, or chairs that the many passengers could sit in. It could take a dozen passengers comfortably while the passengers could look out the large view port as they descended. Atmospheres on space crafts had evolved and no longer were they having to carry breathable air with them...unless they were in the vacuum of space. Even then the needed air was contained and that air recycled. Gaea had air, but not breathable by any life they had with them. At least, not yet. The air around Gaea could be taken in and reorganized so they could breathe it. Just like they were doing now with the generators. The Space Ladder was placed on the New Hawaiian Islands as a land mass closest to the equator. On Earth that had been more important because of the seasonal change and the Earth's wobble. Gaea had very little wobble. The seasons on Gaea were due to the planet Zeus, remember? The Godzilla Planet that pulled Gaea and others from their orbits away from Ran? There were a couple of lavatories and Joel could see things such as coffee, tea, and drinks offered to the passengers who rode down to Gaea, or up.

Joel was very excited to get back and talk with Dr. Rojas and Dr. Mast. Humans were a spacefaring species, so it was only a matter of time that they discovered faster ways of traveling the monumental distances. What had taken them decades to travel might be done in hours!? Sure. Why not? Humans didn't naturally fly but now did it so commonly it was not odd. Humans couldn't live underwater, but now had habitats they lived in. From walking everywhere to traveling the stars seemed like a logical progression. From the jungles of Africa where all Humans came from to the stars.

The rounded sphere of Gaea became more pronounced and just grew in size. The power that propelled the carriage down was working perfectly, and though it seemed they were going slowly, the truth was they were traveling several hundreds of kilometers per hour. Soon the horizon grew even more, and the vast ocean below seemed to be everywhere. There were other islands other than the New Hawaiian Islands and a few of those could be seen when the cloud cover didn't obscure.

Hank leaned in toward Joel, "I eavesdropped and am unashamed." He said quietly to Joel. "I heard what Wei told you."

"Okay," Joel replied.

"Can we travel the ten or twelve lightyears in a few hours?" Hank asked.

Joel shrugged, "We won't know until Dr. Rojas tests it on the drone. I don't know why he can't. You know what that means for you."

Hank's head retracked slightly, "What?"

"You'll be designing the new ships and engines for the Alcubierre Drive," Joel grinned. "And we'll need a better communication system. That will require your engineering skill."

Hank nodded, "Yeah, it will. Instead of waiting ten years for a message to get to wherever and ten years for the reply."

"A ship equipped to travel that far that fast, we need to be able to talk to them quickly," Joel said. "I don't want to be offensive, but we need to take on the defensive. It will be a century before we can even breathe on Gaea. It will be another century before we have a working biosphere. Two centuries of change will have happened on Earth and with the other colonies. We need to be ready."

"We need the militia you spoke about," Hank said quietly. "We have a great group of people on the Ark and so far there has been no crime. Do you think we need a police force of some kind?"

Joel bobbed his head hesitantly, "I don't think we need to wait until we need it to form one. We'll talk with Nayef and ask him."

They got to the bottom and looked around the island. They didn't have the lander, or the jet-bikes so had to walk. Wei was talking to Bai about the placement of the power bank. They also told the rest of the where New Charleston was going to be built between the Space Ladder Base, the lake, and the shore of the ocean. Then they boarded the Space Ladder carriage and rode back.

Any cargo such as the ore would come up the same way and with Athena's help, be "pushed" from the ladder to the refinery and smelter. The finished products would have the same "push" to return to Gaea and used on the surface.

When they got back to the Ark it was all he could do to keep from rushing to the labs where Dr. Rojas worked. Joel felt like a child on Christmas morning! Followed by Hank, Joel came in the lab, "Okay, tell me about this Alcubierre Drive," he blurted excited.

Alejandro Rojas glanced up from the computer screen he was using and smiled, "Wei told you." He was Cuban! Joel really didn't see many differences between Alejandro and other men. He was not a dark-skinned man with native coloring. Only a slightly darker skin than his own or Hank's. His hair was black, and he had brown eyes. "I'm working on a test-drone to see if it works. Joder was working on a means to give the needed power, but I think we will have a working test-drone in a day or so."

"Can I see it?" Joel asked happily with anticipation.

Alejandro nodded and waved Joel and Hank further in the lab, "I never wanted to hide it." He led them to a workbench where a long, two-meter length missile or torpedo rested. There was no casing so the enter workings of the drone could be seen. "This is it."

"Wow," Joel marveled as he peered at the drone. He held a hand up to Alejandro, "Without going into the math and physics of this, just tell me how this is going to work."

Alejandro chuckled and nodded, "Sure." He pointed at the "rocket." "This is where propulsion will come from. However, the drone won't need the speed. The standard propulsion will give it the push while this," he pointed to another array of machinery, "this creates the Alcubierre Field comes from this, powered by Joder's Wurtzite Boron Nitrate power boost. The Alcubierre field will be constantly renewed, and the speed would be..." he threw his hands out, "nearly limitless."

"Really?" Hank marveled looking at the drone. "Ten lightyears an hour?"

"Maybe a hundred lightyears an hour," Alejandro smiled. "Of course, that's only a theory which I want to test."

"The power needed to generate this field?" Joel asked.

"Using the Wurtzite Boron Nitrate in a series," Alejandro explained. "As with the Alcubierre field, we will boost the power of the boosted power." He shrugged and was raising his hand to the computer screen. "The math checks out!" He pointed at the screen, "See?" On the screen was the formula often seen on chalkboards where geniuses would walk through the steps as they see where it was going. "D to the eighth power squared equals negative the product of a squared minus a shift vector..."

Joel pinched the bridge of his nose, "Whoa, whoa..." his other hand held up a caution, "you know my fondness of anything to do with math. I have seen the formula before and if you want me to have the biggest, granddaddy of migraines...explain it further. I can follow it." He grudged a waggling nod, "I won't be happy, but I can follow it. Will it work?"

"In theory," Alejandro smiled watching Joel and Hank nod their replies.

"And the drone's or ship's mass?" Hank asked.

Alejandro shrugged, "That won't matter inside the Alcubierre's Bubble. The only concern will be the simple initial propulsion. Power fed through a series of Wurtzite Boron Nitrate will continually cause the bubble to contract..."

"Inertia?" Joel asked. "Won't people be smashed into bulkheads from the rapid acceleration and deceleration?"

Alejandro shook his head, "No, not inside the Alcubierre Bubble." Then he went on which Hank and Joel finished with him.

"Only in theory," Joel and Hank said with him.

"Right," Alejandro nodded with a chuckle.

Joel waved him forward, "Well, what are you waiting on? Get started!"

"You want to go back to Earth?" Hank asked Joel.

"What?" Joel asked stunned, "No! If we did, it wouldn't be the planet we left. However, we might open trade with Earth or one of the other colonies. We need to get there. Exchange ideas. If they're still alive. Exploration. There are a number of reasons. We need a strong presence out here. We are just a thousand families. We can't show weakness or stagnation. We won't present a strong anything otherwise."

Things were progressing logically. Joel had seen the formula before. Miguel Alcubierre's theory had come out at the very end of the twentieth century. It would cause space before a ship to contract and expand behind it. Resources were so limited that there wasn't a lot given to this. Their Ark used a propulsion known, not a theoretical one. Days instead of decades. They had the resources and time now.

The people on the Ark had progressed logically socially. Families shared meals at the beginning of their day together. Lunch was spent with the people you work with, and the evening meal was a communal time where all the families gathered together in the dining area.

Joel, Hank, and the others that had ridden down on the Space Ladder had visited with each other and consumed a meal. Now Joel and Sara Beth had a meal with their own family while communing with the other families. Separate, but together. Sara Beth was telling about her day, other than her monitoring those on the ladder. Kevin, Jimmy, and Ian were telling about their day.

"Is there no life on Gaea?" Kevin asked seemingly out of the blue.

"Is there any life at all out here other than what we've brought with us?" Jimmy added.

Joel sat back and sighed, "We haven't found any." Then he held a finger up, "yet."

"You think there is," Kevin said to be clear.

"In the vastness of space," Joel began. "I think it's impossible for there not to be." He shrugged. "The number of worlds we have identified are very, very few. Life as we know it may not even be considered life at first." He grinned at his sons, "Remember when you asked about hyperspace and warp drive?" He smiled as his sons nodded their heads. "It took a looonng time to get here. A Scientist friend has a working theory on a kind of warp drive. When he gets it working, that long distance will not be that important. We will be able to see if life exists elsewhere."

"There are billions of stars in this galaxy," Kevin said to Jimmy. "There are billions and trillions of galaxies in the universe. Earth couldn't be the only planet with life." He looked at Joel, "I wish we could find it."

"Patience," Joel chuckled.

"When are we going to go down to Gaea?" Jimmy asked and his annoyance was not hidden.

"It won't be for about a hundred years," Kevin answered solemnly.

"A hundred years!?" Jimmy asked.

Joel nodded, "Yes, because you can't go down without an environmental suit on. We need for it to be safe. Once the air is breathable you can."

"I started my piano lessons today!" Ian announced happily. "Lunga is teaching me again tomorrow."

Joel nodded seeing the happy expression on his son's face, "Do you like it?"

"It's fun!" Ian blurted and then got serious, "It's hard. Lunga said I was learning another language."

Sara Beth nodded, "You are. No matter what country, music is a language that remains the same. They had to centralize a common language so everyone could read it and reproduce the same thing."

Joel held his hand up and spread his fingers, "Hold your hand up, son." Ian held his hand up and Joel's hand outstretched Ian's. "How are you managing the size of the keyboard?"

Sara Beth smiled and confessed to Joel, "We have a smaller keyboard Ian uses. The octaves on his keyboard aren't that big a stretch."

Joel nodded, "Why not?" He smiled at Ian. "They have smaller violins and other instruments for new students who are children. It makes sense to have a half-size or even quarter-sized keyboards."

"Lunga taught me about sharps and flats," Ian said proudly. "What keys there are such as the key of C. He taught me about four-four time and about measures..."

Yes, Ian was different. He was as brilliant as his brothers, but Ian was an artist. That was clear. Ian loved to draw and create things. Music was going to be as important to Ian.

"Just don't get burnt out," Joel cautioned. "I hope you will always enjoy it. Don't let it become work."

Joel was thrilled when after returning to home, Ian rushed off to his room. He could hear Ian playing scales. It was a bit choppy, but the fingering would come with practice. Robbie was still very welcome and wanted by the whole family. He was still very important to Ian.

Joel took the next day to oversee what Alejandro and Joder were doing. Sara Beth was doing a scheduled exam for the residents. That included herself. Dr. Darrin Walters, the doctor that had worked on Joel after the accident on Gaea, was doing her checkup. He read his instrumentation and his eyebrows rose.

"How are you feeling, Sara Beth?" Darrin asked with a smile.

Sara Beth's face said she was suspicious, but answered, "Why?"

Darrin shook his head, "Any morning sickness?" He grinned.

Sara Beth's own eyebrows rose this time, "No." she said so not to upset things. "I'm pregnant?"

Darrin's hands went out simply as he couldn't deny the readings, "YOU should know!"

Sara Beth nodded and realized she had suspected, but now? "Am I pregnant?" She couldn't get an interest in her usual breakfast that morning. Or even the day before. While she wasn't nauseous, she didn't feel "right." With her three other pregnancies, she never had a full-blown case of morning sickness. After Kevin, she knew what she could and couldn't eat that would make things better or worse. By the time Ian was coming, she had it down pat.

Darrin grinned and pointed to his computer monitor, "According to Athena, you are." He chuckled, "That makes four pregnancies on the Ark!"

The increased medical knowledge and testing, a woman knew she was pregnant now the day after conception. The DAY after. If a baby was wanted, you had time to prepare. If you didn't...you had time to prepare for that, too. The residents were chosen because of their age and health history. Sara Beth was a mother already, so this fourth pregnancy wouldn't be difficult. Well, any pregnancy carried risks, but there shouldn't be any now.

"With no real birth restrictions," Darrin continued. "You can have a few more if you want."

Sara Beth frowned, "If Joel carries the others, sure."

Darrin chuckled, "I know Mark and Matt Koval have those artificial wombs. You don't have to carry this one."

"No," Sara Beth smiled back. "Human mothers are the best. We didn't exactly conform to the birth restrictions with Ian." She shrugged.

"Want to know what gender?" Darrin asked.

"A boy?" Sara Beth asked.

Darrin shook his head, "Not this time."

Sara Beth's face showed delighted happiness as she touched her abdomen lightly, "It's a girl?"

"Yep," Darrin nodded. "It's a girl."

Sara Beth caressed her abdomen lightly, "My little one," she said to her new daughter. "It will be you and me against all those Nesmith men. Take your time, but I could use an ally. Don't worry, you'll be the most protected little girl on the Ark. A very protective father and three older brothers. No one will pick on you." She looked up at Darrin, "I know I don't have to tell you that I want to tell my family."

Darrin's face held alarm, "The Hippocratic Oath extends out here too, you know?" He grinned and got something he needed. He inserted a cartridge in a hypo syringe and held it up. "We can't start too soon with the prenatal vitamins."

Sara Beth smiled and tilted her head back, "No, we can't. I loved how I felt with my other three when I was on them. Let's do it."

The Ark's pharmacy was well stocked with these medications and there was plenty for every woman. Darrin pressed the syringe to her jugular and there was the hiss as he injected her.

"And Athena," Sara Beth smiled. "I tell Joel and my children. I know Robbie and Robot have access to your data, but they aren't to tell anyone. I do."

"Understood," Athena's voice said.

Sara Beth strolled down to the main walkway on the Habitat Ring. She felt good. Very happy and wondered how she was going to tell Joel. The residents all knew what a major job they were doing on the Ark. They were creating a new extension of Earth on Gaea. Another job was to keep the Human Species going. Every man and woman knew they were to have children. Now, she and Joel would have a daughter. She smiled to herself at that thought. In roughly thirty-eight weeks they would have a baby. A new life. She wasn't looking forward to labor. With Kevin, she felt as if he was ripping her apart from the inside. With Jimmy, she was prepared a bit more. By Ian, she knew what to expect. Being a doctor didn't mean she wasn't scared. She was terrified with each. She was very concerned with this child. She knew all of the problems that came with having children and yet each pregnancy gave her something new to worry about. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts; she almost went past the Control Room door.

Entering the Control Room, Joel was looking over his monitor. He glanced up at her and smiled a greeting as was normal, but then looked at her curiously. "Sara Beth?"

She couldn't hold it in! "We need to talk." She looked at the others in the Control Room and added, "In private."

Joel was NOT stupid. He knew the exam was happening that morning and he knew, as far as he could, she was in perfect health. He knew everyone had stopped taking birth control. The look on his face held just a small amount of worry, but he saw her happy face and he rose from his chair and stood there while Sara Beth walked toward him.

She hugged him tightly and said to him quietly, "We're having a baby."

Why is it that when men hear this, the first expression is disbelief? That was usually replaced with the happiest expression only a man having seen God would have. Assuming God wasn't being terrifying. He wrapped his arms around her quickly and hugged her again, then pushed her back.

"Sorry," Joel said quickly touching her abdomen. "I don't need to squeeze you." He chuckled a bit giddily. "A baby!?"

Now the cat was out of the bag. Those in the Control Room had been distracted by Sara Beth's entrance. Joel had not been quiet. There were growing smiles forming on the other faces.

"Where can we get cigars?" Hank asked coming over, hugging Sara Beth and Joel.

"Cigars are given after the baby is born," Joel corrected and was laughing.

"So?" Hank asked.

"There are no cigars, cigarettes, or plants of any kind to smoke on the Ark," Sara Beth chuckled shaking her head.

Hank shook his head, "Not true." He held a finger up. "I know we have several plants that can be smoked. We just don't."

Sara Beth nodded, "Yes, there are a few onboard we can, used for medicinal purposes now, and none are smoked." She smirked, "And where did the tradition of passing out cigars after a birth come from? The mother did all the work. Shouldn't she get the cigar?"

Hank shrugged, "She didn't want one?" He suggested. "She'd been through Hell, so the idea of a cigar didn't appeal to her."

"I was thinking of a way to tell you..." she hit Joel lightly in the shoulder, "in private!"

"Oh, come on!" Joel said helplessly, "We have scheduled exams for all the residents, you had one this morning and I could see you were excited about something but did your best to hide it! Two plus two is FOUR! It's math! And you know I HATE MATH!!"

Sara Beth laughed harder and shook her head, "And I have another surprise."

Joel's eyes widened, "Twins!?"

Sara Beth shook her head, "No, we're having a girl!"

"A girl!?" Joel said to confirm. "Really? A girl?"

"Welcome to a father's nightmare," Hank shook Joel good naturedly. "Do they date? Who CAN they date? How old should they be to start dating? Worrying if that date will treat her nicely..." He leaned forward closer to Joel. "You get a princess, and she grows up." His eyebrows waggled.

"Stop scaring him," Sara Beth shook her head. She waved between herself and Joel, "And WE will tell our boys. We do. Say nothing to anyone else."

"Absolutely," Hank nodded crisscrossing his chest in a swear.

Sara Beth and Joel got their sons from the Communal Dining Area and told them they were to spend an evening together.

Joel was preparing the meal this time. His specialty was fish and other kinds of seafood. This time he was making his famous catfish stew. That got his sons very excited. They loved it. Ian did go to practice his piano while Joel prepared dinner. His other two did some work for school. None of his sons were hyperactive and could sit and study for hours. When he finally called them to the table, they couldn't get there fast enough.

Their sons told them about their day as they enjoyed Joel's great cooking. Kevin was looking at his parents waiting for the reason for this family together time to be explained. He could read his parents as well as they could read him. He was patient. Jimmy was explaining the fascinating world Medika was sharing with him about Robbie, Robot, and Athena's robotic body. Ian wasn't losing his love of music or the piano. He was playing many songs by ear and even making up his own songs. Kevin was liking the idea of scheduled classes with Bai and self-defense.

Joel nodded, "For self-defense." He reminded his son. "Don't just use it to bully anyone."

Kevin nodded, "I know."

"Building self-confidence is another benefit," Joel pointed out.

"You need to learn to be confident with a bully," Sara Beth said cautiously. "Feeling fear is fine. Bravery doesn't mean you aren't scared, but you need to face those fears."

Joel grinned, "There are two more exciting things we should mention."

Kevin looked suspicious, "Oh?"

Sara Beth chuckled, "Joel, he's your son! He takes after you so much!"

Joel leaned into Kevin, "Of course, he's smart." He shook his head. "He loves math!" He pointed at Sara Beth, "He gets that from you."

Sara Beth's eyes rolled but she was smiling, "Someone has to be able to do it."

"Well, the first thing is," Joel pointed at them. "Remember when I asked you if any of you knew how to go into hyperspace or form a warp bubble?" He got three nods. "Tomorrow, Dr. Alejandro Rojas and Dr. Joder Mast are testing the first theorized Alcubierre Drive using Wurtzite Boron Nitrate as an energy boost. The trip we took that took decades might happen in months, or weeks, or even days!"

Kevin's eyes widened, "That will be way faster than the speed of light! We'll be ripped apart!"

Joel shook his head, "No, the Alcubierre Drive generates a bubble that protects whatever is inside the bubble. The ship doesn't really go faster than the speed of light." He shrugged. "Even at twenty percent of the speed of light, the Alcubierre Bubble causes space in front to contract and expand behind it..." he raised his hand and moved it through the air, "And we just slip right through the distance." Joel grudged a nod, "with the applied energy."

"Really?" Jimmy asked nearly bouncing.

"It will be covered by Athena," Joel nodded. "You can watch it from school."

Sara Beth lowered her head and cleared her throat, "And..."

"I knew there was something else!" Vincent said. "What!?"

Joel grinned, "You'll be having a little sister join us in about thirty-eight weeks."

"I knew there was something big like this!" Kevin declared.

Jimmy's spoon was dropped in his stew, "A sister!?"

"Mom's having a baby?" Ian asked uncertain.

"We came out here to not only save the Earth's plants and animals," Joel said carefully. "We came to save the Human Race. Our having another child is a way of doing that."

"You knew every family chosen is to keep Humans going," Sara Beth said. "We will do our part. Contributing our DNA and allowing the expansion of the Human Race." Her hands came down on her abdomen again. "Now, we will add a sister to the Nesmith Family." She looked up at Joel, "I know you'd do it, if you could." Her face took on a devilish look, "Or so you claim."

Joel nodded and then shook his head, "Oh, no...you can have the swollen ankles, muscle cramps, raging hormones as your body adjusts to give birth." He waved at her, "The only thing I don't mind is the swelling of your breasts...again to make sure you have enough milk to feed a new life."

"You were paying attention," Sara Beth grinned. "Now, I could give you injections to make your mammary glands produce milk, if you like."

Joel frowned, "Where's the fun in that?"

Ian was working things out in his mind. He looked at his mother, "You have our sister in you now?"

Sara Beth nodded with a smile, "Yes." She patted her abdomen. "Right here."

Ian looked even more confused, "You don't look any different. How big is she?"

"Right now, she's just big enough to be barely seen without a microscope," Sara Beth answered. "Human reproduction has evolved since the Big Bang where all the galaxies, solar systems, and planets formed. We are star stuff," she looked at each. "Through billions of years our reproduction has changed so that part of what your father has was given to join with my part. A new individual, half is me and half is your father, is created. It is random chance that all the elements that make up each of you came together to make YOU." She pointed at each of them. "The stuff you're made from is in all of you, but you are so unique. I can say there no one else like you in the entire universe." All three boys' faces reflected the reality of the statement. "Your sister will be just as important as anyone. She will be loved and cherished by all of us. She is a Nesmith."

"You know it's a girl," Kevin clarified. "If she's that small..."

"Because the chromosomes say she is," Sara Beth answered. "She has my chromosomes that never changes. The X chromosome. She also has your father's X chromosome. He's the one that makes the gender decision. Three of the other times, it was male. Boys. Now, it's a girl."

Joel smiled as he watched his sons adjust to what they were told, "She will have your support, right?"

Jimmy shrugged, "She's family." He smiled at the logical thinking.

"She'll need a room," Kevin said.

Sara Beth smiled at how well it had been so far, "Eventually, yes. For the first few months to a year, she'll be in your dad's and my room."

"Just like you three did," Joel pointed out. He waved away dramatically and griped, "The two in the morning feedings, the frequent diaper changes, teething..."

"Loved," Sara Beth added quietly. "Life is so precious. It's valuable. Your sister will be."

Joel grinned, "Now, what are we going to name her?"

The next few minutes were crammed with ideas.