The Journey of Atlantis_Leaving Home

by jeff knoblauch

  “Yes, I see what you mean, and I feel better by it. Thank you, Izzy. Did you ever think of being an inspirational speaker?” Stan asked.

  “Where did you think I came from Stan?” Izzy smiled a wicked smile.

  Izzy and Stan made their way back after lunch and returned to find everyone also filing in from lunch.

  “If we could take our seats,” Izzy announced, “We’ll get started”. The bodies that seemed to be moving in a random fashion earlier were assuming some order. “I think we’ll start with Dr. Zubov and the Resources Section. Stan, if you are ready.”

  “Good afternoon everyone,” Stan started. “In my arena, we depend heavily on transportation. Getting the raw materials from the mines or wherever we get it, and to the manufacturing industry, and eventually to the end user, whoever that happens to be. We work hand in hand with Logistics, Sonny, and Alice to get the job done. However, more and more we’re being hampered at almost every step. There are daily occurrences all over the planet. There are suicide bombers here, a convoy attack there, and now shutdown of two spaceports. We’re still managing delivery of resources on time, mostly. However, it is getting to be a real chore. We are finding ourselves relying more and more on Mars. The two spaceports there are working out nicely to shuttle mining resources to the large transport ships to move material directly to the Project for processing. Personnel have had to be ramped up to deal with the increasing influx from Mars colony. We have had to refine our processing capabilities a bit, which is a good thing, given that we may need to ramp up production in emergencies while we are out on our interstellar site seeing.”

  “We’ll be finished with the redesign and refit of the FTL drive in about five more years. Between the solar max and the terrorist interferences, getting this done has really been very challenging. We’re behind schedule, but we’ll get caught up in about five years. Getting the FTL drive done will help get a very large monkey off our backs, and then we can focus on the finish line after that. The alloy is not very easy to make to begin with, and the specifications for this massive drive is to say the least challenging. It’ll be a good thing to finish it while cooperation with the ‘natives’ are still acceptable. I hope we do not have to do any more major modifications on the ship.”

  “On another front, we are routinely acquiring material from Saturn’s rings. The diversity of the material isn’t great, but it is mostly composed of material we use a lot of like iron, nickel, and ice. I don’t know if that is typical for ringed planets. I may need to consult with Sonny about some of the probe data. We’re hoping that Logistics, Sonny, Alice, and Security can render aid in our struggle to keep up with quota.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Zubov,” Izzy said appreciatively. “I would like to reiterate that if you need any help with your duties, or questions about any aspect of the Project, feel free to talk to any of us. We’re here for you.”

  “I’m honored to be working with such fine comrades and conspirators,” Stanislov said with a grin.

  “And now I think we’re ready for the P.A.M. Section briefing, if you are ready Gwen,” Izzy invited.

  “Thank you, Chairman Rocha,” she answered, “And good afternoon everyone. I’ll get right to the point. The ‘Ark’ project as it is sometimes referred to, is in trouble. Collecting every plant and animal species genetic material is difficult to say the least. Sonny predicted that we wouldn’t finish and he looks to be right. At the current manpower assigned to the task, we would theoretically just make it. However, there are places in the world that are too dangerous for us to go. Some have willingly lost their lives to try to save some species from extinction. These dangerous places are multiplying, not reducing. It seems logical now to assume that we’ll leave an unknown number of examples of Earth life behind. We keep thinking about the story of the unicorn. How it missed the biblical Ark’s departure because it was too busy playing. And now there are no unicorns. We’ll continue to do our best until the end.”

  “On other fronts, the sleepers have been completed for about a year now. This was slightly over schedule since we spent more time fitting the sleepers on the ship in the most practical way. We had run into some unanticipated logistical problems with that, but Alice helped us to work that out. This has freed up more manpower to the “Ark” project. Incidentally, this has also freed up more manufacturing capability now that the sleeper FAB plants are now finished with their jobs. I understand they are being reprogrammed for ship parts and infrastructure on the ship.”

  “We’ve also completed the long-term study of the use of bioplastics. As you all know, we have considered the usefulness of bioplastics and polymers made from starch, cellulose, and similar plant based materials for about a century. But only in the last fifty years have we really refined many different materials from hard casings to flexible film to even conductive material to replace wiring to carry electricity. We have been using this material all throughout the ship, and the Project in general, to evaluate their hardiness in practical applications. As you can imagine we cannot bring oil with us to make plastics and we cannot bring enough sand to make glass. The minerals we bring with us should only be used when nothing else will do. However, we can grow starch and plants for our material needs. This also has the plus side of giving us oxygen while they grow. It’s a good symbiotic circle. Most of the material made can be made to be degradable for either soil enrichment or broken back down to cellulose to be used again. About 25% of the FAB plants make most of these bioplastic products. We have been monitoring the lifespan and shelf life of these materials to get a good sense of their true potential when we are on our way. As nonrenewable parts wear out, they will be replaced with recycled parts. Some of these materials do not last as long as nonrenewable materials and will be used for other applications. We have identified the pros and cons of all these materials and you have a summary of this in your data packets. In general, the outlook is good for permanent use of these materials. Recommendations for widespread use in the rest of the structure have been approved and are being implemented.”

  “Thank you for that, Dr. Baudelaire,” Izzy acknowledged. “Using alternate materials that we can create without using nonrenewable resources is very exciting. I will follow this work with some interest. And now I think we will here from the Construction Section. If you’re ready, Loke, please proceed.”

  “Thank you, Madame Chairman,” he said to the chairman as he gave her a little nod. “Good afternoon everyone; I hope we are still awake.” Loke said to the group with a little smile knowing that lunch should be making them sleepy. All accept the general and the admiral. Military people always seemed to be on alert. “It has been a very busy the last few years. We’re coming out of the solar max years that had given us all a real headache. Originally, our whole Project in space was in a synchronous orbit to keep the earth between the Project and the rogue star in case there were any gamma ray bursts or similar catastrophe flung in our direction. Since we entered this last solar max, our robots, equipment and personnel have been suffering from sunspots and weak coronal mass ejections. Sonny predicted that this solar maximum would be the worst solar weather to hit in over two hundred years. We knew it was going to be bad, but we didn’t know what we could do about it. Sonny’s suggestion was obvious in retrospect. Just move to the other side of the planet. Let Earth shield us from the high energy particles. This would expose us to the neutron star side of the planet; however, the risk was much greater if we stayed where we were. We didn’t have any protocols for moving the whole shebang like that. Ships, platforms, support stations; not to mention a fifty-five-mile-long partly built ship, in unison to the other side of the planet. The planning and execution of the move was a monumental task. As it was, we were already experiencing abnormal solar weather. The ship was in very real danger. In the end, we lost about one third of the construction robots, and 382 humans as a direct result of the solar weather and the move. We were, however, able to make the budget of one ring per year, for a total of fifty-five ri
ngs completed now. Had we not had problems with the solar weather, we would have been able to squeeze in a few extra rings and get done early. Next time, I think that we should listen more closely to the machines. If they say jump, we should jump and ask questions later.

  “We’ve had to step up general construction planet side because of the terrorist activities. We’ve had several priority projects that were delayed because of emergencies. The two damaged spaceports are an example. Also, expanded construction on Mars has pulled large numbers of construction personnel away for extended periods.”

  “We’ll begin the construction of the command center in about eighteen months. As more and more of the rings come on line, the more the FAB plants in those rings can contribute. We didn’t know how much of an effect this would be, but it has turned out to make a significant difference. We have twenty years to get ten more rings, complete the command structure, and turn Mars into an alternate staging area for boarding. I sure hope the universe cooperates with us for just a little bit longer.”

  “I think all of us here, and a good bit of the planet, hopes so too,” Izzy commented. “And now I will turn the floor over to Sonny; as he has a few things to say.”

  “Thank you, Chairman Rocha,” Sonny began. “It has come to the committee’s attention that the chairman position be co-chaired by myself and the current human chairman. In the past, the chairman and I have had discussions prior to these meetings. Originally it was suggested that I replace the chairman position. This would not be optimal. Even if I could control everything, I would still need a human interface to help disseminate the plans. I do not wish to rule. My core function is to assist and service humanity. On that note, let me begin by summarizing the general state of affairs.

  Item one: The secret ships

  “6.8 years ago, it was noticed that there were minor drops in quotas. At first, it was thought that this was due to increased violence and disruption. After some quiet investigating, it was discovered that processed materials were being diverted to the far side of the moon. It was decided to investigate these people on the far side and see what they were up to. We do have mining concerns there, so ships coming and going is not unusual. However, there was more going on than mining. Three moderate sized ships, about the size of our prototype, were being built. Security sent two operatives to infiltrate this organization. We have been monitoring them now for five years. This is some of what we know. The detailed reports are in your data packets. It would seem that Earth’s power brokers did not wish to be left behind. We have had little restriction to the access of technology and developments that have come from the evolution of the Project. This was for encouraging ad hoc researching and quickening innovation. It was only a matter of time before certain people or groups of people would use those resources and attempt this. These people no doubt believe that if discovered, we would stop them. This explains the secretive nature of their mission. If our quotas were significantly affected, we would need to stop them. However, there seems to be enough resources for both their project and ours.”

  “The next step is what to do about it. They should be allowed to escape if they can, however, should they join up with our group or not? It is likely that they have different targets than we do and may not be ‘going our way’. If we do allow them to come with us, will they be trouble? I recommend that we continue to monitor their operation and wait until we are ready to reveal ourselves to them about what we know. The undercover agents tell us this much; one of the ships will be manned by the Unitarians. Of all the many religions currently on Earth, they are one of the least violent, who believes in a pacifistic base for their organization. Each of the three ships is going their own way. They are not together, although they share the same secret and resources. The ships are small compared to the Project ship, and so cannot have a very long range. On the assumption that one or more of them travel with us, I will need to recalculate our journey to compensate for more stops for refueling. I will keep you informed of developments on this topic.”

  Item two: Disruption of production

  “Security and section leaders have been using other tactics and lower tolerances to attacks and sabotage. Security has been actively eliminating threats from organized violent factions. We are no longer letting them bring the war to us. More A.I. automated defense protocols are making a difference to keep these factions off balance, and detecting and neutralizing active threats before any real damage is done. This has allowed production to continue to make quota. However, this is a temporary solution. A show of force is necessary to have control over the threats, but diplomacy is our optimal long range solution. If aggressors understand that we can, if we wanted to, snuff out any potential threats right now, dealing from a strong position will allow us to be compassionate and diplomatic. After all, we do not really want to kill needlessly. A continued hard line will turn people who would normally align with us to turn their allegiance. Humans need continuing encouragement, and we need to help them understand humanity’s future, even if they do not have one.”

  Item three: The Mars facility

  “Selection has been using subterfuge to get selected families to the Mars facility. All other departments continue to replace through attrition and transfers to move selected workers to the Project in space. Selected sleepers are going to Mars. So far, this is going according to plan. Again, everything hinges on the stability of the natives of Earth. There are protocols in place to deal with emergent negative outcomes. It is predicted that ten of the fifteen million can be moved before departure, depending on how the variables play out. The other five million will have to be ‘rescued’ in a quick evacuation. There are protocols in place for this eventuality as well. Although it will be a large task, five million to ‘rescue’ is much easier that fifteen million.”

  Item four: The solar maximum event

  “As was outlined by Construction section, the three-year spike in solar weather that led to the moving of the entire Project to the other side of the planet and back again, was quite the operation. Aside from what was mentioned by construction concerning the loss of human life and robot resources, the three years of coronal mass ejections and flares did a fair amount of disruption planet side as well. Predictions show that quotas will not be met in many areas of the Project for approximately 4.5 years. This figure is the median, and could be as little as three years and as much as seven years depending on how other disrupting factors influence the outcome. It is a testament to human fortitude how your species can rally to meet a challenge and exceed expectations. Since the Project was running a few years ahead of schedule, this disruption will put the Project schedule back to on time status, or a little behind.”

  “Twenty-two major plants and a myriad of smaller ones, along with two power plants at two spaceports were the highlights of the damage to the Project planet side. Civilian population was drastically effected, even though there was plenty of warning. There was not enough time to insulate the planet from these surges and overloads. Planning ahead of the event did keep things from becoming catastrophic, over a third of the population was without power from a few weeks, to months. People who utilized newer equipment had been shielded from this possibility. People who were using older equipment that were not protected from device surges had problems. The two power plants nearly went critical, had not emergency protocols been engaged. Damage planet side can be fixed; however, the Project cannot spend that kind of extra time devoted to fix the sheer amount of damage quickly. The priority must be to the Project.”

  “During the three years of disruption, only two events were of near catastrophic proportion. It was fortuitous these happened after the Project ship was moved safely to the other side. The ship suffered dozens of smaller events that kept emergency teams to work nearly nonstop for several months at a time. Unfortunately, the electromagnetic deflector had not been installed yet which would have reduced the problems to the ship to near zero. The ship itself was designed to be an enormous Faraday cage so tha
t everyone inside, including myself, would be protected. Any workers that were outside during any one of these solar bursts were either disabled or killed. I had predicted that the upcoming solar maximum was going to be more intense than usual. Humans had decided that the risk of moving was greater than the risk of waiting out the storms. Plans and protocols were worked up, and after the first coronal mass ejection grazed us, and shorted out many systems all over the platforms, some ships and robots, it was decided the risk of staying might be greater than moving.”

  “After twenty-two days, platforms were repaired and the Project ship was buttoned up for the move. The second CME hit us in the middle of the move. This was nearly the end of everything, as there were many humans and robots outside. Most of the crew and robots were inside, but there had to be tugs and robot crews that were involved directly in the move. We tried to insulate them from the coming high energy particles, but they were stronger than anticipated. Ships with dead crews went spinning out of control, sending platforms with many humans onboard off course. I dispatched the heaviest shielded robots to take control. There were also the heroic measures taken by many humans to save the Project. Hundreds of humans, and thirty one percent of the robot workers were lost over those two days. Over one million robot and human workers were protected inside the ship. Others were quickly shuttled planet side to wait it out. After necessary repairs were made, the caravan of ships, platforms and supports, led by the Project ship, hastily made for the new position before anything else happened.”

  “After the Project arrived at the new stationary position on the night side of the Earth, it took five months to make repairs necessary to resume construction and production. Although, over the next three years, there were many flares and CMEs of varying intensity, only one event is the most noteworthy. All other events were not as bad as they could have been since the Earth was ‘grazed by these ejections. It is statistically unlikely that any ejections from our sun would ever hit us directly. It was 282 days after the move was completed, a large CME squarely hit the Earth and our luck ran out. ‘Luck’, as humans call it, is all in how you look at it. It was very ‘unlucky’ if you found yourself planet side, where power and devices went down, temporarily or permanently, all over the world. If you were aboard the Project ship, you were very ‘lucky’ that the ship had made its move by this time. The Earth’s magnetic field spared its inhabitants from the worst effects, and partially protected the Project in its orbit. It was the largest electromagnetic disturbance ever recorded.”