Chapter 313: Colony

Words : 2870 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

In a barren wasteland covered with rocks and with a completely red ground, two men were walking in heavy spacesuits. The wind lashed their bodies, kicking up the dust and if they weren't wearing protectors they probably would have felt a slight discomfort in their legs. They were looking at the view through their helmets. All they could see around them were red sand and distant mountains, and looking east they could watch the sun rise, a sun that from a terrestrial's perspective would have been remarkably small. And the same was true of any inhabitant of Eden. This is because Eden was actually more than fifty million miles away from the two men at the time. The two astronauts could see it: slightly suspended above the rising sun was a tiny ball of light, clearly a planet that reflected a lot of light thanks to its oceans. Liam observed the sunrise with a dreamy look. Even though they had arrived on planet Davis a few months ago, they still got lost in watching the sun rise over the reddish landscape, lighting up the sky with a slight yellow color due to the lower atmosphere. Just as in that universe Eden was the equivalent of the Earth, Davis was the equivalent of Mars. Even though it was ten times larger than Mars, due to the different physical laws of that universe it was still unsuitable for life, as the lower gravity was not sufficient to maintain a stable atmosphere and consequently it dried up over the course of billions of years. Therefore, even in that universe the fourth planet of the solar system could boast the title of 'red planet'. "Hey, scientist! I remind you that we aren't here on a trip" grumbled the other man, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, Lazlo! A few more minutes won't kill us" Liam protested. "Seriously, doesn't it excite you even a little to watch the sunrise on an alien planet?" "It excites me more to go back safely to the colony, because contrary to what you say a few more minutes can kill us all right. Dust storms here are unpredictable" "We have a satellite in orbit to check the weather" "Those contraptions can't correctly predict the weather on our planet, do you expect them to do it here? Don't make excuses and get to work. Do what you have to do and then get back on the rover, so we can return to the colony" Liam sighed. Lazlo, unlike most people in the colony, was not an engineer or a scientist - he was simply a guard. A safety measure that Darius had wanted to include in the mission, since he knew the man personally and knew that he had trained to survive in the most ardent and inaccessible environments, and was able to notice dangers where others do not. they saw. In fact, no one could deny that Lazlo had already contributed several times to avoiding accidents that could have resulted in injuries or even worse. However, Liam found him overly paranoid at times, especially when they came out of the colony. Seeing the grim look of the guard, the young scientist did not object and knelt down starting to probe the rocks with some special lenses. In fact, the purpose for that little outing was to collect minerals and soil samples to study fertility. It took Liam just half an hour to finish; when he concluded the sun was still rising, even though by now all the stars and planets had disappeared from the sky and the sky was taking on the color of the day. As soon as all the samples were taken Lazlo bluntly ordered them back to the rover, and Liam was sure that if they didn't have the suits he would grab him and drag him by the hair. The two sat in the vehicle and Lazlo started the engine. The rover was designed to move over the roughest terrain, so it encountered no obstacles. Within minutes, a dome appeared before them. For the first few weeks after landing on the planet, the settlers had lived inside Salvation, since outside it was practically impossible; however, they had not remained idle. Salvation carried all the materials and tools necessary to create a safe area to live in. Everyone got to work and after a few months had finished building a glass dome supported by massive steel pillars. The dome wasn't huge, but it was still big enough to start building infrastructure. Inside, the air was breathable and the temperature acceptable, so it was possible to survive. The rover headed for the currently only entrance; it was a small hairlock with two sealed entrances. After passing the first entrance, the bulkheads closed behind them and a decontamination system was started, to then filter the air present and modify it with that present inside the dome. Only after these operations did the second entrance open, allowing them to enter the colony. Currently the interior of the dome was still very simple: there were several houses where the settlers lived connected by roads marked with white paint and only a few other buildings, including a laboratory and a structure where the mangers donated by Sobek were kept. they provided food for the entire colony. As soon as they got off the rover Liam and Lazlo were joined by people who helped them remove the spacesuit. It was still essential for venturing outside, since the temperature, atmosphere and air pressure were unsustainable, but inside the dome the conditions were sufficient to survive without them. Liam saw a man running towards him. He was a little older than his age, with a slight goatee and short hair. "Liam, friend! Do you have them?" "Obviously, Norm. Do you expect something out there to stop me from picking up some rocks?" Liam laughed handing him the backpack containing all the samples. Norm accepted it willingly: "Thanks, you're a friend. Grace will be satisfied... and I can breathe a sigh of relief" he laughed before heading to the lab. Liam smiled. Norm was a scientist in the service of Dr. Grace Augustine, the best biologist in the colony. Liam knew her and had ascertained that even though the woman was a brilliant person and that when she wanted she knew how to be nice, when it came to work she became a real dictator with a bad temper. Grace Augustine's work was fundamental, because it was what the colonization of the planet was based on. The plan, in fact, was to use some genetically modified algae to change the atmosphere. Over the years prior to the mission, the team of scientists had worked tirelessly and managed to create algae that instead of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen were able to absorb that trapped in the rocks and minerals beneath the planet's surface. , and then release it en masse into the atmosphere. Thanks to the study of Sobek's mangers, they were also able to accelerate their growth. Once a small colony of these algae were released onto the planet, they would proliferate rapidly and within a few decades would create enough greenhouse effect to warm the entire Davis, bringing the temperature from -60 degrees Celsius to at least 14 degrees celsius. And once the algae had released all the carbon dioxide contained in the rocks, they would have died out on their own, allowing the colonists to spread other plant species that would instead have filled the atmosphere with oxygen. The reason Grace needed minerals and soil samples was to make sure the algae could take root properly on the planet's surface. So far the results had been favorable, but there was a problem: even though they could withstand low temperatures and solar radiation, they still needed water to grow algae. On Davis the water was abundant, but it was completely frozen. The algae couldn't have absorbed it and would have died of thirst. And certainly the settlers couldn't have continuously watered the entire surface of the planet. Unfortunately, that was a dead end. Liam, however, thought he had found a solution. The boy's thoughts were interrupted when two arms wrapped around his neck from behind his shoulders: "Always with your head in the clouds, huh? Lazlo told me that today you are lost watching the morning" Jillian whispered in his ear. Liam became intoxicated with his fiancée's perfume. "The captain shouldn't show such affection in public" she whispered to her, but in response Jillian let go of her sweet grip and in fact almost choked him. "You piece of idiot, don't change the subject! She seemed to me to have said very clearly that when you go out you have to be quick and not get distracted. Do you want to be surprised by a dust storm? You should know they can come without warning, and you know how violent they can be" Jillian roared furiously. Like Mars, Davis was also periodically swept by strong winds that kicked up the red dust on the surface. These winds could reach 400 km/h and were therefore able to lift a person as if it were a twig. Such storms were continuously monitored by satellites in orbit and were not as widespread, but nevertheless the caution was never too much: if one of them suddenly arrived while a team was away from the dome it could have wiped them out in a few minutes unless they found a makeshift shelter. Liam tried in vain to free himself; he still managed to marvel at the strength of his fiancée. "Coff... sorry, Jillian. I was just thinking for a moment..." "You can think at any time while you are INSIDE the colony. Outside the attention must be maximum" growled Jillian. "This is the last time. Do another stunt and I swear I forbid you to go out" "And how am I going to work?" "Learn from Darius: you have a whole colony of scientists at your disposal, so de-escalate the work to them" "Ugh... okay, okay, I'll be careful from now on. Will you let me go now?" "It depends. Lazlo, what do you say? Should I let him go?" The man shrugged: "I would say that you have suffocated him enough, captain. However, I urge you to kick him in the genitals, so as to avoid any further attempt at insubordination" Liam went white as a rag: "Lazlo, you really are a...!" "I agree that this maneuver is excessive" Jillian interrupted him, making him breathe a sigh of relief. "For this time, of course. The next... we will evaluate" Liam swallowed, but thanked heaven that at least this time he had escaped. As soon as Jillian released him she rubbed her hands on her poor red neck. "I think you are too hard on me, captain. Haven't I worked well so far?" she asked with a smirk, trying to play down the situation. "Do I have to remember the accident when you tried to drive the rover without authorization? We're still removing the bruises" Jillian replied sourly. "I... I'm going back to work" Liam said, realizing that his girlfriend's eyebrows were curling more and more dangerously. Without waiting for an answer he turned and quickly slipped away. "I think it would be better for you" Jillian yelled from behind in a rather rough voice. Liam didn't dare turn to look at her. It was really true what Darius said: if really angry women could be more dangerous than an asteroid. The boy quickly reached the laboratory. He needed to verify his theory of him and for that he needed a specific person... or rather, a creature. Once inside, he immediately found who he was looking for: intent on fiddling with some fluids was Blue, the velociraptor who had boarded the Salvation with them. Initially after landing on the planet Blue was the one who had more difficulty in settling in, since her muscles and tendons were much more developed than human ones and consequently she struggled to adapt to the lower gravity, since a single step produced a force enough to make her jump for a few meters. But after months the velociraptor seemed to have finally become familiar with the new environmental conditions and was able to move quite normally, even if it still more jumped than walked. "Blue" Liam greeted her. The velociraptor turned to him: "Liam! To what do I owe the pleasure?" "I need to talk to you. In private" "Okay, as you can see now there is no one. Tell me too" Liam checked that the velociraptor was telling the truth, then revealed his intent: "I'm thinking of asking mission control to send some nuclear bombs with the next load and use them to accelerate the colonization of the planet" Blue looked at him seriously; her gaze was clearly suspicious. "Explain" she said simply. Liam thought it was a good sign: at least he hadn't sent him to that country right away. "How can I explain it... ok, the fact is this: the problem with us humans is that despite our superb inventiveness we tend to use things in the worst way, and only then in the best way. Think for example of a stick: you can use it to make a torch, build a shovel, or use it as a support for a construction, but the first thing my ancestors did after they came down from the trees was to use it as a club to split. heads, and only later did they realize the best uses they could make of it. The same goes for any other technology ever built by man. We must not allow ourselves to be conditioned by the fact that currently, unfortunately, that technology is used for evil. As scientists we have the task of looking beyond... and learning how to transform an instrument of death into one of life" Blue said nothing; she just listened to him and stared at him with her big eyes. Liam swallowed and continued: "Nuclear bombs are a scourge, but they can be used in various ways. Think about it. With them we could deflect asteroids, accelerate mining operations on moons, even move comets into safer orbits... and also accelerate the terraforming of Davis" "How?" Blue asked, rubbing her muzzle with her claws. "What's on your mind?" "I did some simulations: if we detonated a certain number of nuclear bombs on the polar caps, the heat produced would vaporize all the water contained in them. It would then rain all over the planet's surface fertilizing the soil. Within a few months it would form an ocean that would cover about 25% of the surface of Davis. Clearly the low temperatures would freeze it, but for such a quantity of water to freeze completely it will take at least a century. The algae we are producing will then be able to exploit that water to grow and spread and create a strong greenhouse effect sufficient to keep all that water in a liquid state" Liam replied. Blue seemed to think about it. "Did you say you did some simulations?" "More and more times. Calculations, simulations, projections: all these data guarantee a success of 94.66%" "Even if it works, detonating dozens, possibly even hundreds of nuclear bombs on a planet we are close to colonizing is not a smart move. How do you plan to solve the problem of radiation and fallout?" "Why do you think he came to talk to you?" Blue raised an eyebrow at Liam's statement. "What do you mean?" "It seems obvious to me. Lord Sobek had evolved one last time precisely to obtain enough power to repair the damage suffered by radiation. He said he found it. Now I ask you, would you be willing to reveal this secret to me? It is the only obstacle that separates us from starting a large-scale colonization plan" Blue looked at him in surprise; she certainly did not expect such a request. "I'll have to discuss it with the pack leader" she replied. Liam let out a nervous laugh. "There can be no spies eavesdropping here. Don't you trust me?" "Of course I trust you, but my loyalty belongs to the pack leader; without his permission I will reveal nothing" Blue replied. Liam bit his lip. He knew that Blue was acting according to the habits and customs of his people, and he knew that his request was not so obvious, but it was still annoying to receive such a response. "Okay, but when you talk to him try to make him understand the importance of this request" "We will see. I will personally conduct some simulations. If your idea really has a good chance of succeeding, I'll convince the pack leader" Blue replied. Liam grunted just before walking away. The troodon shrugged and went back to his work, but he could no longer concentrate with that new idea in mind.

Chapter 313: Colony

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