Three Shells Paradise

In Search of a Space in Space

They could close the shells but what next. They would still have to fight but they knew that the structures wouldn't hold if there was an attack.

After the news that troops would be marching towards them anytime soon, the general morale of all took a beating. They felt cornered with no where to go. They were all in dispair.

Adam seemed to be the only one who was cheerful. Well he did have a reason to be. He had just got his first kiss and that kind of kept him high. He urged Roff to get the Council in motion to start closing the Shells. Maula gave the orders rather relunctantly. He wasn't sure of what to do anymore.

The spaceship housed in the Council was started, it took a while and then the outer shell started to spin like a spiral. With each passing moment it seemed to pick up speed; so much so that it seemed like a hum. The North zone shell had been evacuated and then they could see that the shell was closing but the insides were coming down like on a hanging shelf, upright and undisturbed. The same thing happened in the East zone, which came down on to the West one.

The need for symmetry and balance, in expansions, the use of a particular metal at the ends, the heights and weights of the structures; it all made sense.

But it was not enough. The shells had come down but were not closed yet. From out of the Council's wall came a small robot. It was about 3 feet in height and had a large display as its head.

It displayed a message:

Welcome to the end. For most of us, this is the Time. The space craft requires 6 people to run it smoothly and efficiently. The rest can be put to sleep. Since the initiation of this process has taken place, it can only mean that we need to relocate because:

A new home has been found and we are heading to it
Extraterrestrial attack
Meteor strike
Shortage of resources
Disease

Only in any of these cases will I be summoned.

Maula: O great, now what, I guess we start with finding it's keyboard?

Robot: Please let me know who's in charge here.

Maula: That would be me.

Robot: Please place your hand on the display, and I shall speak to you.

Maula did as told.

Robot: Please instruct all personnel to head to a common place. Can I have a log of all beings on 3Shells and I will pick 6 of you at random. While the others can sleep. After a cycle of two years and still no place to safely land, another set of 6 will be awakened while their predecessors can sleep. Please request all beings to choose their place of sleep carefully. Since the two closed sleeping shells will be connected to the Council only after the procedure is complete.

Harry: Will the people be housed together and put to sleep in a common environment in predetermined batches of 6?

Robot: Yes, some of the structures might get moved. Please let me know in the next 60 minutes if you are ready to close the shells and sleep.

Daren: Where will we put all people in one place, maybe we can clear ...

Robot: An inflatable Pearl will be generated on my command with racks for sleeping. Please let me know if this is what you want to know Sentinels should be on their way soon, we better hurry.

The robot then brought from another closet 2 more robots, one for each Shell.

Roff: How did the robots survive the Regime?

Gibbs: Even we didn't change much in the Council. Many of it's mechanisms we never understood, so we simply let them be.

Maula had called all the people to gather at the center of the Shells. He addressed them through an intercom from the Council, another new find pointed out by the robot.

They were given numbers, the order in which they would be woken. Not all took the decision well. There was a lot of chaos, people running around talking, shouting, protesting, crying, some trying to get off 3Shells. Amongst all this, the robot was finally instructed to set up the spheres, a Pearl in each shell, that would keep the sleeping beings safe.

As the Pearls were being set-up, they found glitches, in the mechanisms and the robots went about repairing them. Adam was in the second batch, Sia was in the third. That was a bit disappointing for them. They decided to hold hands and sleep next to each other. Orla finally forgave Roff and the two were in the same shift. Maula volunteered to be in the first shift along with Sara and Harry. Gibbs wanted to be with Vajra and so he was. Finally, the Ag department that supplied food was downsized. The rest of the grainnery was stored and cryogenic lab that hosted the various species was locked up. All these steps were taken under the robot's instructions and help.

The Pearls were closed, then the Shells. After which the standing shell seemed to be rotating faster and then the two shells got attached to the standing one on it's sides. Then with a sudden jolt, Paradise was ascending with most of its living beings asleep.

3Shells Paradise was no longer in Earth's orbit. It was in search of a new location. A spaceship with no known destination. The only motive was survival.
The search to anchor their Ark was long and seemed everlasting and never ending. Years went on. People on Earth realized their folly but too late, most of their resources were either depleted or rendered useless. Droughts, famines, diseases, and increase in natural calamities was devouring the planet.

When Adam's shift was over, he went and woke Sia up. He had a small ring in his hands. As she came to her senses, he went on his knees.

Sia: What happened, have we reached some place? What are you doing? You seem older than I...

Adam: Will you marry me?

Sia: Yes, but where are we... What did you say? What am I saying?

Adam: Is that a yes or a no?
Sia smiled and gave him a hug.

The robot presided over the wedding, they got to say their wedding vows amidst change in shifts. Their parents and near family members had been woken up briefly for the event.

Adam went back to sleep after staying awake for a few extra days as an exception.

Sia found the robot extremely bossy yet informative. He was not very chatty or friendly though.

She asked him, "Why can't we have all beings woken up while in transit, how dangerous could that be, right?"

Robot: It's not just about danger, it's also about the needs. If all the beings were to go about their normal ways, they would be using up oxygen, food, water, place. They would also be generating a lot of waste which would have to be disposed. My makers thought about all these things before coming to this decision. When resources are few, users should be fewer.

Sia: What about the sentinels?

Robot: The sentinels were a small group of astronautic robots created as a safety net by the private companies that had invested their resources. They got activated the moment I was booted.

Sia: Can't we go back to earth?

Robot: That is an option, but there might not be much of an earth to return to.

Sia: Maybe we are to return to it once everything is settled.

Robot: That we shall see. Since you so insist, I shall ask a sentinel to go back to earth and send information.

Soon Sia's shift too came to an end. She went to her sleeping rack, next to her husband hoping to see a better dream.