In Search Of Elysium

Chapter 15

Moving into the new base

By evening, the pilots were all at the base. Elee had started a cleaning protocol that removed the dust, and maintenance robots were being programmed to remove the bodies. The mummified bodies would be converted to base elements which they will transform into a monument, designed by Linda. She had become a superb design engineer and wanted to take on this project. Linda suggested they place the monument in the beautiful atrium of the underground building, an atrium three stories high with a transparent ceiling. During the day, sunlight will fill the room and plants will grow.

The robots, which looked nothing like those they had seen on television, fascinated Ricky and Ladon. The robots looked more like large floor washing-machines, with arms, a small dump box in back and several camera eyes. When they gave the robots their instructions, they buzzed a couple times, went to a room and filled up with supplies, then started their work. One robot needed Ricky to move so it could clean where he was standing. It "Excuse me. Please move to the right three feet, so I can clean. Thank you."

"Amazing!" said Ricky. "Won't this be great for cleaning our rooms? No more toilet duty for me." He laughed and went back to programming more robots. There were over 350 units, some made for cleaning rooms and some for larger areas. They assigned the smaller robots to the apartments close to the new work areas. Kevin thought it would be important for the people coming in the morning to have clean rooms to live in.

"What will all the new people do here?" Ladon asked. "I hope Kevin has a plan, because it seems like a lot of work, should they decide not to stay."

Ricky responded, "Trust Kevin to have a plan. Since he became a genius, he has become a born leader, always planning, taking care to do things the right way. He was amazing before, but now he is... I don't know, perhaps a superman of sorts."

"I think we all are supermen now," suggested Ladon.

"Perhaps, but Kevin is the super' est." Ricky said.

Ladon laughed. "OK, wise guy, let's get this finished because it must be time to eat. I hope someone is cooking up something good to eat."

"They are..." mused Ricky. "Yes... I'm sure there will be something to eat."

***

Welcome the new cast

The fifteen pilots on the moon base could not all eat in one ship. Kevin, therefore, had the crew move all three ships near the entrance. He assigned each new pilot to a ship and gave them a temporary assignment. The record shows the following pilot roster: Elee, Ship number 1. Captain - Kevin Carpenter, Navigator - Kando Rohan, Science Officer - Ezeke Stavela, Crew - Ladon Zonten, Crew - Jaydern Zonten. Ollie, Ship number 2. Captain - Ricky Hartford, Navigator - Locela Barzel, Science Officer - Carma Zolan, Crew - Sara Rohan, Crew - Donal Stavela. Cloe. Ship number 3. Captain - Kathy Simpson, Navigator - Cody Anderson, Science Officer - Laska Zonten, Crew - Linda Brown, Crew - Gara Barzel.

Everyone shook hands and hugged their new crew mates. Each captain took his crew aside and welcomed them. Kevin announced that tonight each crew would sleep on their respective ship and prepare to move workers onto the base in the morning. Darden and Callex arranged to have thirty people picked up outside their city before sunrise and transported to the new base. Elee, Ollie, and Cloe had the locations recorded, and the navigators set a flight plan. It should take three trips for each ship, and the transporting would be completed by noon.

Ricky was a little disappointed that no one prepared dinner. He told his crew to get on the ship and he would make his famous Mexican dinner. Almost everyone was eager to try it.