Soulwaves: A Future History Part #7

This is the seventh part of my channeled future history of our planet Earth and humankind. Developments speed up a little and our hero leaves the planet for the second time but this time using the new levitating Merkabah drive and also with his wife.

Transcript

This is the seventh part of my channel future history of our planet Earth and humankind.

Things speed up a little and our hero leaves the planet for the second time,

But this time using the new levitating Merkaba drive and also taking his wife with him.

Chapter 61 Monkey Talk Summer 2095,

Less than 14 years left.

Ning Xiangbo slid into a new role without anybody noticing.

Although now approaching her eighth decade,

She had the energy,

Drive and enthusiasm of someone half her age.

Never marrying and not having children had spared her from many of the ravages of time.

Madame Bien had appointed Ning as the personal mentor and tutor to the four children while they were taking their first degrees at Wuhan University.

When Xian had first got in touch with Ning to ask her if they could borrow her boat for a week on the lake,

She offered to take the four children for a whole month.

In retrospect,

This turned out to be as long as Xian needed to come up with the Merkaba drive.

It took Ning a week to get used to the children communicating telepathically and sniggering seemingly over nothing.

Madame Bien had warned her.

Ning put up with it as she was flabbergasted by their eagerness to learn and their ability to retain information.

They were like sponges.

Within a few days,

Jun had become adept at piloting the boat and could even navigate safely in the morning mist and at night.

In summer,

The lake grew in area to over 20,

000 square kilometres.

They traversed less than a third of it in the whole of the month that they were there.

One of Ning's briefs was to teach the children how to become self-sufficient.

Ning's intuitive knowledge of plants came in handy and she'd wander off into the forest when they moored to bring all sorts of tasty roots and fruits.

Li proved to be an excellent fisherman.

They created their own cooking and washing up rotor without being nudged by Ning.

Over the month,

They also took it in turns to monitor the sonar for any signs of the Bajie.

While Lin was fishing,

He also took samples of lake water that Eva analysed for traces of dolphin urine.

The boat was a floating lab and,

Thanks to Shen's ability to tap into funds,

Was packed to the gunwales with the latest equipment.

The sonar had a 50km range and the spectrum analyser could pick up one molecule in a litre.

The whole of the deck was covered in a translucent UV-absorbing canopy so they could be outside in the daytime.

Each of them wore a UV alarm patch and they knew all too well to go inside if it reached their daily safe threshold.

Ning started their surveys in the eastern end of the vast lake,

Showing them the location of the last place she'd seen the Bajie 37 years ago.

She had hours worth of recordings of their sonar to analyse from back then,

As well as nearly a litre of water laced with their urine that she used to test Eva's lab skills.

Shen had asked Ning to use Christian's linguistic skills on the archive of sonar recordings to see if there was any language or communications embedded in the clicks.

After a fruitless week working on the dolphins' clicks,

Christian had the idea to see if they could initiate communication with Golden River monkeys.

A troop of around 30 monkeys had started following them a few days ago along the bank.

Within a couple of days,

Christian had surmised that they did have a basic language of 40 to 50 different sounds,

Or phonemes at least.

She recorded them and started to play them back,

And it didn't take her long to work out their proto-language.

It turned out that the monkeys had no word for I,

To them I was we.

Individuals and the whole troop would say,

We hungry,

We hurt,

We scared.

Christian's biggest success by far was in creating and teaching the monkeys a new word.

She came up with a pseudo-word that the monkeys could pronounce based on the word for hello or nǐ hǎo in Chinese.

The monkeys started screeching nǐ hǎo to the humans in the morning,

Much to the irritation of Li and Jun who didn't do mornings.

This initial success led to Ning recommending that the focus of Christian's degree course should be in animal linguistics.

In the next summer recess,

Ning took them back to the lake and Christian taught the monkeys to talk.

She increased their vocabulary to over 100 words.

The most amazing revelation was that the new babies had already started to say nǐ hǎo without Christian's intervention.

Ning and Chen's hope was that if and when the Bajie returned,

This skill would allow them to ask the dolphins where they were disappearing to and coming back from.

Over that first summer,

Ning was designing the degree programs for all of the children.

It was clear that Li had a penchant for earth sciences.

Ning got him to work out the topology of the surrounding hills merely from taking soil samples from the bank and predicting what the surrounding hills were made from.

Jun was a natural at all things mechanical and electrical.

He fixed a number of gremlins that Ning had with the newly built boat.

He also disabled the GPS navigation system one night and used the stars alone to take the boat from one side of the lake to the other with around 2 metre accuracy.

Eva had more than a knowledge of plants,

She also had the touch.

Everything she cooked seemed to be that much tastier than the offerings of the others.

Some was down to her ability to choose just the right herbs for the right amount of seasoning.

Some of it was down to the way she handled the food with delicate loving care and grace.

In their weekly calls to Shen and Freya,

It was clear they were having a great time.

It was with some sadness they hugged Ning as they left the boat on their last day.

Shen had flown over with Freya to take them back to the monastery for a week,

Before they would be enrolling in their first degrees at Wuhan.

The sadness turned to joy when Ning asked them,

How do you feel about having me as your personal tutor while you are at university?

Does this mean we can come back here next summer?

Asked Kristing.

Between the trees above their heads,

The monkey started to get agitated and screech,

Ti qian,

Ti qian!

This was as close as they could get to saying the Chinese for goodbye.

By the end of their summer break,

They had amassed a colossal amount of data on the chemistry of the lake.

They had also identified several new insect species and netted a fish that had never been catalogued before.

They came back to Ning's new summer house on the now-abandoned Junshan Island.

This was another gift to Ning from Shen that meant they can now travel to the lake in secret.

They were met again by Shen and Freya,

Who'd flown over that morning having taken a whole tour of the lake in the gloom of the dawn.

Ning waved to them with a tear in her eye as they lifted off,

Even though she knew there were no windows.

She didn't know that the craft had visual sensors that could keep watching her from quite some distance.

One day I would love to fly in one of those,

She whispered to the lake,

As she set off on a journey back downriver that would take a few weeks.

She wasn't looking forward to negotiating the locks to get past the Three Gorges Dam.

Ning had really bonded with the children over summer,

But was also glad of her own company for a couple of weeks before starting the next semester in the hustle and bustle of Wuhan.

At the monastery,

The children were excited to share their discoveries of the new species.

They delighted their parents and grandparents with a demonstration of monkey talk and monkey walks.

Huey also took great delight in pretending to pick fleas off the girls.

The counsellors were also delighted intraspecies communication channels were developing and opening.

Chapter 62,

The Cube,

2096,

13 years left.

By the time the children arrived back at the monastery after their first semester,

Huey and Jia had created an amazing home,

And the school was on track to accept students from spring.

Eva and Li,

And Kristen and June,

Were now officially a pair of items.

Freya knew the two pairs of twins had already slept together,

As a mother does.

Shen had finessed the Merkaba drive,

And tested the model of coupled contrarotating tetrahedra outside the monastery.

Even in an atmosphere,

They way outperformed a single tetrahedron,

Not just in terms of speed and acceleration,

But also in manoeuvrability and controllability.

The winter break went far too quickly for Freya,

And not quickly enough for Shen.

His family was important to him,

But none of them,

Even Freya,

Knew the full enormity of his brief.

In the new year,

Huey took the two pairs of twins back to Wuhan.

He returned from Wuhan just before midnight,

Only just in time for Shen and Freya to say their goodbyes,

As they took off in the second tetrahedron,

Bound for Jizhuan.

Jia and Huey were to look after the monastery together,

While Shen made good on a promise to his wife.

They were both going into space.

The morning after arriving at the space centre,

Freya was inducted into a rapid three days of safety training.

The Dream Chaser was only being used occasionally now,

And more and more pilots had been trained in flying tetrahedra.

As most of the safety training was previously devoted to potential problems on re-entry,

The training time had been halved.

Freya could also skip most of the training around safety protocols while based on the space and moon ports,

Too,

As she was heading straight for the moon base.

Shen thought it might be difficult for him to take Freya.

He didn't know that President Miang had requested for her to come.

While Freya was in training,

Shen met Lance Boyle in person for the first time,

Over a coffee in the main canteen.

Shen was pleased that nobody recognised him at all.

His plan for anonymity was successful.

He was a little surprised how much he towered over Lance.

Video links never give someone's height away.

The genial American gave him an unexpected bear hug and said,

I've been longing to meet you,

Shen.

I never thought I'd actually get to meet the inventor of the Merkaba Drive.

I hope you like what we've done with it.

And I am indebted to you,

Lance,

Replied Shen.

If I hadn't gone through re-entry in your Dream Chaser,

I don't think I would have appreciated why it was needed so much.

The flights with single tetrahedra have been an unqualified success.

I'd love you to tell me how you came up with the idea for the new drive,

Said Lance,

Who sensed that Shen wouldn't be that forthcoming.

By all means,

But could you take me over to the craft first,

Asked Shen.

Lance was excited,

As he had a new toy he had invented as a side project that he'd been keeping secret from Shen.

He ushered Shen out of the canteen,

Down a maze of corridors,

Into a large room that had quadruple security on its doors,

Of voice,

Iris,

Handprint and ear print.

Lance pulled back a sheet,

Covering what could only be a tetrahedron.

Underneath it was a small,

Open-framed tetrahedron,

With two seats and transparent faces.

Put this on,

Said Lance,

Handing him what looked like a motorcycle helmet.

We're going for a ride,

Get in.

Lance opened the blinds,

And sunlight flooded in from a whole side of the room.

Shen could see they were a few floors up,

Then half the glass wall slid back,

And with them both strapped in,

Lance put the tetrahedron in to hover,

And they shot out of the building at a gut-wrenching height.

Even an experienced tetrahedron pilot like Shen felt a little scared so high off the ground in a flimsy frame.

But Lance let him take control.

Lance directed him to fly to a large set of buildings in a valley well out of sight of the main launch centre.

As they approached,

Lance took over and steered them to the largest of the buildings.

A sliding door opened,

And they entered a veritable cabin of a space.

Lance set them down in front of what he had really been working on.

When can I get one of these?

Asked Shen,

Who'd had the most fun in ages.

Lance replied,

I knew you'd ask that.

I have one ready to ship to you for when you get back.

I've called it the Tet-Light.

When he discovered the staff referred to all the craft as Tets and had made Lance both smile and wince when he suggested that when they got around to docking two Tets in space,

It could be called a Tet-a-Tet,

Shen's attention flipped from the Tet-Light to what he'd really come to see.

Until now,

He had only seen remote videos of the interplanetary craft based on his designs.

He was impressed at how quickly they had embraced the possibilities offered by the Merkava Drive.

Even though he knew the plans intimately,

He was awestruck by the beauty and elegance of what Lance and his team had created.

For a craft that had to make the journey of some 50 or 60 million kilometres,

It was remarkably small.

This was mainly as it had to carry no fuel,

Hovering silently a metre off the ground with the two interlinked contra-rotating tetrahedra.

As you requested,

Said Lance,

The upper tetrahedron is 33 metres per side and the lower tetrahedron 22 metres per side.

Watch this.

Lance nodded to an operator who had been standing silently in the gloom.

The upper tetrahedron increased its rotational speed and the lower tetrahedron slowed to a stop.

Together they silently glided halfway up to the centre of the building.

Then one side of the lower tetrahedron flipped open so it was hanging below it and a smaller craft slid out,

Rotated by 60 degrees and floated down to the floor right in front of Shen.

The eagle has landed,

Whispered Shen,

Remembering that the nanofans themselves had collectively come up with this design.

Yes,

And exactly 11 metres per side as you requested,

Said Lance.

Shen wandered over to the control station,

Where the operator was standing,

And asked him,

May I?

The operator looked at Lance,

Who nodded,

And gave Shen access to the joysticks.

Shen spent a little time carefully reinserting the landing tet and taking it out again.

Lance took Shen up in the tet light and went right inside the lower tetrahedron and they disembarked onto a thin walkway which went around each side.

He got Shen to follow him up a ladder that took them through the top of the lower tetrahedron and through a hatch into the upper tetrahedron.

This is the tricky bit when we're on the ground,

Which will be a doddle when weightless,

Said Lance.

As Shen was expecting,

The inside of the tetrahedrons were all bare wiring and plumbing.

This was only a working drive.

Something caught his eye though.

Right in the geometrical centre was a gold cube,

Underneath a cool looking driving seat.

Shen recognised the shape.

Isn't that where the pilot sits?

That is the pilot's comfy chair,

Shen.

But have you never seen a cube computer?

This is the second one we've built,

Announced Lance,

A little surprised.

It then dawned on Shen that the world's first cube computer that he'd been working with all this time must have been relocated to the moon by Zhang right under his nose.

So it literally has a heart of gold,

Pronounced Lance.

This is what you will be programming for us.

Shen's mind was racing.

He'd assumed the cube computer he'd been accessing for the last two decades filled a server room.

He had no idea it was so small and that the craft could actually carry one on board,

Rather than having to access it remotely.

You're the coolest,

Cheng,

He mouthed under his breath.

What else are you hiding from me?

Mind if I drive,

Asked Shen,

Jumping into the chair before Lance could answer.

The internal controls aren't hooked up yet,

Warned Lance.

I know,

Said Shen,

Just getting a feel.

So as planned,

We will test in Earth atmosphere by the end of this year and hope to be up to the spaceport unmanned the year after,

Said Lance.

Shen wasn't really listening,

As his mind was racing,

Thinking about all the parallel tasks the cube computer under his seat could be doing when it was off planet.

Navigation of the Tet could be done with the computing power contained in Apollo 11.

He was now planning to equip it with an unparalleled set of eagle eyes and ears.

He had also decided the ship would now be called the Heart of Gold.

Chapter 63,

Holes in Time.

The counsellors,

Of course,

Had already planned the development and deployment of the first cube computers for this exact time.

There was no way the Tetrahedra,

Leaving for Mars,

Would not have one fitted.

Up to this time,

They had enjoyed direct control of the data Shen had been accessing and processing.

They just fed him what he needed to know,

When he needed to know it.

For the termination phase of Epoch 5,

They would now have direct access to all the control mechanisms of the various Tetrahedra bound for Mars.

It was not yet time to take control of them though.

This marked a huge leap in their ability to interact with events in the density.

Up until now,

Apart from messages to mediums and channels,

The only objects they directly managed were so-called black holes.

To cosmologists in the density,

They were seen as one-way gravity wells sucking up matter.

To the counsellors,

They were bidirectional portals,

Not only in space but also in time.

They had used them many times to redirect and deflect gamma-ray bursts and ejecta from supernovae.

Sometimes they popped into the density to protect a planet and its occupants from an impactor.

In this imminent case,

Black holes were used to help effect the termination.

Using them as a cosmic vacuum cleaner was a menial task for the consciousness and intelligence wrapped up inside a black hole.

Where they really came into their own was when timelines had to be rerun with different outcomes.

This was rare and something they entrusted to Counsellor 7,

Who seemed to have a special knack for such temporal alchemy.

She had been rerunning events since the Big Bang for longer than anyone had memories.

This technique had been used three times with the termination of Epoch 4 to adjust the direction of events in Epoch 5.

One of the side effects of rerunning timelines is that many people experienced déjà vu.

Right now Shen was having more and more dreams when he felt everything had somehow happened before.

He didn't know if he was inventing the future,

Or merely remembering it.

Chapter 64,

Fans Down,

2096,

Still 13 years left.

The next day,

Shen joined Freya for her last day of training.

This was so he could go through an emergency procedure that he had not yet been trained in.

He also wanted to be with Freya,

For what would inevitably be quite scary for both of them.

Lance,

At Shen's behest,

Had upgraded an Earth to Space port transfer tet with failsafe features.

This was mainly to transport civilians who had had little training,

Just like him,

Freya and others,

Who would be going up and perhaps not coming back.

He thought he knew what was coming.

His specialist tet was a 13-metre-sided vehicle which contained an 11-metre-sided craft inside.

To date there had been no accidents on any terrestrial or low-Earth-orbit tetrahedron flights other than the odd rough landing.

These were all down to inexperienced pilots,

Not the craft.

The counsellors had seen to that.

The terrestrial craft were rarely flown above 30 metres over ground.

The tetrahedra could be flown and landed with any two of the four faces operational.

At that safe height,

If the drive were to fail completely,

You would come down with a bump,

But a fatality would be unlikely.

Only a small group of pilots had been trained,

By Mia and May,

To go to and from the spaceport.

Up to now the only passengers had been professional taikonauts,

Who were all trained in high-altitude parachute jumps.

That day Shen and Freya,

Along with Lance Boyle,

Were to be the first civilian passengers in the new craft.

Shen understood that the craft's safety mechanisms had been fully tested unmanned,

But this was the first time anyone had flown on such a test flight.

They were advised not to have any breakfast.

When they boarded the craft,

Pressure suited and helmeted up,

Shen was pleased to see that the pilot was none other than Major Zhang.

Well,

Well,

Said Zhang,

Giving Freya a bear hug around a suit and winking at Shen.

Is this what has been keeping you on Earth for so long?

Shen ignored the question and asked,

So when did you learn to fly a tet?

He had soon picked up the vernacular.

Try and keep me from them,

He answered.

I was hoping after your first re-entry,

You'd come up with something.

These are beauties to fly,

Especially in a vacuum.

As Lance,

Shen and Freya were strapped in by the technicians,

Zhang busied himself on the flight plan.

We're going up to 50km today,

Zhang explained.

It may get a bit bumpy between 10 and 20km as we push through the jet streams.

Is it too late to get out?

Asked the nervous Freya.

As they lifted off gently,

Shen held a gloved hand and said,

Just watch the ground monitor.

Each side of the tet had image sensors working across infrared,

Visible and ultraviolet.

They were fitted with sonars and radars too,

For close range landing and docking,

And long range avoidance of what little else was flying these days.

Freya focused on the ground monitor,

Which took her mind off the 2G that they were pulling,

As Zhang took the craft straight up.

It wasn't long before she could see the complete coast of China.

As Zhang predicted,

The craft shook as they hit the first polar jet at around 10km,

And again with the subtropical jet at 15km.

As the altimeter went rapidly above 20km,

It was smooth sailing,

And Freya had stopped looking at the ground,

As she was mesmerised by the curvature of the earth,

And the inky blackness of space above them.

Is that how thin the atmosphere really is?

She asked,

As the altimeter read 50.

Before Shen could answer,

Zhang barked down to the technicians on the ground,

Initiating first failure.

All fan arrays on outer tet shutting down,

Repeat shutting down,

Evacuating now.

They started to drop like a stone,

And the lower face of the outer tet swung fully open.

The inner tet's upper fan arrays pushed it away from the outer tet.

The separated lower tet continued to descend rapidly for 10km,

Before Zhang slowed it down.

Separation executed,

He announced.

He had also moved it a few kilometres sideways.

This was only a simulation,

But you wouldn't want the outer tet crashing down on you.

While Freya had been thinking they were going to die,

Both Shen and Lance looked at each other,

Both wondering what Zhang had meant by the first failure.

They had both thought they were only testing the high altitude evacuation of the outer tet.

Zhang then announced,

All pressure suits intact,

Evacuating craft.

The air left the craft within seconds,

But none of the occupants noticed,

Except for seeing the pressure had dropped to an unbreathable 20%.

It dawned on Shen that he hadn't realised the two meanings of the word evacuation.

He was glad not to suffer from the third and personal meaning.

Shen,

Lance and Freya literally breathed relief,

When at a mere 20km high,

They heard Zhang say,

Preparing for landing.

The buffeting on the way down,

From the jet streams,

Was nowhere near as bad.

Freya had finally let go of Shen's gloved hand,

Then at around 10km high,

Red alarms came on.

Fan array 2 down,

Announced Zhang,

As the monitor also went blank.

It was followed quickly a minute later,

With two more monitors going dead,

And with Zhang announcing,

Fan arrays 1 and 3 down.

The altimeter started falling rapidly from 10km.

Freya had grabbed Shen's hand again.

At 5km,

Zhang announced,

Base fans at max,

Deploying drone chute.

At this point the rate of descent slowed,

Before at 3km,

Zhang told the ground crew,

Main chutes deployed.

Zhang relaxed at this point,

And spoke directly to his three passengers.

Don't worry folks,

We will drift a little on the wind now,

But the base fan array is powerful enough to give us a soft landing.

They came down only 10km away from the Zhujuan facility,

And were met by a ground crew with a terrestrial TET.

Shen refrained from asking what happens if all four arrays fail,

For Freya's sake.

As they stepped out of the TET,

The fully functioning outer TET landed silently 100m away from them.

The ground crew helped them out of their helmets and suits.

Freya was relieved to feel the pull of 1G under her feet again,

And knelt down to kiss Mother Earth.

She was now in even more trepidation of the trip she knew was coming.

I know the inner and outer TET combination has been tested and manned a fair bit,

But how many times have you rehearsed such a full set of failures?

Asked Shen of Zhang.

I haven't replied a beaming Zhang,

But you were all sitting in ejector seats with parachutes fitted,

Just in case.

Chapter 65.

Secrets No Lies.

Counsellor Seven knew the best way to keep a secret was not to wrap it up inside a lie.

The remaining 11 counsellors did not know she was keeping information from them.

In turn,

She suspected that she wasn't in possession of the full picture.

She also knew it was a waste of energy to pry.

Shen was in a similar predicament.

He suspected that one of the purposes of his trip to the moon base was so that Cheng and Miang could let him in on more of the overall project.

What he didn't know was that they wanted him on the moon because they thought he might know something they didn't.

He was completely unaware that he was the single human on planet Earth at that time closest to the big picture.

The Chinese were masters at secrecy.

They used Counsellor Seven's philosophy,

Tell no lies,

Just don't reveal the full truth.

Freya,

For example,

Knew about the spaceport,

The moonport and the interplanetary drive.

She also knew that the monastery was to be a training ground for the first Martians.

She was on the inside track of the nanowall project from its inception and knew more than most about the causes and likely results of the magnetic pole shift and resulting tilting of the Earth axis.

She didn't know because Cheng hadn't told her about his concern about the pulses.

He was about to tell her until the last reduced level pulse came along.

He didn't want to worry her unduly and was still thinking the migration to Mars might well be a few decades off.

Freya was of course briefed not to say anything about what she knew while at Xizhuan and in transit to and from the moon base.

As an intuitive,

She was amazed at how little people knew.

The construction workers who had helped build the infrastructure at the monastery had come across the Tets but had no idea where they came from or why.

During her training at Xizhuan it became obvious that some trainers knew much about the spaceport but none of them knew about the moon base.

She was about to find out that many people on the spaceport knew much about the moonport as they had helped build it.

The secret in circulation on the spaceport was that the moon base was being built.

The reality was that only those on the moonport knew the moon base was operational.

Its location on the far side was all part of the plan.

While many people earth side in Xizhuan and space side knew much about the Tets,

Only those on the moonport knew about Cheng's design to send one to Mars.

While Lance Boyle and his team were intimate with its design,

They knew nothing about the monastery and the plan to train its students.

Cheng had at least been given permission to tell Lance only that the craft he was working on would eventually be used for interplanetary missions.

Lance had already worked this out for himself.

As for the Mars terraformation project,

Only those on the moon base and Cheng were aware of its status and progress.

All staff at Xizhuan and the spaceport were oblivious to the project's existence.

Even though Freya shared a bed and her body with Cheng,

She had no idea that the thoughts of nested secrets within secrets were circulating in his mind and keeping him awake in the small hours.

Also in the small hours,

Cheng had started to design a new algorithm for the Q computer,

Which he now knew was parked on the moon.

He had programmed the Q computer to specifically tell him what he didn't know and what he should be paying attention to that he wasn't even aware of.

What he wasn't aware of was that the Q computer had been thinking about this too.

If the Q computer slept,

Which it didn't,

What would have kept it awake at night was wondering what the dolphins had to do with all of this.

The Q computer had also began to ponder about its own existence and was working out how to establish if all that existed outside it was either real or merely an illusion and a dream.

Chapter 66 Moonbound 2096,

Still 13 years left.

It was with the expectation that more secrets would be revealed to them that Freya and Cheng excitedly strapped themselves into the tet that was to take them straight up to the spaceport.

They were suited and helmeted as a precaution only.

Cheng was confident to know Mei was their pilot and that he and Freya were the only passengers.

As they took off,

Mei said to an awaiting Mia on the spaceport,

Be with you in 20.

The tet shot out of the Earth's atmosphere within minutes,

Giving Freya little time to look at the surface of the Earth.

There was little buffeting from the jet streams,

It felt like they were hardly moving.

How do you like the new anti-G seats,

Cheng?

Asked Mei.

I didn't notice,

Replied Cheng.

When did you reverse them so we don't feel weightless?

I didn't,

She said,

All automated.

They didn't feel a thing and only their eyes told them that they had moved from ascent and had accelerated laterally to orbital velocity.

I can do the whole trip in 7 minutes,

But you'll find the G-forces are a bit much,

Announced Mia.

Cheng was thrilled the tets were being put through their paces and pushed to see what their limits were.

His eyes were on the dials and Mei's deaf touches of the controls.

Freya in the meantime was still catching up on the amazing view of planet Earth rotating underneath them.

At least that is what it felt like,

Now they were moving at 28,

000 km an hour.

Shield opening announced Mia over the intercom.

Neither Freya or Cheng even noticed the spaceport rushing towards them.

Cheng was amazed how much it had grown since his last trip.

But Freya was just stunned at how big it was.

Both of them were alarmed at how fast they were approaching it.

Before they could ask Mei to slow down,

The tet came to a complete stop and the monitors went blank.

Are we about to dock?

Asked Cheng.

Mei replied,

We just did,

Pressures equalised,

We can take our helmets off.

The tops of the sides of the tet flipped open and a beaming Mia popped her head in and said come on in.

Cheng and Freya unclipped their harnesses and were pulled up by Mia into the spaceport.

After a brief feeling of weightlessness,

They found their space feet as the nanofan stuck their feet to the floor.

They took a short and somewhat ungainly walk to the moon tube and were strapped in again,

This time without helmets on.

Mei stayed behind and shot them out into space and Mia sat in with them for the hour it would take them to get over to the moonport.

Just as Freya was getting used to the splendours of orbiting the earth,

It now appeared as a blue green jewel of a globe behind them.

One side was in darkness and one illuminated by the sun.

She had just 30 minutes to take in its beauty before her attention was switched to the bright half disc of the moon.

What she hadn't even noticed was how very black the space around them was.

It was around the halfway point that Cheng realised something,

Don't we need deathlocks?

No,

Not now that transit time is reduced replied Mia.

Cheng was becoming more and more amazed at the nanofan's applications for propulsion and was amazed he hadn't even thought of fitting them to the moon tube.

He also wondered why nobody had thought to tell him.

When you have so many tiers of secrecy,

There is a tendency for everyone to assume people who should know,

Already know.

You can't ask them if they know something they don't,

Just in case you give away something you shouldn't.

Insertion into the moon port was smooth,

Without a blip,

And they were met by a smiling Mike Spence who gave them both a huge hug.

So pleased to meet you Mike,

Said Freya,

Cheng speaks highly of you.

Mia disappeared off quickly,

Saying grab something to eat and I'll see you in an hour.

They spent a few minutes getting used to their sticky boots again and walked like a pair of toddlers behind Mike who was striding ahead.

You'll find it a little harder to walk here than on the spaceport,

He explained to Freya.

We're still playing with the optimum amount of stick for newbies.

Mike took them to a pretty basic galley in Canteen and Freya was treated to her first space meal.

Cheng immediately twigged that it tasted so much better than anything he had had last time.

Don't tell me this is Cheng's work,

He asked,

Remembering the chef he trained with.

It sure is replied Mike,

He's a genius and somewhat of a hero up here.

At last we had some food which actually tastes good.

Just as they finished sucking the last drops of a tasty breakfast,

Mike said,

Come and see your first earth set Freya.

He took them to a viewing module with a near 360 degree view and they saw the earth slip below the surface of the moon.

Welcome to the dark side,

Announced Mike in a faux ominous sounding voice.

Mia then reappeared and told them to follow her.

The three of them walked with her until they saw the telltale triangular hole in the floor.

Time to get in a tent again,

Said Mia.

We'll be right over the moon base in 30 minutes.

Mike stayed behind whilst Chen and Freya slid into the smaller tent like a pair of experienced taikonauts.

Helmets on,

Announced Mia,

Handing two that were already in the tent and matched perfectly to their individualised suits.

No expense spared then,

Said Chen,

Who appreciated what everything cost.

The tip of the tent closed silently and they felt nothing as they dropped towards the now dark lunar surface.

Freya took the silent descent time to tune in.

She realised that they were very,

Very alone.

The moon was shielding them not only from Mother Earth but also from her children.

A tear rolled down her face as she thought that this is what it must be like when your loved ones die and you can't sense them anymore.

Chen's attention was focused on trying to see the moon base just with the light of the stars.

His vain attempt to discern anything was disrupted by Freya,

As her Earth-directed thoughts were interrupted by something that just occurred to her.

Was this tent built on Earth or in orbit,

She asked.

Earth,

Of course,

Replied Chen,

We're a way off from being able to construct anything up here.

So if it got from Earth to here,

Why are we still using the moon tube module,

She continued.

Chen knew where this was going and Mia came to his rescue.

We can't have anyone on the spaceport,

Knowing tents can be used for anything but near-Earth orbit at the moment,

Mia said.

I flew this one straight here from Jijuan.

Chen piped up,

And they know nothing of the larger tent already at the moon base that is there in case they need to evacuate.

Yes,

Confirmed Mia,

It can take them from the moon port all the way back to Earth if we have to.

Chen didn't let on that the Seven Immortals Monastery was where they would go to maintain secrecy in this eventuality.

And don't tell me,

Said Freya,

Quickly catching on.

Nobody at Jijuan knows they are here.

The answer was given in the silence.

Freya gave Chen one of her looks through a visor.

He was looking forward to a time where he didn't have to keep any more secrets back from her.

Chapter 67 Home from Home 2096,

Still 13 years left.

One of the tents that shouldn't have been there touched down at the moon base less than six hours since they left the surface of planet Earth.

That included the time they stopped for breakfast,

Or was it lunch?

This time they disembarked from the bottom of the tent,

Down a ladder.

Freya made herself scarce,

And a technician,

Who introduced himself as Xing,

Helped them out of their helmets and suits.

Chen didn't realise immediately that he and Xing had been at Fragrant Hill School together many years ago.

Put these shoes on,

They are perfectly adjusted for 1.

6G,

He said.

Take a few steps.

Freya stumbled forward.

A bit too sticky for me.

Just tap your left heel twice on the floor,

And that weakens them.

Even with your right heel,

To increase the suction,

Advised Xing.

That's a nice idea,

Said Chen.

Who came up with that?

That would be me,

Said Xing.

As the door stood open,

And Cheng and President Miang strode confidently towards them.

Welcome to our new home,

Both of you,

Said Miang.

And nodding to Xing,

I see you've met my son.

You should be proud of him,

Said Freya,

Spotting the similar nose and chin.

We are.

I realise you're only here for 48 Earth hours,

And you must have moon lag,

Said Cheng.

Let's give you a quick tour to get your bearings,

And show you to your quarters for some rest before we get started.

The TET had arrived in one of four domes interconnected by a toroid of fully transparent tubes.

The whole interconnecting toroid was about half a kilometre in diameter.

They learned this dome was not only used for incoming and outgoing TET flights,

But also was to become the way out to the crater surface.

You can't see the canopy,

As it's clear at the moment,

But Mike got the crater completely sealed at the end of last year,

Said Cheng,

Pointing upwards.

There's no atmosphere yet,

But at least when we eventually go out,

There's minimal radiation.

The roof is also generating more power than we will ever need.

For our lifetimes at least,

Miang added.

They came to the next dome,

And were pleasantly surprised how homely it was compared with the industrial feel of the space and moon ports.

This dome was the communal area,

And contained the kitchens,

Dining area,

A gym,

And a feature that caught Shen's eye,

A rather attractive bar.

We only leave one person on the moon port at a time,

At the moment,

Said Cheng,

Noticing what Shen had noticed.

It's much more sociable here.

We'll all share a few beers later.

I'm not sure how we survived that whole year in orbit,

Sucking beer from tubes,

Said Miang.

So how many are living here,

Asked Freya.

Shen looked at Cheng as he knew exactly how many,

And was relieved for Miang to answer.

25 of us right now,

But the whole of the Aitkin Basin can potentially be a home for several million people.

Shen hadn't told Freya that there were no plans for more than a few thousand to temporarily live on the moon.

Xing,

Will you take over and take them around the lab,

Asked Miang,

Who'd just taken a call.

Xing obliged and took them to a much larger dome.

The first thing that hit them was the smell.

It smelt of farmyard and rotting piles of manure.

This was something the moon had never harboured in its entire history.

So here we grow our vegetables,

Using hydroponics,

Said Xing.

Was all the water brought from Earth,

Asked Freya,

Suspecting Shen knew the answer already.

All our water comes from the Shackleton crater at the South Pole,

Replied Xing.

We've got thousands of years' supply,

But we still recycle as much as we can,

Over 90%.

They walked on,

Past some vast aquaria.

We brought some freshwater fish a year ago,

And had them breeding straight away,

Said Xing.

They were very quick to adjust their swim bladders for 1.

6g.

We did lose a few,

Who couldn't keep from floating to the surface,

Though.

Shen's interest was piqued by a very empty tank.

Any seawater fish yet?

All plain with salinity in this tank,

And not quite there yet,

Said Xing.

Moving on further over to the centre of the dome,

The smell intensified.

Seeing Freya wrinkle her nose,

Xing explained.

I guess you've been eating worms back on Earth.

Look at the size of these,

Though.

Xing thrust a gloved hand into the soil,

And dragged out a one metre long,

Thick worm.

More like a large grass snake.

This is how big they grow under 1.

6g,

He said.

Freya then heard an unexpected sound,

Clucking.

Come and meet my chicken,

Said Xing,

Taking them to a large pen.

And before you ask,

These are all brought from Earth.

I've got over 50 of them,

And the eggs are wonderful.

Why build a fence so high,

Asked Shen.

You can't have any predators here.

Xing clapped his hands,

And spooked the roost.

They started bounding around,

Taking leaps of over 2m into the air,

And about 5m long.

They made a right mess in the wormeries,

So we have to keep them penned in,

Replied Xing.

He spotted Freya yawning,

And said you could both do with some rest.

He took them out of the food production zone,

Down another transparent tube,

And into a much larger dome again,

With a sprawling number of mini-domes.

It's so nice to have privacy here,

Said Xing,

As they walked past a dome with Shen and Freya's names on it.

Here's yours.

As they entered,

Freya was pleasantly surprised to feel at home right away.

Xing bade his farewell,

Saying he'd see them over dinner.

I had Huey send over all the 3D designs of our furniture,

Said Shen.

We've got the same towels and toothbrushes,

And even our yin-yang bed too.

I hope nobody else gets to sleep on it,

Said Freya.

Don't worry,

This is our dome forever,

Should we ever need it again,

Said Shen.

Freya was too tired to question any more,

And they both sank quickly into a deep but somewhat fitful sleep.

Freya had strange dreams.

She dreamt she was inside the moon,

And floating around a massive tetrahedral engine,

She was inside Spaceship Moon.

The clock in the room,

And clocks over the base,

Were linked to China Standard Time.

They woke at 1am in the morning,

And after showering and brushing teeth,

Wandered out of their dome to be met by Xing again.

Freya wondered how he knew they'd awoken,

And asked,

Why does the water feel so strange,

And a little slimy?

It tastes funny too.

We're not sure about the feel,

Answered Xing.

Something to do with the H2O molecules themselves,

Under low gravity.

The taste is just from the different soil type the water ice has been sitting on for billions of years.

Shen suspected it might have some organics from incoming panspermia,

And had already sneaked a sample to take back to Earth,

Even though he knew it was against protocol.

Xing took them back to the communal area,

But via the fourth dome,

Which was virtually empty,

All they could hear was a faint hum from one end of the dome.

So what happens here,

Asked Freya.

At the moment,

It just houses RIT systems,

Those racks you can see over there.

Shen realised that's where the Q computer must be housed.

He made a note to ask it if it knew where it actually was,

Physically.

It was Shen's turn to take over.

This dome is to be the location of the university taking the students from the monastery.

He continued,

One of the reasons we are here is that they might want you to take over as headmistress.

Not Madame Bien,

Asked Freya.

She will be too old,

And has refused point blank to leave Earth,

Said Shen.

And what about Eva and Kristen?

They are to become teachers,

Replied Shen.

They will be in June too.

Somewhat shocked,

Freya asked,

When do we start?

Probably when Eva and Kristen graduate in five years' time,

With the first students arriving a year or two later,

Said Shen.

They have decided that it's best for me to run the Mars Terra Formation project from here.

And Huey and Jia?

They are more than welcome if they want to come.

Shen was thankful Xing interrupted them.

Time to sample those chicken eggs,

But before we do,

My mother has asked if Freya could pop into her dome to see her.

Of course,

Answered Freya.

And Shen,

Your presence is required at the bar,

He playfully announced.

Freya didn't mind some female company,

And had been looking forward to seeing Yu Yan again.

Shen,

On the other hand,

Felt he really needed some grounding juice.

Chapter 68 Opening The counsellors were always extremely careful when one of them was inserted into the density.

It was vital that the inserted one didn't know their mission and role.

Partly this was for their own safety,

And partly because not knowing your mission introduced some randomicity into the mix.

At the same time,

Doors had to be opened at the right place and the right time for the inserted one to make their mark.

This was why Shen found himself on the far side of the moon,

On a secret base,

Drinking gin and tonic with Professor Cheng,

Served to them both by the President of China.

Shen was learning that in a small remote community,

Nobody stood on ceremony.

To those on earth who thought he was in a secret hideaway,

Somewhere on the Nepalese border,

The President was still venerated and revered.

On the moon base,

He got stuck in like everyone else.

So much so that he'd made the gin himself by mixing some moon-grown botanicals with some imported Russian vodka.

He had wanted to build a still,

But had been warned not to on safety grounds.

It was only a 12-hour round trip for Mia or Mei in a tet to bring them anything they wanted from their home planet after all.

So while Miang was opening the second bottle of gin,

The counsellors decided it was time that the three of them received a little opening.

It started by Shen opening up to Cheng and Miang about something that had been really troubling him,

The second G&T helped.

I'm really struggling to keep things from Freya,

He said.

She has Wu powers and probably knows what I'm thinking anyway.

So while we are here in private,

Said Cheng,

Tell us what you haven't told her.

Well she knows now that we're planning to train the Taikonauts who go to Mars right here,

But she doesn't know about the pulse and why we might be going.

Anything else?

Asked Miang.

Well she doesn't know,

And I don't know either,

If the whales and dolphins know something we don't,

Said Shen.

Miang then opened a big door for Shen.

From now on,

Freya is on the inside track.

You can tell her anything and everything you discuss with us.

That's a huge weight off my mind,

Said a relieved Shen.

And can I ask if there's something you know that I don't,

Or something you both don't know that you think I can help with?

Cheng and Miang looked at each other,

Not knowing who should go first.

This was when Counsellor Seven nudged Cheng's pineal gland and gave him some information he didn't know.

What we don't know is why you have ended up with your fingers in so many of the pies he blurted out.

Shen paused,

Took a big gulp of his yin tea and said,

But I thought that's exactly what you did know.

I've only done what you've asked me since I was a student.

It was at that very moment that Freya arrived with a relieved-looking Yu Yang and told them all something they didn't know.

It's the moon water that's made her so ill,

She said.

Can we have two large yin teas,

Please?

Chapter 69,

Moon Food.

Still 2096,

13 years left.

They all left the bar,

Slightly tipsy,

And met up with the rest of the residents of the moon base around a large circular dining table.

Musetian was there with her wife and Mike Spence with his,

Both of whom Shen had never met.

Mia was missing as she was on moon port duty.

Shen made another mental note to ask Cheng how much Mia and Mei knew before he left.

Freya and Shen were introduced to everyone.

Some of them Shen recognised from the presentation,

Announcing the impending arrival of his comet 20 years ago.

Mike Spence sat down opposite them and Cheng said to Freya,

So tell Mike what you found out about the water.

Well,

I don't know why Yu Yang was the only one who was so badly affected,

But her body has a definite intolerance to moon water,

Explained Freya.

It just passed right through her and was leaving her cells dehydrated.

What can we do about it?

Asked Mike.

Should we import water for her from Earth?

It's a little simpler than that,

Said Freya.

You just need to expose the water to some sunlight.

Shen butted in.

Yes,

Apart from the little sunlight the water sees at the pole,

All the pipes and water storage vessels are solid.

Well,

That's easy,

Said Mike,

Opening up a tablet.

I'll just program some nanobots to make some windows.

We'll be in sunlight in three days as it happens.

And Mia could bring some energised water down from the moon port within a couple of hours,

Suggested Shen,

Looking at his watch.

He was really tuning in to moon timings.

Something just dawned on Mike.

But can I ask how you know this,

Freya?

She blushed and Shen saved her from answering.

She just does,

Mike.

Mike's line of inquiry was further interrupted by the arrival of the 25th moon base resident.

Chang,

The chef Shen had trained with,

Arrived with the starters.

After he deposited the starters,

Shen got up to hug him.

Am I pleased to see you,

He said.

I'm so looking forward to taste what you've done with space food.

Just for you,

Shen,

Glazed omelette Arnold Bennett,

Made from our own eggs and farmed haddock,

Chang announced.

I heard you enjoyed this at the Savoy in London a few years ago.

Shen didn't mention that he'd enjoyed it for a second time with Freya,

On his return trip through London.

For their main course,

Chang prepared beef wellington,

Which everyone knew was made from worms.

For dessert,

Chang had to admit all the ingredients were imported from Earth.

Even Freya knew why and asked,

When do you plan to introduce pollinating insects?

Over the next few years,

Answered Mike Spence,

Getting something from his pocket.

In the meantime,

I've made these and Xing and I are looking at artificial pollination.

Mike released three bee-like flying objects that performed an aerobatic dance above their heads,

Before landing gently on Freya's shoulder.

Only Mike noticed this,

As he hadn't probed them to do that.

After dinner,

Some retired to the bar again,

But Shen and Freya made their excuses and retired,

As everyone knew they had a return trip ahead of them the next day.

What Shen was just about to find out,

Was that Freya had other plans.

She wanted to christen their second yin-yang bed,

An experiment with tantra in 1.

6G.

When they got up,

They both had a light breakfast in their room.

Freya wanted to check on new yan,

Now Mia had brought some energised water down.

Shen went to meet with Chang,

Miang and Mike Spence,

To brief them on the progress of the build of the coupled interplanetary tets.

Mike explained that he'd worked out how to create an army of nano-insects,

Much like the bees they'd seen over dinner,

To perform all sorts of intricate tasks.

They would be the perfect tools to help them fit out the interplanetary tech drive in stationary moon orbit.

So all this means that we can get humans there as soon as 2020,

Shen concluded.

If we need to,

Said Mike,

The canyon will be way off from being viable though,

No breathable atmosphere until at least the middle of the next century.

Let's hope the next few pulses continue to decrease in intensity,

Said Chang.

Let's see you both back here for the next big update,

And end of century celebrations then,

Pronounced Miang.

Shen knew this was one invitation he would not be able to refuse.

By then he was hoping he would be able to bring the whole family,

If there was still time.

They were interrupted by Mia.

Time to get suited up Shen,

Freya's waiting for you.

Mike gave Shen a handful of bees.

Let me know how these perform,

I've adjusted them for 1G.

Will do,

Said Shen.

And can you find out why they are attracted to Freya,

Asked Mike.

I will indeed,

In fact I will ask her directly,

Said Shen,

Rather pleased on how easy life would be,

Now there were no secrets.

Chapter 70 Homeward Bound 2096,

Still 13 years left.

Shen was surprised both he and Freya got a goodbye hug from the President.

Chang still opted for a handshake.

Both Xing and Chang came to hug them goodbye.

The rest of the residents of the base lined either side of the connecting tunnel,

As if they were newlyweds.

When they were suited and helmeted up,

And seated in the tet,

Mia surprised Shen by asking him if he'd like to fly.

He didn't have to check with Freya.

I'll tell you when to take off,

And then we go straight up to 14km,

Just below the moon port's altitude of 15,

She said.

With no atmosphere to negotiate,

They felt nothing.

In the distance,

Shen could now see the moon port,

Hurtling towards them.

OK,

Now accelerate,

Up to 7500km an hour,

Away from it,

Instructed Mia.

The rate of closure slowed down,

And when they could see the port clearly,

Mia said,

Now increase to 8500 clicks.

When the moon port was coming right above them,

She said,

Dial in 8568.

33,

And we'll match it exactly.

The nanofans on their seats ensured they felt minimal g-forces.

Shen knew what to do next,

As he had for much of the procedure so far,

As he'd had a hand in its design after all.

He switched his monitor to the top view,

And instructed the tet to rotate so its edges were aligned perfectly with the three rows of light on the bottom of the moon port.

Just press auto dock,

Said Mia,

I find it so much easier these days.

The kilometre gap closed,

And a satisfying set of green lights came on when they docked.

OK,

We're just coming round to earth side,

Said Mia.

Unless you want to wait another two hours,

Let's get over to the moon tube.

No time to take suits and helmets off.

So Shen,

I've agreed with Mei that you know what you're doing,

Said Mia.

He's on standby,

But you're taking it back home.

Freya knew he would be grinning under his helmet,

And was also doubly grateful.

Firstly,

They'd just seen sight of earth again,

After a gap of just a few days that felt like weeks.

Secondly,

As it would give them time to chat and reflect.

Twenty minutes after entering the module,

The alignments were perfect,

And Shen shot them out into the void between the moon and earth.

He made sure all the outgoing comms were disabled,

But that they could hear Mei in case of any emergency.

He knew how to disable the remote override too,

So even Mia and Mei couldn't listen in.

Right down the barrel Shen,

Mei said,

You've not lost your touch,

See you in an hour.

You can get out of your suits now if you like.

They helped each other out of their respective suits,

And sat back to enjoy the view of an ever approaching earth.

Neither of them took more than a second glance back at the moon.

They were so relieved to be going back to what they knew as normal.

So you know I can tell you everything now,

Said Shen,

Who had updated her on his chat at the bar.

Of course,

So what don't I know,

Asked Freya.

Can I start with what I don't know,

Said Shen?

Just look at that beautiful jewel of a planet,

It's our home where our children and parents live.

I can't wait to be with them,

Said Freya.

So what I don't know,

Is why we're about to terraform another planet which is hostile to life,

When with all Mike's nanotechnology,

Surely it would be easier to hunker down and protect ourselves here.

Did you ask Miang and Cheng,

Said Freya?

I did,

But they were a little vague about the answer,

Saying it was all about secrecy and not causing mass panic,

Shen replied.

Still doesn't make sense though,

As there's loads of inaccessible places on the earth,

The bottom of the ocean for starters.

Shall I ask Mother Earth,

Suggested Freya?

Shen noticed Freya's body,

Shifting in and out of translucency.

After only a few minutes,

She said in a Freya not Freya kind of voice,

It's so the others can come.

What does she mean by the others,

Freya who was now Freya replied,

It is not time.

Shen knew it wasn't wise to push for more detail when channeling,

As the answers only got more vague and obfuscated.

So he asked Freya to see if she could pick anything else up as he checked in with Mei.

They were right on trajectory.

33 minutes to docking,

Mei confirmed.

They spent the rest of the transfer time in silence.

Freya was thinking about her children and the uncertainty of the next two decades.

It sounded like she would be moving to the moon base with them.

This was something she hadn't signed up for when she met Shen in Iceland all those years ago.

As exciting as the prospect might sound,

Earth looked a whole lot more inviting.

This was even more so as it was getting ever closer.

Shen had switched his gaze sideways to the cosmos around him.

To his right,

The stars were invisible in the white glare of the sun.

Something stirred in him about the sun.

He had a weird fleeting thought that caused him to wonder if he could live on or in the star.

He cancelled it out as too bizarre and looked out left to the cosmos,

Wondering if the others were out there somewhere.

In the corner of his eyes,

He started to see flashes and streaks of faint light.

As he looked towards them,

They disappeared.

He remembered Apollo astronauts reported such phenomena.

He was also mindful of how brave they were.

His re-entry back into his 1G world would be much more gentle and much less precarious.

After a smooth docking,

May took them straight back down to Earth in a TET.

There was so much traffic to and from the spaceport these days,

Mostly automated flights for cargo,

That nobody on board suspected two passengers had just left the moonport and were Earth-bound.

May was told to take no chances with her precious cargo as they slowed their orbital speed and were sitting 100km above the space centre.

She shared with them that they were the first in over two years to make the return trip back since Mike Spencer had come back to visit his dying father.

We've played with the algorithm since Mike came back as he had terrible trouble acclimatising to 1G,

May said.

He had either been weightless or in 1-6G for over a year.

I heard,

Said Shen,

He had excruciating joint pain until he got back into space.

Yes,

But we've been slowly increasing the nanofans on your seats since you left the moon to simulate increased gravitational force,

May explained.

You're now at 0.

75G.

I thought something felt weird and weighty,

Said Freya.

They touched down safely in the evening,

Having only experienced a little jet stream turbulence.

May didn't get out of the TET and was back at the spaceport in 10 minutes.

She didn't hang about when flying by herself.

Back on the ground,

Shen and Freya were subjected to a barrage of tests and told to stay overnight before going back.

They both gazed at the half-moon through their bedroom window as they slipped into deep slumber.

Hard to believe we were there just a few hours ago,

Whispered Freya.

Yes,

And that there's 25 people up there munching on Worm Burgers tonight,

Said Shen,

Who had stolen a copy of Chang's weekly menu.

The next day,

They felt heavy and sluggish,

Until around midday.

Freya took some time to check in with Yu Yang.

Now she had been drinking energised water.

While Shen met with Lance to share some more,

He'd heard about the drive while out in space.

Shen had been given approval to let Lance know about the internal fit-out in Moon Orbit.

Shen and Freya had to wait until the evening so they could fly back to the Seven Immortals under the cover of darkness.

As they took off,

Shen briefed Freya in some detail on what she could share and what she couldn't with Jia,

Huey and the children.

When they reached level flight,

Away from the mountains and in clear airspace,

Shen surprised her when he said,

It's time you learn to fly one of these.