City-Ship Ascension

Geostationary Orbit

A few days later, Michael was just finishing with that day’s paperwork, which was now mostly in electronic form since he took Elizabeth’s advice and got himself an administrative assistant. Well, he did cheat a bit since the new assistant was Ares, who was kind enough to offer a few of his daily cycles to manage most of the day-to-day work. Max and his adopted son worked in tandem to lessen Michael’s burden of managing a new nation; there was simply too much stuff for one man, or a dozen, to do. In their spare time, those two were helping other members of the inner circle with their areas of responsibility.

Elizabeth had left a few minutes ago, after a quick visit. They were spending less time together than they used to. He realized that, but there was so much work, the days were simply not long enough. By the time they got into bed in the evening, both of them were exhausted. Therefore, any meaningful time they spent as a couple was in the morning, and a few times each month when they played hooky.

He was considering another trip with the Excalibur to orbit, or even to take Elizabeth and elope for a week. A month ago, they went on a trip to the Moon for a few days. Only two of them circling the Moon; as Elizabeth said, a perfect romantic getaway.

Earth's celestial companion was not so interesting after a few hours of exploration; dust, rocks, and craters are not good selling points for a tourist destination. Nevertheless, it was quite an exotic location, and watching the Earthrise from the Moon’s surface was a remarkable sight. Those were the best two days he had in a long time.

He remembered the plans he had when he was first going to his grandfather’s cabin, before all this began. He wanted to have more time for himself, to chill, unwind, and spend long afternoons reading books and listening to music. The reality has turned to be considerably different from that fantasy of his… not that he would change his life for anything.

Now he had something bigger than himself to live for, a purpose to make a bright future for all those people who followed him away from Earth.

Exhaling a deep breath, he electronically signed the last file when Max materialized his hologram in front of his desk.

“Hey, Michael, you’re taking the day off. I need to show you something.”

“If it’s another restaurant opening, I’ll pass. Emma already shanghaied me to five similar events in the last month, on account of public relations and stuff.”

“Nope, we are taking a little trip with the Excalibur; put on your battle-suit and let’s go. Look at the bright side, at least you won’t be bored,” the AI said with an excited infliction in his voice.

“Ares, is there anything else on the schedule?” Michael asked, looking at his computer screen.

“No, Uncle Michael. Dad made me clear your entire day, you can go and have fun,” the voice of the adolescent AI responded.

Half an hour later, Michael was sitting in the pilot’s chair on board of the spaceship, which was traveling at great speed away from Earth.

“Can you at least tell me where we are going?”

“We are on the intercept course with… something. It’ll take us about two and a half hours to get to our destination; it is halfway between Earth and Mars.”

“That’s not really giving much away; you are being obtuse on purpose,” he admonished the smug AI, and then murmured in his beard, “I hope it will be worth it.”

“Let’s just say it’s the biggest late birthday gift you have ever been given,” Max answered mischievously.

For the next few hours, they talked about inconsequential things, trying to figure out how much their thinking and the way they both looked at the world changed since that day when Michael fell down the Excalibur’s entrance shaft.

Close to the scheduled time to their destination, Max said, “We’re coming close, you can almost see it now.”

Michael looked at the holographic screen and could not see anything different in that blackness of space with tiny points of lights that indicated the position of countless stars.

“Okay… still not seeing it. Is it invisible?”

“Of course not, but look at the center of the screen.”

He regarded that place and a star that was much brighter than the others around it. As the minutes passed by, he realized it was not a star at all, but some sort of an object they were quickly approaching. At first, it was only a shiny dot, but it grew bigger and bigger.

“What is that thing?” Michael asked.

“Pay close attention and you’ll get it.”

Michael was focused on the shiny object, which quickly grew to the size of a golf ball. A conversation he had with Max a long time ago, popped back into his mind; it was about their future plans and all the things they wanted to build in space. Part of him suspected what it was, but it was still hard to believe it. As far as he knew, the object of that conversation was still just a concept, far from a finished product.

“Max…”

“Care to take a guess?” The AI said, barely holding in his laughter.

“It’s a… space station,” Michael whispered.

“Give the man a cigar, and he even got it right on the first try,” Max said in a teasing voice.

“But… how?”

“I’ll tell you later, for now, just observe.”

With each passing minute, their destination became larger. He could not even guess the size of it, but if he were to calculate the speed of their approach and the distance from the object… it was enormous. His eyes were so mesmerized by the image on the screen, he did not see Max’s prideful expression.

It was like approaching the Sun; even this far away from their star, enough photons reached the station’s reflecting surface for it to be quite distinctive. Very soon, most of the display was occupied by the new space station, while his mind was still having trouble believing its dimensions… and shape.

“Congratulations Max, you build your own Death Star,” Michael said, absent-mindedly, after realizing that the station was entirely spherical.

“That’s not funny… even if it resembles one.” Max snorted. “In point of fact, the design is surprisingly old; first proposed in nineteen twenty-nine by John Desmond Bernal, and he named it humbly, a Bernal sphere. The sphere was chosen for its optimal ability to contain air pressure and mass-efficiency for providing radiation shielding. Dr. Ross had the starting idea, and then we took that basic concept and made some modifications.”

While they were talking, the Excalibur had considerably decreased its speed, slowly approaching the station.

“How big is this thing?”

“It is a perfectly spherical shell twenty-five miles in diameter. As I said, the original design was rather simplistic; you create living space on the inside of the shell and then spin it around for gravity. Since we can manipulate gravity, the logical improvement was to build levels… many levels. There are four main residential levels that are around the middle or ‘the waist’ of the station; they have the most space and are each a quarter-mile in height, while the rest are mostly five hundred feet in height. Each level will be a fully self-contained ecosystem, with a slightly different climate that will support a native diversity of various plants.”

The AI’s face was beaming while describing the new station.

“The hull itself is two and a half miles thick, consisting of many layers with the last two being that crystal matrix I was encased with, and the surface of it is plated in Resistanium, the metal we found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Add to that improved energy shields, and the station is all but impenetrable. When it is fully finished, it will be capable of sustaining the thriving population in millions.”

Michael managed to close his open mouth, his mind still in the state of information overload.

“But how in the world did you manage to… make it so big? He asked, looking at the station that by now has grown to gigantic proportions.

Max’s hologram showed a wide grin. “Archimedes said ‘Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world’; it is essentially the same concept. The first nanites probe we sent from Pagan Island had the mission to go to the Main Asteroid Belt and set up shop. It did, and those nanites exponentially multiplied. For a while, it was all they did until the entire mass of nanites started to exert its own gravity… that was my lever. When the optimal number of them was created, the governing MI started refining needed materials by consuming entire asteroids; and there is an almost unlimited supply of them in the belt. I could have made it even bigger, but that would take considerably more time; most levels are still being constructed from the inside… you know, small potatoes.” Max joked.

“The entire idea came from one of my conversations with Dr. Ross, about future habitats we could make. I asked him to utilize his think tank and design a perfect space station using all of the technology available to us, provided we had access to unlimited resources. I can’t wait to see the expression on his face when he realizes that it was not only a theoretical work for a far-future project.”

There was a mischievous look on his face, yet Michael only shook his head and continued to observe the station. The Excalibur was so close to it that the entire screen turned into a never-ending metal wall in front of them.

Max made the Excalibur fly a circle around the station, and Michael could see the different features of the outer hull. There were numerous outlines of circular hatches.

“What are those for?”

“Ah, well... The plans called for a few defensive measures, just in case of… I don’t really know. It seemed reckless not to give it some teeth in case it ever came under attack. So far, no weapon systems are built yet, even though they are on the list. If we ever get attacked, those on the receiving end will get some life-changing surprises.” Michael turned to the hologram and in its eyes saw the same expression he saw in the mirror when thinking about his enemies. That look never portended good things for those that caused it.

“So, would you like a tour of the inside?” The AI asked, with a wide grin back on his face. Looking every inch like a young man showing off his new car, petting it, and giving it silly names.

Michael nodded, and the Excalibur came closer to the station, almost touching it.

“Open Sesame,” Max said, and a massive one-hundred-foot-tall door opened before them. The new opening led straight into a well-lit corridor, which ended in another door, exactly like it.

“These doors are made out of Resistanium, and there are twenty-five of them. Each is acting as an airlock, ensuring atmospheric integrity within. Furthermore, this is only a side entrance; there are also two bigger landing bays at the poles, but they are still under construction.”

It took a while to get through each airlock since it wasn’t a straight path. Sometimes they had to go vertical and sometimes even horizontal. As Max described, it was a zigzag path that insured no one would ever get a lucky shot, however unlikely that scenario may be. As the twenty-fifth door opened before the ship, Michael couldn’t see anything in front of them, they had entered into absolute darkness.

“Max, did you forget something? It is rather dark in here,” Michael muttered.

“Since this is the first time a flesh and blood human has entered this vessel, I thought that you should do the honors; you know, with the magnitude of the moment,” the AI said, with a slight smirk.

Michael laughed, knowing exactly what he meant by that. “All right, Max… let there be light.”

Above the Stygian darkness a light appeared; slowly at first, until the entire ceiling started to glow. The best way to explain how he felt when he saw the entirety of it would be to say that he was thoroughly thunderstruck. It was difficult to imagine that this was just one level inside of the space station. The entire ceiling became a clear blue sky with a few clouds floating around. On the edges, where the walls were supposed to be… mountains stood proudly, making this entire place look as if it were a hidden mountain valley.

“The sky is holographic, of course, so are the upper parts of the mountains, but I think it gives it a nice touch, makes it homier. Besides, there are twenty miles to the opposite wall, so one doesn’t get that feeling of being in an enclosed space.”

“Max, this…” He couldn’t find the words to express the wonder he felt inside.

If it wasn’t for a very boring and utterly brown floor, and the fact that he could still see the metal doors behind him; Michael could have sworn that he was back on Earth.

“You can take a stroll outside; the atmosphere is perfectly breathable.” The AI said.

“How did you manage that out there in space?” he asked as the Excalibur descended to the ground, a few hundred feet from the entrance.

“It’s just basic chemistry. Take a little nitrogen, add a pinch of oxygen, mix it up, and add additional gases. Before you know it, you have breathable air. Since there was plenty of ice in the asteroid belt, mixing up some air was easy. A few of the top levels are entirely filled with ice; it’s more economical to tow it from the belt than lifting it from Earth later.”

Michael exited the craft, not even bothering to put on his helmet. The first breath of air brought a little surprise; it was very dry and lacking any odor. Most people do not usually notice the variety of scents that are constantly present in the air around them; here, their absence was strangely distinctive.

“It is still work in progress,” Max explained. “As a matter of fact, the station is completely devoid of life. The soil beneath your feet is made from minerals that were a side product of our mining process, but it has no organic matter, microorganisms, or bacteria, it’s completely sterile. All that needs to be additionally introduced. Essentially, the entire layer of topsoil needs to be added. We will have to ship that from Earth; and grass, trees, flowers, insects…”

Michael looked at the vast expanse, marveling at the incredible abundance of space he was seeing. Even the Ascension, which was a thousand times roomier than any space station humanity ever managed to build, felt tiny and claustrophobic in comparison to this. There was even a good-sized lake in the distance and a wavy river running from the mountains was feeding it. What drew his gaze was a big column in the center of the level, rising from the floor all the way to the holographic clouds.

“What is that at the center?” He pointed at the column that was completely covered in glass windows.

“That is a central support pillar which adds to the structural stability of the station. One mile in diameter and it has multiple purposes. The elevators that connect all the levels are within the pillar, and the outer surface is covered with apartments; they are quite nice, if I say so myself. Most of the people will live there in the beginning, but after we build additional structures and dwellings, they can move, if they do not like it there.”

“And each level is planned to be like this one?” Michael asked, unable to keep amazement from his voice.

“Well… not exactly. Those four central levels will be similar to this one, with a lot of green, forests, and rivers. Dr. Ross’s think tank, which had a task of determining the ideal living conditions, came up with this concept. The plan is to make this one habitable, and maybe another one, plus one that will have a small indoor sea or a big lake; we still have to decide what it will be. The rest can be finished if they are needed. The engines occupy the bottom two levels; it takes a lot to move this much mass, and don’t even get me started on braking, this puppy needs a long time to slow down. I’m thinking of putting a big sticker on the front that would say ‘We Brake for Nobody’” Max smirked again.

“Besides the ice, a few levels are filled with processed materials that will be needed to finish the interior, and a few of my projects. For all that, the nanite refineries at the asteroid belt are still working full-time.”

“Max… Don’t tell me…” By the nonchalant sound of the AI’s voice, Michael had an inkling what he was planning.

“Why build one when you can have two at twice the price?” the AI mischievously quoted one of their favorite movies. “But the next one will be built much slower and held in reserve within the belt. It takes a great amount of my computing power to oversee every little thing, even with communication lag. And I don’t see us hurting for space anytime soon.”

Michael contemplated that statement for a while, with images of the vast possibilities for the future going through his mind.

“How soon can we start bringing people over?”

“Well, the first group will arrive in a few hours. I may have offered them a chance of a lifetime if they could keep it a secret and were prepared to take a long trip. It is predominantly made of botanists and those that have the job of making this place livable. It’s going to take a lot of work to get to the stage where no one can differentiate this place from one on Earth. Their work will continue for some time; I don’t think we will have any takers at first for relocating here. It is interesting as a novelty, but the accommodations on the Ascension are a hundred times better. That is one of the crucial points Dr. Ross made, that people do not want to raise their families in sterile environments, and hence all this space and soil. What’s more, without using the holo-emitters to simulate the sky, many of them would start developing psychological problems. It is the same issue we came across when first building the Ascension. The mind is a tricky thing, and will believe the input eyes are sending it, even if it’s fake.”

Over the next few hours, Max had shown him several interesting places on this level. One was the spot where the river flowed into the lake. The river itself was fifty feet wide, with many bends to make it appear more natural. It wasn’t very deep, but the water was crystal clear. Since it was made from filtered asteroid ice, it was perfectly safe for consumption. The lake reminded him of the one in his grandfather’s mountain valley, except it was much larger, and its banks were bare of any vegetation.

The last place they visited before going back to the Ascension was the source of the river.

“Why is this place so familiar?” Michael asked, looking at tall cliffs.

“There were a couple of conceptual artists on Ben’s team, involved in designing this place, and I have a strong suspicion that they were avid Tolkien fans. In fact, it’s not ‘suspicion’ at all, they put the bloody names on the freaking plans. The settlement that is planned in the mountains will have a striking resemblance to Rivendell, and so many trees are planned for the entire floor, they even suggested that the name of the future forest should be Lothlórien. Let me tell you, never give fantasy fans freedom to name something.” The AI said in a morose voice.

Michael could not help but laugh. “I wouldn’t mind living in Rivendell, it sounds cool, but it will take some time for all those trees to grow,” he said looking at the immense valley.

“Not really, the plan is to do something similar to what we did with the Central Park in Ascension.”

“How? The Ascension was on Earth at that time.”

“It’s a matter of logistics. One of the botanists came up with the idea to build specialized transporters for their move to space; construction nanites will dig up the trees from the ground, roots and all. Then after bringing them here, they will be replanted while being provided enriched mineral supplements they need to get over the stress of the move. They have even put a few Sequoias on a wish-list, if you can believe it.”

Michael shook his head, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Still having trouble figuring out how they were planning to transport those giants inside the space station.

“Any more surprises?”

“Except for an ISS2 space station I have stored on the upper landing bay, that’s about it. There are a few things you will want to check out, but they are not essential so they can wait for some other day.”

Michael kneeled on top of the soft earth, grabbing a handful of dry soil and letting it run through his fingers.

“I remember the time when this all was no more than a vague idea in my head… look at us now. We are in the most amazing space station that was ever dreamed of,” he whispered, moved by Max’s creation.

“It took a lot of hard work and perseverance Michael; and really, the odds were stacked against you. The ‘High Council’, governments… every single one of them would have stopped this dream.”

Michael turned his head to look at the Excalibur. “And I’m sure they’re not done yet. Something is telling me there will be plenty more obstacles along the way. I have the same feeling now I had on Pagan Island before they found us… the calm before the storm.”

“And you will deal with new problems as you did with those before. We can only do our best and push forward; hell, if it was easy, everyone would do it.” The AI responded.

Michael dusted his hands and entered the Excalibur.

“I’ll check the ISS2 next time, let’s go home.”