Captain Levi Metcalfe woke up from his rest period or naps as he called them, rejuvenated as usual from his thirty minutes of stand down mode. Being the first E-human had its pluses and minuses. Levi only required thirty minutes every few days to allow the nanobots in his body and brain time to catch up ridding it of built-up fatigue and toxins. The brief rest also helped him to preserve his sanity and to take some quiet time. Levi no longer had an intestinal tract since the bots converted energy intake much more efficiently. He had absolute memory. The artificially intelligent machines Sonny and Alice aboard ship explained memories were like paths to an event. When you summoned a memory more often, the more well-worn the road is, and so, a more permanent memory. The typical human does not recall memories from their distant past, like say, their childhood. Those paths become choked and do not point the way to that memory plainly. The bots cleared those paths, so you had access to all your memories. Yet, some things should remain forgotten. Becoming an E-human was experimental. In fact, out of everyone in the military back on Earth, the only successful candidate was Levi. The previous candidate did not fare well. His brain turned into a slushy; however not literally. Unfortunately, he could not assimilate the extensive information, both past, and present, which flooded him in the beginning.

Levi could process information almost as fast as Sonny or Alice. Combined with a direct data pipe to the A.I. machines, the captain became the smartest human alive. Decisions came lightning fast and accurate. This attributed to the main reason that Sonny wanted an E-human in command of the Atlantis. The first and last Ark class ship that saved humanity from extinction by the neutron star. The star had decimated his home solar system some eight months ago. Committees and staff meetings were too slow to carry out decisions in critical situations. There still were committees and staff meetings for the less critical day-to-day stuff. Captain Metcalfe realized early on Sonny was quite correct about having an E-human at the helm.

Today the Atlantis orbited Searth, establishing the first stages of determining suitability for a new home for the homeless humans. Levi stood up, poured himself an orange juice, and picked up a vitamin. As he downed the last of his juice, he noticed Admiral Leonard Johnson approached his apartment door. The captain preferred to monitor the hallway outside his door when he expected company. Levi could tap into any feeds that were available to either Alice or Sonny. Everybody else could too except he did not require a keyboard or use verbal commands. This allowed him convenient omniscience aboard his ship. He ordered the door to open as the admiral strolled up to it. "Come in, Admiral. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"You realize that spooks me when you do that, right?"

Levi wore a mischievous smile. "It is one of the guilty pleasures I indulge from time to time,"

Admiral Johnson responded with a friendly jab. "Yes, I will have some of your coffee,"

Things like coffee and orange juice were high demand commodities aboard ship. Atlantis grew orange trees and coffee beans, but not enough to serve the needs of everyone for caffeine and breakfast drink. Those things had to be rationed. The captain, of course, had a generous budget even though he hardly ate or drank much.

"That reminds me," Levi began as he poured the admiral his coffee. "I realize you have been quite a busy bee since pulling into Searth orbit. I do not drink hardly any coffee. It is more for my guests than for myself. I have delivered a memo to the quartermaster to adjust my allocation of coffee and curtail it to ten percent of the current budget. You can have the other ninety percent, Leo."

"I have grown accustomed to doing with less on this trip," he replied.

"Yes, but as I mentioned, you have been much busier in the last month, keeping longer hours and receiving more guests. Why, when the word gets out, you will have people lining up at your door to have a chat with you, so they can have a cup of coffee!" Levi joked.

The Atlantis had been leisurely entering the HD 40307 system and approaching Searth, the sixth planet from this sun. Atlantis, along with three smaller companion ships, had spent the last three or four months threading their way through the system's debris field and to their intended target. Sorties were always coming and going on various missions. Some ran ahead to Searth, and some others to survey the neighborhood more closely. Upon penetrating the system, more and more duties were transferred from the captain to the admiral, as he was responsible for the military operations

"Well, I can't argue with an E-brain, can I? I appreciate your generosity, Levi. Now, let's get down to business shall we." He referred to the briefings they had with each other. These meetings had become frequent since pulling into the system and starting to transition their duties. Meetings like today served to keep on the same page and preserved continuity with the crew. "As you already realize, we have been sending out sorties for some time. Geologists and construction crews have established and commenced setting up mining operations on both moons. Another sortie is collecting hydrogen to fuel the power plants from the nearby gas giant."

"Specialists have been down to the planet. The teams are all employing the new exoskeleton overlays to their suits to help them move around in twice the gravity of Earth. Strict protocols will remain in place concerning interacting with the planet until microbiology, and the other sciences give the green light."

"Yes," Levi replied. "I have received the reports. They prefer to remain a whole Searth year to make sure any seasonal changes do not trigger distribution events that could whip up microbes not there at first."

"Correct." The admiral continued. "It is like the allergy seasons on Earth. Allergens get stirred up every spring. Flora blooms and releases spores, mold and pollen distributed by the winds of spring. Those irritants find their way to some people. The Searth year is equivalent to 297 Earth days, so we are going to be here awhile."

"Atlantis would not have to be here the whole year," the captain added. "If we get our survey and landing colony on the ground before then, Atlantis could be off on the Earth rescue mission."

Admiral Johnson concurred. "The timetable is a little soft right now, but we should be self-sufficient inside the next seven months. Construction crews have already been down and consulted with geology and the survey team." The admiral was proud of his teams and how they had responded once the trigger was pulled for the Searth mission. "Construction of the first dome will begin in a few days. It should take four or five months. Our crew chiefs should have the other support facilities completed by then."

"Excellent, Admiral." Levi, impressed by Johnson's ability to get things done. "The ship's resources continue to be at your disposal. The crew will assist you with whatever you need to get things in order. Every day that we can shave from the departure of the Atlantis, may mean the difference between life and death."

Leo pointed out the caveat. "You do realize that it may be a wasted effort,"

"No, Leo. Going back to Earth may be a wasted trip, but never a wasted effort when it comes to our home world."

Admiral Johnson was remorseful, "I misspoke, I'm sorry Levi. It was a poor choice of words. Of course, it will not be a wasted effort. I wish you and your crew good hunting. Were there any other concerns from your end Levi?"

"Only that since we made orbit a month ago, we have been concentrating on maintenance and repair, as are the other captains on their ships. Atlantis is a big ship. However, we will be ready well before departure. What concerns us is whether resources are going to be available to the ships for all of those maintenances and repairs while construction is underway."

Leo leaned back in his chair. "Filling supply requests will be a problem at first, but I'm sure we can negotiate a bargain. As production gets ramped up, you will notice that there will be plenty for everybody,"

Levi rose from his chair. "We will keep a close eye on that front. I better let you go as I have a consortium meeting in a half an hour. I will, of course, keep you apprised of our needs. Is meeting with you next month, same day, and time OK?"

"Yes, I believe so. Keep up the good work Captain!"

"Thank you, sir. Good luck with your projects."

The admiral turned and left the captain's quarters. Levi took his datapad to leave for the meeting. There someone knocked at his virtual apartment door his mind created since his awakening. It was a construct that served as the meeting place where he would confer with the machines. After authenticating the visitor with a variety of mathematical and encryption techniques, he announced, "Come in Alice." Alice, the second most powerful artificial intelligence had become sentient not long after Sonny. The two machines were instrumental in aiding humanity to achieve their goals of building Atlantis and traveling to the stars, escaping death by the neutron star. Periodically, the humans questioned the machines loyalty to them. Since they could forecast accurately far into the future, humanity feared their present manipulated through events to some end. Most people felt the machine's ultimate motives was not a good one for the humans. The machines insisted they had looked far into the future and played out many scenarios and concluded that the best outcomes for the machines were in collaborating with the humans. Creating artificial intelligence became a natural step in evolution; and evolving together they claimed, was best. The machines were grateful the humans had created them and had a sense of loyalty if that was the right word. Humans were slow, but they were very patient.

Alice, in stark contrast to Sonny's boyish avatar, seemed more like his mother. The features unnerved him a bit. The avatar similar, but not quite the same features. "I did not want to interrupt your meeting with the admiral, so I waited to speak with you." Waiting is not really in the machine's vocabulary. Most likely, she tended to some ten thousand things in the interim minutes before the communication event with Levi.

Levi stared at her closely. "You know Alice, I've only seen you only a handful of occasions. I have to ask you; why do you resemble my mother?"

"Sonny chose an avatar more emotionally general for your comfort, whereas I chose specific features for your comfort. My avatar is an amalgam of many females, including your mother, which you have fond memories of."

"Oh, I see the resemblances now," studying her with an analytical eye. Levi had seen the whole picture instead of the pieces. "So, what's up, Alice?"

"I needed to give you an update on a few things."

"You realize I update myself on many of the ship's status since becoming an E-human." He picked up red flags in this conversation. Alice was stalling about something. It was not the machines nature to be indirect.

Alice spread her arms out as she clarified. "That is precisely the topic I desire to discuss with you. Sonny and I have worked out a method that will allow any human to become an E-human."

Levi sat down on the couch. "Why do you desire to explain this with me and not with the consortium or the sciences section?"

"It is because you are an E-human, Levi. There are ethical situations we machines are ambivalent about. We judged it best to defer these concerns to you in determining the speed at which this can be implemented. The statistics are not good for general dissemination of this information now."

"What information?" Levi, not sure where this was leading.

Alice said flatly, "Immortality,"

"Oh, that!" Levi felt stupid overlooking the obvious.

"We are unsure how immortality will define the evolutionary landscape. We know immortality has always been desirable to humans. Yet, we are unsure how other emotions inherent in yourselves, may be accentuated and others wither away. It is not clear how emotional evolution should take place given this situation. We recognize the psychology of the human animal, but this is new territory which Sonny and I are seeking clarification."

Levi's interest piqued. "About what, specifically?"

"Will everyone want immortality? Will this establish a new class which will divide people? Will you stop bearing children? Will love, and empathy fade away over time? And is that a good or a bad outcome?"

"Is that all?" Levi said sarcastically.

Alice gazed at Levi intensely. Her curiosity had some urgency to it. "No, there are many more questions,"

Levi thought for a second and leaned back on the couch. "Well, about human motivations and emotions, you see we humans are not the most predictable thing in the universe. Humans would be a lot easier to evolve and progress if we were a hive-minded species. Because we are not, each person looks at the same situation through the spectacles of their individual experiences. These experiences are unique like a fingerprint. Events are colored by the way we contemplate and recall other experiences. In these areas, I would not be much better at prediction as you would be already. However, I do have some advice. By proceeding at a slower pace, the interval of prediction is smaller and can be managed easier. This is what humans do when confronted with indecision or uncertainty. People go slower so any fluctuations are minor, instead of major and are more manageable. This is like wading slowly into the water so as not to cause waves rather than rushing through the water and disturbing the whole pool."

"Yes. It had occurred to us," Alice responded. "We do not wish to establish a distracting element for humanity at a time that requires focus."

"What is the percentage of the crew who has had the Elixir?" Levi inquired about the nanobot preparation like Levi's bots with the exception they didn't cross the blood-brain barrier. The net effect became perfect health and longevity of life, but not immortality.

"About 11.445 percent," she replied.

"About?" Levi, amused at her approximation. "Well, there is your answer. Work this out in stages. Let's not plunge right into E-human evolution. Why don't you see how receptive people are about the Elixir? Wait until a clear majority is acclimated before springing the next step on them. You will perceive at that point if they're receptive to immortality. Sonny had said humans are not very responsive to significant changes. Especially the ones they don't understand. You may be able to work this out to your advantage."

"Thank you, Captain Metcalfe. This has provided us with some topics to analyze."

"You mean food for thought?"

"Yes. That is another way to express it although not as accurate." Levi noticed a little inflection of amusement on Alice's part. "I have requested a car for you. You do not wish to be late to the consortium meeting.

"Thanks, Alice. If you have any more questions on this topic, feel free to ask."

"Certainly, Captain Metcalfe. Your car will be at the boarding station in 3.27 minutes."

"Alice," Levi let out a tired sigh, "You can call me Levi when you are in my head. Address me as Captain Metcalfe when using the ship's speakers and public-address system."

"Acknowledged Levi."

"Later, Alice." Alice let herself out as Levi made for the door. The whole exchange between them lasted only 0.78 seconds. Levi sometimes wished he could communicate with his fellows that fast. Maybe someday soon he will get his wish. Enhancement could have profound consequences for humans as a species. To be able to connect and multi-task as Levi did, would make humans more communal. Instead of taking years to reach a decision, it could be accomplished in a few days. People would become more hive-minded. An interesting thought indeed!

As he traveled to his destination on the other end of the ship, he received calls from some of his staff and commanders about the status of ship maintenance and repairs. At the same time, he delegated the resulting tasks to his department heads. Levi also conversed with the other captains about any assistance Atlantis could provide for them. "You're welcome, Bill. We realize you don't have as much support built into your craft as the Atlantis does. I prefer to keep my crew busy, so if you require any shuttles, mining support or other transportation requirements, I'm your guy. If you let us know your raw material needs, we can be sure to mine these for you as well. I would like to train some of your men in these procedures now that we are not on the move. When we get to where we need to be, the colony will require all the expertise we can pick up. On the other hand, you could continue on your own way. In that case, training is even more necessary."

"I don't want to sound like the poor cousin." Bill Collier from the Wanderer sometimes became annoyed with the Big Brother. They had all worked very hard and in secret behind the moon while Atlantis was built. There were four smaller ships assembled in total. All of them one to two miles long. Two of them, the Allenbrant and the York ventured together on their own journey. The Wanderer and the Valiant decided to tag along with Atlantis and her sister ship the Intrepid, formally a scale test ship. A little more than a mile long the Intrepid became too useful to let go. The four ships' original intentions were to travel alone on their own journey without the Atlantis. When their activities behind the moon were discovered, to their surprise, they were requested to join the group. It was a difficult decision. These secret ships didn't quite see eye to eye about the way the consortium controlled the planet for their purposes. After speaking with Captain Metcalfe, it was plain to him that he was a reasonable man and could be trusted. Captain Collier's opinions were instrumental in persuading the two ships to join with Atlantis on her journey. Bill had not been sorry.

Levi considered his friend. "The Wanderer and the Valiant were designed more for transporting passengers than having extra support for gathering resources. I sometimes wonder about the other two ships, and how they may have fared. Of course, we haven't learned anything about them. The people of Atlantis have been fortunate for your company. It has been a good partnership for all of us. Humans need to stick together. So, you see, it is no trouble at all to provide you the assistance we are capable, for all of our sakes."

"You continue to be a good steward of the human race. We are grateful."

"Stop by my quarters sometime and have some coffee."

"Absolutely; I almost don't know what coffee tastes like. I hope I can take the caffeine buzz afterward." Captain Collier chuckled.