epended upon, the ship contained an artificial salt water ocean, a fresh water lake, a rain forest, a desert, grassy plains, and a forest of pine, maple, and elm trees. Not only were the synthe

gh the water like the eels we had evolved from. T

restrictions today. Those two would

l you have ful

outing mission was denied. I may not return to acti

ment for the foreseeable future, " Shelly said with a smile. "It is nice

n. Suddenly a bottle nose dolphin burst through the surface of the water twenty feet from the shore. A moment later I burst out next to the

d giggle. "Elsaap is helping hunt for fish, b

**

confirmed that the signs of civilization visible from space were nothing more than sparse ruins. Life signs appeared in abundance, herds of grazing animals moved over sweepin

. "Before we land and explore on foot I'd like to co

y a mermaid girlfriend, " Javier said giving th

is partner with a smirk. "Two in one day and the poor

sides Christa said she'd love to if she wasn't already

ghter from all except Christa, who did her best to stud

of the ocean depths. The shuttle descended to the ocean floor, Christa reported that they were nearly six hundred feet below the surface. Plant life thrived in abundance, creating an undersea forest teeming with animal life. The species that caught the team's attention and affection looked like a bear's head, arms, a

ruck the hull. A sound like a scrub brush on steel echoed through the cab

ter a round of startled nods she

e motion until clear water revealed what lay outside the upturned silt. Their little octobear f

y, " Lancett said. "Let's put down on

identifying life forms. A surveillance drone tracked down and observed the various species the shuttles sensors had located. The data transmitted to biologists and sociologist on the ship for analysis. The encounter with the Pneuma reinforced the colony's

mountain. Javier and Dr. Lancett collected a handful of plant samples

ogist. He pointed at what appeared to be a lookout tower a f

ned, " Bobby said. The two security offic

gns of recent movement. Aside from the brush displaying evidence of grazing animals and the trampled grass and broken bra

Bobby when they reached the base of the mountain and the t

nity of the view. A clearing under the tower revealed evidence that a number of wooden structures had surrounded the tower until the elements had whittled them into dust. T

ured to himself as he made recordin

ride the invi

turbed the s

hat you mean, " said Bobby with a smirk. "All the

neering room on the ship, save for a thick layer of dust. The first floor, a single room, doors lined the wall to his right, a console, what looked like a key pad, an

he doo

r, we've only been able to get to the top floor. The computer down here won't turn o

felt at the State Fair as a kid. He did his best to stifle his nervous excitement as his rush to the top came to an end, until he looked down. Walter's head spun and his knees buckled as his mind failed to grasp how he stood on thin air above six empty stories. He had just

cern replaced his childish excitement when he saw Walters. "Are you alri

with a nod toward the cubicle as he grab

ll archeologist being tough, adventurous, dared

bit before you head back down. B

s that served as entryway, exit, and thrill ride, only a window lined the wall from waist to head height. Bobby called their attention to the shuttle they had arrived on, barely visible in the d

ey had observed on the planet Haran a few weeks ago. If engineers could glean even a portion of the techn

onitored life signs and the drone captured hundreds of images and behavioral observations, none of which appeared sentient

ed at the thought of making salt water from scratch when it covered most of Earth's surface. Mankind's last great conquest, the European colonization of the American continents, became a disaster for the indigenous people, killed off to a tenth of their former number by encountering the plague that Europeans had survived

resentative Councilors, called MARC. There were plans for further study, as well as talk of how the private sectors could access the unit for potential reverse engineering without disruptin

interview with the slight Archeologist, who still appeared s

nal passengers to old age, " said Paperman. Years of public appearances on the ship had perfected Paperman's

ed to debark, " said Grun

ke, which left him unable to perform his duties. Grunden still sought Miller's advice on the big issu

reds or even thousands of years ago. MARC's counsel is unanimous in its support for landing the colony and giving

aid the Admiral, "We'll need some time to find an ideal

me that you need. After all, nothing could ever return LARC1 to space, or nudge it into a

**

and declared the date a Colonial holiday. Preparations would begin in the morning to read

centers would power down and reduce personnel to a skeleton crew. The Governor ordered that industry managers release as many people to the emergency shelters as possible during landing. LARC engineers designed them to be the safest section of the craft, every seat came equipped with air bags, emergency oxygen, and shock a

rs of it, leaving the belly unadorned since it would be nested onto rock and soil after its descent. The part of the ship responsible for its propulsion would remain in orbit. It formed a mile diameter ring currently seated on the rear tip of the ship. Magnetic pulsers gl

a second colonial craft. The hollow core of the colony craft also had a practical function. The colony would

mission found the fabled lost city of Atlantis. Numerous corporations and a few governments funded its recovery to the surface. It became

ission, scientists sill gleaned discoveries and advances from its hull. For all the information it gave to mankind, it opened twice as many questions. Evidence indicated that most of the ship's components were missing. Archeologists theorized tha

least damage and many had not left their station for years. In 2031 LARC, the League of Atlantis Reborn Colonies, began. They also completed plans for the propulsion section. Its construction exceeded all expectations. Crews completed colony and pr

aining population composed of families from diverse background and all walks of life. LARC selected those who could already fill the positions the ship needed in its industrial sector first, to insure it departed properly manned. Next, diversity became the chi

orked with an elected city council to determine the appropriate tax needed to keep the civilian sector functioning. LARC funded itself by selling the various industries raw materials harvested from asteroids and unpopulated worlds it had encountered as the colonial vessel flew toward its destination. The League also he

**

sts, led by Dr. Lancett took every effort to evacuate the local wildlife from the area. They catalogued species while relocating animals. While most simpl

ger anticipation of a report along with the half million inhabitants of the colony. Looking back, I shou

s before I upload my findings, " Lancett said to a small

family are the first

cett's face and chittered al

There were motion sensors that activated sound and light sirens to scare off any wo

ed from where the round belly of the ship would rest, two thousand feet below the surface. The river which woul

the planet hosted. The colonists on the surface snapped pictures with their communicators and sent them to ship board friends and family on the last day when the entire ship appeared orange. The color ca

nding site. Lancett and his hundreds of surface bound companions watched in silence, making re

The religious offered up prayers for their friends and family aboard the colony

have to pilot, " Christa remarked to J

ed the colony for its entry, then as the massive craft screamed into the atmosphere front facing thrusters slowed its approach. If the craft were not slowed, the impact would not only o

the sky in front of the

r there, " Lancett said with a smi

ogist and returned her attention to the event. The thrusters flared to double t

child as the colony completed the journey that had taken tw

nd a smile broke the nerves free from his expression. This m