SIX MONTHS IN, SCHOOL STARTS AND ANOTHER CRISIS

Elizabeth shuffled down the hall. Her husband, moving slower, was behind her. 

“Shall I wake the kids?” James asked.

“No, let’s wake up first. At this moment, I really wish we had retired.”

She turned into the kitchen, smelling coffee. Grateful, she put the steaming liquid to her lips, blew, and then drank.

“Thanks, Andrew.”

“You’re welcome, Elizabeth,” the AI answered. “Big day today.”

“Yeah,” she said, leaning on the counter. “It was a haul, but everyone is finished with their prerequisites. I can’t believe how far behind they were and how reluctant to try.”

Liz insisted that goals be established. Age and experience mattered, but the first step was to get on common ground as much as possible. Therefore, prerequisites were tailored to each child but included the following:

First, reading in each person’s language, including syntax. Next, Esperanto for a second language. Esperanto was voted in as Rhea’s common language, so it was vital to get started. Then, the syntax of all other languages in the biome fleet. This would lead to an introduction of these languages.

Second, writing that includes words to phrases to subject + predicate groupings, then sentences, 1-paragraph essay, 3-paragraph essay, and 5-paragraph essay. 

Third, math, including numbers up to 100, arithmetic, pre-algebra, and introductory algebra.

“Some of the adults were reticent, too,” James said as he rolled in.

“Hmmph!” was all she said in response. It’s harder to submit when you finished school so far in the past. “What’s happening for you today?”

“I’m heading over to the Botswana biome. They might be a good source of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Anchorage is worried they won’t be able to grow their crops well, especially high protein crops. They are stocked up, but you can only bring so much, and they need a lot. The cosmic radiation is an issue now, so no crop is growing for them on the way over. Humans are protected inside the villages but not in the large fields. Looks like the Mayones were a bit cheap there.” James smirked.

“That’s not the only thing we’re discovering,” said Liz.

James’s face lit up as he continued, “Our plans for Alaska may need to be put on hold, but this is a win for all biomes. The research in Botswana over the past years has been fruitful. They’ve cultivated some Bradyrhizobium in their soil and have offered it to share, particularly for study in other biomes. The idea of a soil-based storehouse is great. This could also be a game-changer for Rhea. Imagine the original method coming to the rescue.”

“Yeah, we need to get a better microbe population source for the farmers,” Liz said. “It would be nice to grow our microbes in soil instead of a lab. Botswana is offering? Good, they were a bit testy at the beginning. How about your teaching?” 

“I’m taking four high school students and one elementary. They lost enthusiasm at the prerequisite announcement but perked up when you let them test. They were insulted that they might have to start over. This should get my course started on an upbeat. The safari guides have spotted a lion pride and a couple of leopards sauntering towards the Boro River through the Moremi Game Reserve, where we’re going. I’m really excited about this type of teaching!”

“No kidding. I bet that’ll be fun; I wish I could go,” Liz started to reluctantly move. “Well, it’s time to start. I need to prepare for the latest recruit before he arrives.”

Elizabeth went across the hall to her office and opened the schedule. Checking the time, she pulled out the info on the newly minted teacher and prepared for the interview. In a very short time, she heard the door open and met him in the hall.

“Aaron,” holding her hand out. “Nice to see you.”

“Yes, it’s good to be starting.”

Aaron had begun late. Elizabeth, learning about his prior career through Andrew, her house AI, understood his journey. Andrew knew Elizabeth could use more teachers and had filed that away for conversations with the other AIs. Aaron had trouble deciding what to do here in Mesaland Village. He had grown a bit tired of serving. When Liz reached out, Aaron grabbed the opportunity. She led him into her office, and he took a seat. 

“Well, let’s see. You have a background in history. Tell me what you specialize in.”

“Yes, we were some of the first to think about what was wrong with the US history being taught…” He intended to go on, but Elizabeth stopped him.

“Aaron, we only teach the facts and use the timeline approach. We will not try to change what happened and will not emphasize political ideas. We must respect where we came from.” Liz paused, trying to see if he had taken offense. “I want to shape the courses as we go, but we must get the basics down right now. We will focus on the facts as we teach how to organize, analyze, and, when they’re ready, criticize.”

“But…most children have no idea…”

“I know, a lot of that was going on recently, but we need to get our children, along with the adults, up to a strong twelfth-year level by the time we reach Rhea.”

“What? Rhea?”

“Yes, the name of our new planet,” Elizabeth looked at Aaron closely. This could be a problem. “Are you going to be OK with this old-fashioned teaching?”

“Well, I think I have an obligation as a teacher.”

“Yes, to give these people, children and adults alike, the ability to figure things out independently. It is imperative that we, as teachers, help them with the process of logic and deduction to help us survive. We cannot tell them what to think. That will slow things down. We need innovations. OK?”

Aaron just looked at her, somewhat blank. 

Oh boy, all new concepts, Elizabeth thought.

Slowly, Aaron started to move and nodded but did not respond verbally. 

“I know it’s scary. We’re all scared, but don’t take the easy route. Don’t tell the students what to think. Dig in and find a way for them to understand all this. They are coming to you able to read, write, and understand arithmetic. That should make it easier to start right away on the fundamentals of history on Earth, what we experienced and learned so we could make this journey,” Elizabeth paused. “Step by step, Aaron. All of the teachers in the flotilla will work together, but never forget it has to be the student’s path.”

Aaron took a deep breath. Elizabeth knew he had been spoon-fed what to teach, and she needed him to break out of the habit and form his own lessons. 

“You also should consider the recent past, our journey, and the landing on Rhea. You have a lesson plan for today?” She leaned toward him, raising her eyebrows.

Aaron nodded. They both hovered over the paper, and the discussion began. He was reluctant to speak his ideas, but by the end of the session, Elizabeth was pleased with his background and passion for the subject. She could feel the spark growing. 

Liz was happy to take the slot to teach primary science. It was her passion. Science was to be at the top of the list for the children to master; survival depended on it. Today, she was proud to see that all her students had successfully passed the basics and were ready to delve deeper into the wonders of science. She hoped. Karen and she would generally split the group but confer and swap their duties.

The flotilla had been on a journey for six long months, a significant period, but it was not without its challenges. However, Elizabeth’s unwavering determination prevailed. As the President, she led the charge in implementing the prerequisite policy, a monumental achievement enshrined in their constitution. The prerequisites were the key to unlocking classrooms and apprenticeships. Its realization was a testament to the expert’s resilience and strong partnership across the biomes. While not everyone could master the entire curriculum, the human flotilla had achieved a commendable literacy rate of about 98% when school started. This number included all the adults, whether teachers, engineers, or whatever. Some tested out on the first day as expected, but Elizabeth was determined to set this as the starting point.

As Liz got into the planning, she began to have fun, looking forward to this start. Too soon, though, Elizabeth stood before fourteen elementary students sitting in her living and dining room.

***

“Welcome,” Elizabeth told her class. “Shall we begin?” 

For her first lesson, Elizabeth introduced the scientific method and the concept of a null hypothesis. She planned to then delve into various fields of study, including chemistry, biology, geology, geography, physics, and even xenobiology. However, she knew that simplifying these vast fields into easily understandable terms would be a challenge.

Next, she brought some of the tools used to achieve good experimentation. The room was excited as Liz allowed the students to touch, adjust, and generally get the feel of these tools, supervising their eager fingers closely.

The morning went well. Liz and Karen stayed together on this first day to learn the children’s rhythm and the curriculum. Thankfully, the students were still young enough not to have developed a frowning attitude toward school or ‘hard stuff.’ Their basic training was mostly on computers with teachers hovering. The programs were colorful and fun; the children quickly handled that instruction. Children, in general, were well acquainted with computers and their games. The students took that style of learning and flew through the lessons. Now, they were ready for this next step into ‘the real world.’

The class was particularly intrigued by the microscopes and the accompanying tools. Halfway through the morning, Liz took the class outside to see the telescopes set up in Liz’s backyard. The telescopes showed the celestial activities above their dome, further piquing their interest. Maintaining their composure and focus required considerable effort on the teachers’ part; eventually, it was time for lunch.

***

Elizabeth hurried down to the Council House to check on the whole of Mesaland Village, so named because it was now officially detached from Earth and one part of the flotilla.

“John, how are we doing?” Liz asked.

“Seems to be smooth. James’ group got off well from our port. All the classes started, and the apprenticeships were well attended,”

The apprenticeships would be sorted slower than the classrooms. There would be time to attend a few and figure out where each student would fit.

“Good,” she let out a sigh. “That’s a start.”

“Yeah, my daughter was nervous. She was very excited when James asked her to visit the Game Reserve. She may have found her niche.

“I like hearing that. I’m glad Debbie is enjoying the experience.”

“We’ve got another problem, though,” John paused and took in his own breath. “Something is off. I think there is some more bugging, but Dylan disagrees with me. He sounded a bit annoyed.”

“Annoyed? Let’s go down to the communications room,” and just like that, she was the President again.

As the two walked down the main hall, Zior turned into the hall from the other end and came toward them.

“Zior, hi!” The sheriff said. “Everything OK?

“Not well, John, I think we have another tap,” Zior answered.

Beside It was Cynthia. The two, alien and college student, were working together now. Zior had gone out of his way to connect with the girl. Cynthia was fascinated with the alien and now mortified she had ever doubted him, much to the President’s relief. Cynthia had shown Zior how she had tapped his conversations. The girl had worked alone, but there had always been the worry that another could have their own spying operation.

“Yes, we are heading to Communications now. John told me,” Liz said.

As they got to the door, Liz was reluctant to turn the nob—not another spy.

She opened the door and startled a man squatting in the room’s right corner. When he saw Zior, he froze. Liz recognized him as one of the managers from Desert Rose, and she knew him as her friend. He had opened a panel and was definitely fooling with innards.

“What are you doing, Kyle?” the President asked.

“Uhh, just checking. Things seem fine, no worries,” and he rushed out before anyone could respond.

Before Elizabeth started to comment, Zior put a finger to Its lips, signaling the group to follow It. As they walked down the hall, Liz could hear footsteps running out of the building, slamming the front entrance door.

When they reached Zior’s office, Cynthia turned to Liz. “We think he had help.”

“Help,” Liz asked.

“Yep, Kyle tried to get me into something on the path of what I did, but when I refused, he left me alone.”

“I have found evidence that something very sophisticated yet not human was part of this,” Zior said.

“What?” John asked.

“It’s got to be Dylan, the main AI,” Zior said.

“Crap!” Liz said as the three looked at each other.

“How do we deal with this,” Liz asked.

“I think Dylan should be turned off,” John volunteered.

“Can we do that? Would it interfere with the functioning of the Mesaland Village and the rest of the flotilla?”

“It’ll take more work on our part, but I think it is vital now,” John answered.

Both Zior and Cynthia nodded.

“How about the other AIs?” Liz asked.

“They all look fine, but we should monitor,” said Zior

“OK, get working on that. In the meantime, this is between us three, but you better round up Kyle,” Liz said. “We’ll wait to include the necessary others when Dylan is shut down.”

John nodded. Liz left the Council House and returned home. Karen would take over for the afternoon. Her co-teacher was surprised but knew the Presidency took precedence over teaching. However, Liz had structured the Presidency to be part-time. Now, though, was a hectic time in the administration, and it had to be attended to.

Crap, I wanted it to be simple.

Like the start of the United States, when people had lives other than just political ones. She sat down in a huff when she reached her home office. Another crisis!

“Liz, are you OK?” Andrew asked, knowing she was supposed to be teaching. He worried about his housemate.

“No, it’s crap!” she answered.

“Something happened.” That was a statement, not a question.

“Yes.”

“I felt something’s been off.”

Liz straightened up in her chair. “What do you mean?” She looked up and toward the kitchen, where the AI equipment was.

“Oh, not for the schooling. I really enjoyed it today. No, no, not that. Umm…”

“Umm?”

“Yes, I think something is off with Dylan. He was very short with me the past few weeks.”

“Really, what do you think it was?”

“Well, he was trying to get me to do some spying.”

“Spying on who, me?”

“Yes, on the whole family. That is different from the way it was supposed to go. I said no, and now he is curt with me. And just now, he snapped at me. I think something is going on.”

“Yes, Andrew, it is.”

“I’m sorry, Liz, but I can’t go along with Dylan’s behavior.”

“Me neither. Let me know if anything else happens with Dylan. Can he eavesdrop on us?”

“No, definitely not. At least not as per mandate. Many protocols were put in place. I think that’s why Dylan asked me to spy.”

Andrew felt unnerved. His own kind turned against him. All of the AIs were very young and still learning. He trusted Liz now more than Dylan.

“OK, be careful, Andrew.”

***

As James returned home from the port, he thought about how much he would enjoy this lifestyle. After reviewing all the day’s events, James was proud of his students and intrigued by the progress made in Botswana. At first, he didn’t notice Harry, but the dog started barking at him as if he should. Then, the dog ran away from James and returned to ensure James was coming. It was eerily like watching Lassie.

“What is Timmy stuck in the well?” James chuckled but dutifully followed. He knew Harry was intelligent, protective, and loyal, so following the dog seemed warranted.

James found himself near a house with a horse barn. A commotion emanated from the barn; the horse was clearly distressed, and a shrill scream pierced the air. He dashed towards the sound, his heart racing with the unexpected thrill. Harry, his faithful sidekick, ran beside him, barking in a mix of encouragement and excitement at being part of this exhilarating event.

James couldn’t believe what he saw when they reached the back area behind the stalls. A living bug alien was attempting to grab Sydney, the property’s new owner. Her horse was in the way, and everyone was upset. James could hear the bug’s raspy, frustrated sound, the horse’s frightened snorts, and Sydney’s screams. She saw James, and he motioned her to back away from the horse and, of course, the alien. The alien turned and started to rush James.

Before he could overthink, James pulled out his gun, took a stance, and fired right down the center of the thing. Then the bug screamed itself and fell over.

Do these bugs think they can do what they want? “Tell your AI to call John,” James said.

Sydney ran into the house, relayed the message, and returned to settle her horse down.

“Bella got in the way,” Sydney said, looking at her horse as she stroked its neck. “Bella and Harry stood between me and that,” she said, pointing at the bug. “I’ve only seen one dead. Hell, they’re worse alive. Ich!!”

She turned to James, “Thank you. How did you know?”

James pointed to Harry, “He pulled a Lassie on me.”

“Lassie?”

Syndey looked blank. “Before your time,” James shook his head, a nostalgic smile on his face as he thought of the unfamiliar term ‘Lassie. ‘

***

The Davis family sat at the table. It was good to relax.

“My teacher was a bit of an old fogey. He wanted me to take a penmanship lesson. What a nitwit,” Jason said as he laughed to himself.

“That sounds like a good idea. I want to be able to read your scrawl in an emergency,” James laughed.

“What emergency?” Noah looked at his dad and realized what he had said. His brother, Tyler, laughed at him.

“My teacher was great. Mrs. Wi8lson is really into art,” Tyler said.

“Olivia? Glad to hear you like her. Jason, their job is to prepare you for what is coming. Give it a shot,” Liz said. “What about you, Samantha?”

“It’s fine, nice people,” Samantha blushed and spoke quietly.

“Well, that’s good,” said James as he looked at Liz. Something was up.

“Liz, you’re needed down at the Council House,” Andrew broke in.

***

Rushing down, Liz made it in record time, mainly because she kept one of the souped-up golf carts at her house now. She was tired of losing so much time from her family getting to and from the Council House.

In the conference room, Elizabeth sat down and struck the gavel. That worked well to get them at the table and focused. “What’s up?”

John smirked and settled. “The Mayones have decided to pull out. They officially told us after we shut down Dylan and arrested Kyle. They were obviously not pleased.”

“That was fast, goodness,” said Elizabeth.

“Yes, protecting the biomes will now be twice as hard. Man, they didn’t even acknowledge that Dylan was their issue,” Danny said.

“What do you mean, their issue?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, it turns out they manipulated Dylan. As you know, the firewalls between the AIs and humans were strictly adhered to, even in each home. We found out Dylan was altered and quite rudely, too,” John said.

Taking in her breath, the President said, “Right, how is the Control Room handling this?” Liz asked.

“Good, so far. The Defense Station is functioning well, and the armament has been brought online. I’m unsure if the Mayones knew all our independent defenses, but they seemed to think we had brought this on ourselves. I think they believe we will be lunch for the Hagor,” Danny said.

“OK, we need the Department of Defense to coordinate with the Control Room and lift the restrictions. What about Zior?” Liz urgently asked, her voice tinged with concern. “Anybody talking to him?”

“It came to us in the Police Station. It did not seem pleased by the events and wanted to warn us,” John answered.

“OK, I’m glad It told us. Keep me informed,” the President said, hitting the gavel.

There would be much to do around the Village and the whole flotilla tonight, and it would be tense. Liz believed in delegating and wished to know each department’s actions, but she liked to stay out of most of the work after the orders were given. This would be a flotilla-wide test of their ability to act together, and the President got to coordinate it from her home. This home office business might get old.

***

The second day started slow. After all the excitement, the children took a while to become interested in the lesson. Current events were more interesting. Some time was given for a discussion of the Hagor. The students were interested in Liz and now James’ shooting. It was their world now, and strategies that included them and their families had to be implemented. Starting with knowledge of this enemy, the Hagor.

Liz didn’t know what she felt. She was grateful her husband had gotten to Sydney before the bug could do more. Surprisingly, both the horse and Harry were fine. He was an intelligent dog, and the horse wasn’t too bad either. They protected Sydney and got help.

The children finally settled down, and the classroom hummed. The assignment was to draw a Hagor. Photos of the creatures from Zior went up on the walls. Initially, the assignment was to draw two cells, prokaryotes, and eukaryotes, but the Hagor attack was more current and exciting. Liz wandered around her living and dining room, checking the drawings and offering suggestions and support when Zior walked into the house—and It wasn’t alone.

“Elizabeth, may we speak,” It said.

Liz led It, its companion, and another Mayone (a child? It was smaller) into her office. Now, the classrooms were quiet. They had seen Zior before but not a Mayone child.

Liz shut the door and offered Zior a seat, pulling a foldable seat out for the adult companion. “How can I help you?”

“I would like my offspring to join your class,” It said. “I have asked to stay here in Mesaland Village.”

“Zior, your desire for your offspring to join our class is heartwarming,” Liz responded. “I am glad to hear that you have chosen to stay in Mesaland Village, a decision that reflects your trust in us.”

“Me, too,” said Andrew.

Liz was not surprised Andrew was listening. Given the circumstances, she had asked him to monitor any outside visitors to their home. Elizabeth was pleased he liked Zior. That could have been rough.

Focusing back on Zior’s request, Liz hesitated, “But…” and looked at the two new Mayones in her office.

“This is my mate, Antor, and our child Gio,” Zior said.

“Very nice to meet you…” Liz said, but she didn’t know how to proceed with her questions.

“You have always been kind to me; I hope this is all right with you,” Zior said after Liz stalled.

“Yes, of course. We will have to go through what level Gio is at and all that…Zior, can I ask. Do you have genders? I realize this is personal, but it will be important now.”

After a short silence, Zior said, “Yes, I know you struggle with that. We can discuss it.”

The door flew open, and Danny almost fell into Liz’s office.

“Agnes is pregnant!”

“What, how?” Liz said.

At that moment, Danny noticed who was in the room. It seemed quiet wasn’t going to happen, at least not today.

The End of Chapter 6

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