Aerospace II - The Island Cycle

Aerospace II - Sarah's Story

Aerospace II : The Island Cycle

Sarah's Story

Chapter 1 : The Beginning

This is Sarah. I had a dream last night. Still don't understand but here it is.

I was sitting by the sea, an ancient fjord. Large rocks marked the small shore and I sat on one like a chair. It was my spot.

Up in the sky were steep mountains on both sides. Over the water high in the heavens was a wheel. A ship and I was building it with my imagination. Every detail, I was laying it down. Making modifications. I was the architect of my environment. The whole fjord was my creation, my garden including the flowers that grow behind me.

Near me were small huts. Painted white with just enough room for one person to live in and enjoy. The whole fjord was a home. To one side on the land leading into the mountains, was a great hall. Rather shabby and dull, but part of me. I was waiting for someone. That person who turns up on occasion, to end my loneliness. But this is my creative spot and the loneliness is the engine of that process.

From the completion of this wheelship, I will go on to build many other things.

* * *

It was a great ship, in the sense of greatness is in time, and the John Bell was in its time. A moment of change. Away from division to unity. A moment away from disbelief to belief. It is a city. A heart that beats for love and friendship. Everything is for learning and we have turned aside from despair. Assured of a helping hand.

When gramma Ava gave Sharon and I the list, it did not scare me. It surprised me. It mystified me. Such a long line of universities and from each of these we were to pluck fifty people, young and learned, into a new life. It was in our hands. But nothing in our lives was ever normal and we jumped into the project.

A ship of 40,000 to fill. We were to find 30,000. 50 from each school on the list. Send out messages, letters that gramma handed to us. We would talk to heads of departments and the young professors in the sciences of space and aerospace.

Each university was being offered the Moon. A chance to be on a journey that outclassed the Beagle and the Cook expedition.

800 universities. Some were gone in the disasters of the last ten years. The cities were gone. We would find out which universities survived their city's demise. We were to raise some hopes and raise the suspicions of others. Some completely rejected us. Such a loss for them and us.

Gramma told us to only use verbal telephone and to practice speaking in a lowered tone. When persons came to Mi'kmaw Nation, they met with Ava Bell or Joseph Johnson our grandfather. We would tag along and record what was said. It was always a treat to see our Mi'kmaw state through these new eyes.

It is not what they were expecting. We have a 100,000 university population, divided between aerospace, electronics, medicine and health, business and marketing, finance and the arts. We have a Moon colony in Aristoteles crater and a Mars colony in the Valles Marineris. Each made up of hundreds of thousands of people. We also have the best airships, shuttles and wheelships going. We asked them to share with their colleagues what they have seen.

50 young and single graduate students, undergraduates and qualified in space sciences, from each of the 800 schools. We deal with the heads of departments and did not meet with the people, until they arrived at the reception hotel, near the airport. Then it was dad or mom that would introduce us to the 50. It was helpful, because it would be us later, that did all the interviews with the women, as we flew through the asteroid belt.