Engineered Empress - The story of Bia

Engineered Empress Part 5

Chapter 5 Plans of tomorrow

Marr entered the small germination lab. On one side were the instruments for genetic sequencing and the tiny germination chambers and on the other side she saw Bia standing in front a table, carefully transferring little tomato seedlings into individual pots. Knowing that her granddaughter needed a small push to choose her future, but also knowing, it will annoy her to be pushed, Marr asked her.

"Honey. You know I am proud of you and love you. And this is not an ambush or anything, I just want you to think about where you see yourself in the future? You know you have always a place with me and are co-owner of Facet Inc., but I won't weight you down and clip your wings." Marr hugged her, when Bia turned to her, carefully rubbing the loose dirt of her hands. Uncertainty showed in the girl's eyes when she looked at her grandmother.

"Grandmarr, I... don't know. I think the station will need another medic in the future." the girl answered unsure, the last sentence more question than statement. Marr grabbed her shoulders and smiled down at her, softly pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Honey, I didn't ask you what the station needs. I want to know what you want to do. If that is marrying and working on the homestead then, that is good. But if you want to leave and make your way somewhere else, that would be great also. You, my dear, have to decide for yourself. Never mind what I want, Hunters Back needs or you think we expect from you." Marr kissed her forehead, took a step back and stroke her cheek.

"Bia, the day your parents died, I took you in because I love you. No strings attached. You were always a bright child and I am proud to see the woman you grew up to be. What you now need to decide, is what would make you happy, not anybody else. Do you want to stay or roam the galaxy and find your own way? Whatever you decide, know that I love you and always stand behind you."

Marr hugged her again, gave her a kiss on her head and left her to think about it. A little shocked but feeling loved Bia went through the day thinking about her grandmother's words.

In the evening, Bia sat on her bed and looked at the wall still musing about it.

"Ceri what do you need? Can I leave this system without you losing contact with the Core? What happens when you lose contact?" Ceris laughter sounded a little like bells when she replied.

"Bia, the Anri'Te invented energy transfer without loss, after developing limitless communication. That little node in your head can contact the core from anywhere in this universe. The Anri'Te never really left Ceri B Prime. Yes, there were a few voyages for research purposes. The files even hint that there was a small colony in the outer Horsehead nebula. But its communication to the colonist died a long time ago, there were never doubts these colonists could have survived. So, you are free to do whatever you like, although after seeing the plans in the mining office I would like you to rescue three Core nodes from being mined in the next 3 decades."

That shocked Bia out of her musing state. Surprised she asked Ceri.

"What? What nodes? What are they and how big are those? And can we move them, or do I need to buy the asteroids they are on?"

"Actually, I am not sure how big they are. These nodes are usually massive fungi that are the informational basis of the system the Core resides in. We could visit the one in your family's claim and take a look and go from there. I can only tell you that all the computer modules on this station don't have enough capacity to download all the knowledge in them." Bia's eyes grew large and her heartbeat rose, while she thought of the implications of Ceri's announcement.

"Okay, tomorrow we will go and look at the node in our claim and I can guarantee you that one won't be mined. I just need to talk to my family. Then, when we have an idea how big it is, we can plan further. How are you powering those nodes anyway?"

"I seeded 14 years ago the algae starter and changed it a tiny bit. Every batch that is sold transmits energy. Thanks to your flourishing corporation the core has enough energy, even a surplus that gets back into the algae and helps it grow faster." Bia thought a bit about that.

"Oh boy, you really mean limitless energy transfer where space between the sender and the receptor is of no consequence?"

"Yes, it only takes a tiny bit of your seconds, but the flow is well enough to power the systems."