Nathan's ship arrived in orbit around Mara's Planet, the fifth of seventeen planets that orbited a binary star in the Triangulum Galaxy. The planet, about the size of Earth, had three natural satellites, one of which was large, round, and mutually tidally locked to the planet. That satellite had a substantial atmosphere, which the ship slowly descended through for a landing in a grassy field.
"I want you to behave yourselves when you meet my other children," said Nathan.
"Are you seriously asking us to behave, after everything you've done?" asked Henry.
"You're children. Immature, simple-minded, and unsophisticated."
"You're the immature one here."
"Perhaps," said Nathan. "But you still went along with some total strangers from another planet without any reason to trust us or anything we say."
"I didn't come here to be insulted," said Henry. "I thought this was supposed to be a kidnapping."
"Neither of you are here against your will. You've been cooperative all along and have never been forced to go anywhere or do anything. You call that kidnapping?"
"Io pointed a gun at us," Ruby pointed out.
"It's true," Io admitted. "I had no intention of harming them, but it was necessary to get them to come along."
"Oh," said Nathan. "Fair enough."
Nathan, Io, Ruby, and Henry exited the ship into the grassy field. The sky above was pale blue, sparsely populated by white clouds of water vapor, but overwhelmingly dominated by the sight of Mara's Planet, which bore strong resemblance to Earth. Were it not for the presence of Mara's Planet, along with the noticeably lower gravity and double sun, the field could easily have been mistaken for one back on Earth. In the field, they were met by two humanoids somewhat similar in appearance to Io.
Ja was older and more mature-looking than Io, as well as significantly taller, much like an adolescent human. His skin was extremely pale, while his hair was short and black. His piercing red eyes glared at Nathan.
Ur, though younger than Io, was slightly taller and more mature in appearance. Their skin was a light brown, while their hair was bright pink. Their brown eyes stared toward Nathan, deeply concerned.
"We welcome you," Ur said to Ruby and Henry.
"Speak for yourself," said Ja. "Nathan, why did you bring children here?"
"Mara wanted children," said Nathan. "She has made it clear that she did not want me to build children for her. I know now that there are other ways to make children, but she's too mad at me to take part, as it was precisely my lack of understanding of the process at the time that caused her to be angry at me. Therefore, the logical alternative was to kidnap some children from a planet unable to do anything about it."
Then, a tall humanoid figure appeared, cloaked in black.
"Ixora!" Io exclaimed. "My transmitter and my teleportation system are broken."
Then, her right eye popped out, followed by smoke pouring from her head. Ixora opened up the back of her head to make repairs.
"This could take a while," sighed Ixora. He pulled down his hood, revealing lilac hair atop his head and bright red eyes protruding from a face of white.
Despite the repairs taking place, Io's excitement was uncontainable. "Take all the time you need," she assured him. "As long as I'm spending it with you, it's all good."
Ixora's response carried a mix of fondness and exasperation. "For you, maybe, but not for me. You really need to take better care of yourself."
"But there's no other way to get you to spend time with me."
"I do love you," said Ixora. "But I'm not in love with you. I will always be grateful to you for helping me to find my purpose, and also coffee, which is why I'll always fix you when you need it."After Ixora finished fixing Io, she hugged him. Ixora then disappeared.
"Now, let's go, everyone!" Nathan exclaimed.
Mara's red eyes stared at the night sky from the balcony of her small treehouse protruding above the forest canopy. Her planet's major natural satellite loomed large in the sky. Its surface prominently featured green forests and blue oceans which stood out in the otherwise colorless expanse, and the sunlight it reflected helped to light the darkness, and in turn shone on Mara's pale, nearly white skin. Her long, silver hair and her black dress flowed gently in the wind.
Nearby, Nathan softly brought his ship down onto a lightweight and barely visible landing pad structured much like a spiderweb. He then exited the ship with Io, Ja, Ur, Ruby, and Henry. Mara leapt off the balcony, using her silvery wings to carry her over to them and then gently slow her fall. She landed in front of Nathan, folded her arms, and glared.
"I bring you children, my love," Nathan declared, his words carrying a hint of triumph.
Mara said nothing and slapped Nathan's face. She then pointed at the spaceship. Without hesitation, Nathan, Io, Ja, Ur, Ruby, and Henry reboarded the ship, their departure punctuated by Mara's unwavering gaze. As the ship lifted off and departed from her world, Mara stood alone in the moonlight, her emotions and thoughts veiled in silence.
"That didn't go as planned," Nathan remarked, the sense of defeat evident in his tone. "I'd like to minimize interference in the natural environment of the main satellite of Mara's Planet, so instead of returning there, we really should find somewhere else. Where shall we go now?"
"Earth," suggested Ruby.
Nathan's response was immediate and definitive. "Not an option."
"Could we at least go back to the Milky Way?" asked Henry.
"I suppose," Nathan conceded.
"Then how about Mars? I've always wanted to go to Mars."
"That's a terrible idea," said Nathan. "Although I suppose it could be a good place to live, with a few adjustments. You humans need to breathe oxygen, and you need a warmer environment."
"That reminds me, we left that guy in the trunk of that car," said Io. "Anyway, perhaps a dome would be a good idea. We could then create an environment the human children could live in."
"That's a terrible idea," said Nathan.
"We need a really big dome!" exclaimed Ja.
"You're a genius!" exclaimed Nathan.
"Hey!" exclaimed Io. "I just suggested that!"
"A dome is a terrible idea. However, a really big dome is brilliant."
"It's still a dome," said Ur. "Why not just terraform the whole planet?"
"That's why you're my smartest child."
"I know I am. However, I was only offering the most practical solution to what you were suggesting. Honestly, though, there is little reason to terraform Mars when there are plenty of available planets that are both vacant and habitable."
"I don't care," said Nathan. "The human children would certainly feel more comfortable back in their home star system in their home galaxy, and I wish to accommodate them. Anyway, I already made up my mind, and Mars will be terraformed. I'll have to hire somebody for that, so let's go to Ruyfira."
Ruyfira was a planet slightly smaller than Earth in the same star system as Mara's Planet. Ruyfira had thousands of villages and towns, including hundreds beneath the surface and floating in the sky. However, there was only one major city, Asmewda, covering over three-fourths of the planet's surface. Asmewda was populated by trillions of people and most of its buildings were several kilometers tall. Flying large vehicles in the city was discouraged to reduce the risk of collisions, and most travel within the city was handled by the extensive public transportation system.
"How do they keep things floating in the sky?" asked Henry.
"I don't know," said Nathan. "Probably quantums and sciency stuff like that. I'm an engineer, not a scientist."
"But doesn't engineering the machinery you use require an advanced understanding of science?"
"Not if you have unlimited time and patience for trial and error. Even if I don't know what I'm doing, sooner or later, I'm bound to get it right. As I've mentioned before, though, I do at least understand some basic science, and it's more than enough for most purposes."
"So, you were just guessing when you designed this ship's systems?"
"That is correct."
"So, for all you know, this thing could explode at any moment?"
"Well, I suppose that is a possibility. Life is a lot easier if you don't worry too much, though."
Nathan landed his ship in an enormous parking complex at Asmewda's main spaceport. The side of the building opened to allow entry, and once the ship landed, the opening closed to allow for atmospheric pressurization. Nathan, Ruby, Henry, Ja, Io, and Ur exited the ship, and then passed through an airlock further into the building.
"Welcome to Asmewda," Nathan said to Ruby and Henry. "There's no place quite like it in this region of the universe. Stay close, because it's easy to get lost. Remember where we parked. I'm going to have this space reserved. Now, follow me. Actually, since we're in no real hurry, we may as well take the stairs."
Ja, Io, and Ur unanimously rejected Nathan's proposal and promptly disappeared. Nathan looked to Ruby and Henry, who were still with him.
"I don't care what you two want," said Nathan. "We're taking the stairs."
Nathan took Ruby and Henry down the stairs. Along the way, they did have the opportunity to look out the windows at the city. They were impressed with the beauty of the buildings and the layout of the city. Each of the buildings was the size of a small city on Earth, and all of them were linked together by an immense network of tunnels. It was a marvel to behold, but after the first few hours, it was just boring. Eventually, the children collapsed from exhaustion, so Nathan reluctantly dragged them to an elevator. They were rejoined by Ja, Io, and Ur on the ground floor.
"There's no real need to hurry," said Nathan. "Even after it's started, the terraforming process will still take years. So, where shall we go first?"
"Sleep," Ruby said.
"Sounds like a good plan," said Henry.
Nathan waited impatiently while the two children slept. Ja, Io, and Ur scolded Nathan for forcing fragile little humans to take the stairs. Finally, after a few hours, Ruby and Henry awoke.
"Where shall we go now?" asked Nathan.
"I'm hungry," said Ruby.
"To the food court!" Nathan announced.
The food court was enormous, covering several cubic kilometers and filled with millions of people, in more shapes and textures than any human could have imagined, sizes ranging from microscopic to colossal, and colors ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. Browsing the food was an epic journey of discovery, exploration, and pleasure, and the children were very much in their element. While they ate, Nathan provided a terraforming service with the location of Mars, as well as information about the climate and size of the planet. The time estimate given for the initial phase of terraforming Mars was forty-four thousand hours. Nathan then met back with the others.
"It's going to take about five years," said Nathan.
"What do we do till then?" asked Ruby.
"We're going to live here."
"We're gonna live in the food court?"
"Of course not," replied Io, who then turned to Nathan. "We're not, are we?"
"No," said Nathan. "We'll get an apartment. I just have to contact a housing agency to let them know we'll be needing one."
"Is it really that simple?" asked Henry.
"Of course. Ruyfira has plenty of volunteer-based agencies that actively seek to provide for their people."
"We're not exactly their people."
"Sure you are. If a person wishes for this planet to be their home, thus it is so. People should have the right to freely travel and find a suitable place to live, and Ruyfira always welcomes them. Here, the society provides for everyone. It's mostly automated, so it's easy for everyone to be well cared for. In the programs which are not automated, the members of the society will be expected to help out when necessary in order to serve the common good. Mutual aid, cooperation, and compassion can go a long way."
"How is that a sustainable system?" asked Henry.
"Easy. Everybody wins."
"So, what about those who are unable to work toward the common good? How does this society deal with those who cannot contribute to it?"
"They will still be provided for," said Nathan.
"How do they make sure people are eligible?" asked Henry.
"It's on an honor system. It makes things easier. Obviously, there are some who simply exploit the system, but they are few and far between, and the overall impact is negligible. Here, it is well understood that it is better for a billion people to receive assistance they don't need than for even one person who needs assistance to not receive it."
"Is there any penalty for exploiting the system?"
"No. The people here prefer to use positive motivation rather than threat of punishment to maintain order. And it works. A little trust really goes a long way. That said, I don't really care about them and I have no intention of contributing anything to this society. I just want free stuff."
"You're really setting a bad example," said Ur.
"I don't care."
"What if somebody steals something?" asked Henry. "What happens then?"
"It depends on who you steal from," replied Nathan. "But there's not really much incentive to steal if your needs are already being met."
"Oh. Do other people here speak our language?"
"No, but that won't be an issue. I mean, I don't like to brag, but-"
"Yeah, you do," Ruby interrupted.
"As I was saying," Nathan continued, "long ago, I designed a computer program to translate one language into another, which I figured would help others to simplify communication. The program could also translate some forms of nonverbal communication, which was important because not all creatures can speak. The program could translate from multiple languages simultaneously, but it could only translate into one language at a time. The program contained all languages I knew, in as complete a form as I knew them. It could also translate unknown forms of communication, albeit with a lower degree of accuracy. For unknown languages, the program analyzed the pattern of communication, and then created a translation matrix based on its analysis. It was not absolutely flawless, but it was usually close enough as long as a sufficient sample of the language was analyzed. I then installed the program on a small, portable device, and-"
"Get on with it already!" Ruby interjected. "If you got somethin' to say, say it. I'm bored."
"So, later, after I improved the program and device, I incorporated an additional feature," Nathan continued. "Each device can be used to communicate with any other compatible device anywhere in the known universe. By producing a microscopic temporary spatial distortion contained within, they can allow for communication across vast interplanetary, interstellar, or even intergalactic distances with almost no delay. The translation program can be used during transmissions as well. To communicate remotely, all you have to do is input the appropriate one hundred-digit code for the device you wish to have contact with. However, I realize that can be very tedious. Fortunately, the device can store information for up to a trillion contacts."
Henry commented, "I have serious doubts that this device you described is even possible."
"Well, they're very real and very popular. Intergalactic trading is slow, so they haven't really caught on yet in your part of your galaxy, but I expect them to in the near future. Many imitations exist, but I get a sense of satisfaction from others using my design and I can always use the ego boost. No, I don't profit off of it in any way, as I made the design freely available. Obviously, they're tremendously useful, which is why all of my children have them installed."
"Well, I do, anyway," said Ur. "It has its issues, but I still use it because it's installed inside me, and unlike my siblings, I have living tissue that would have to be gone through, and I don't want to bother with the trouble of replacing it with a superior design."
"Ixora swapped mine out for an off-brand version," said Io. "It's more reliable."
"I use a generic version," said Ja. "And honestly, it's just out of spite."
Nathan, Ruby, Henry, Ja, Io, and Ur lived at at a three-bedroom apartment on Ruyfira while waiting for Mars to be ready. It was not particularly extravagant, but it was satisfactory. Ja, Io, and Ur shared a room, as did Ruby and Henry, while Nathan had his own room.