LJI - Friends and Rivals - Week 3 - Jugaad
“The survey teams have been on the ground - and in the water, and in the air - for a good five years now. Nothing in any of the reports has shown anything of concern. They’ve been able to adapt to the environment, and the plants seem to be flourishing. We have a crisis here on Earth and something must be done. Why are we delaying?”
The Secretary General’s face was flushed and, as was his habit during public speeches, he was banging on the table to emphasize his words. The council simply watched and waited until he was done. Once that was clear, all eyes turned to the Minister of Space and Exploration.
“As you stated sir, nothing in any of the reports has shown anything of concern…. yet. Five years is far too little time to explore an entire planet, even with the aid of the bonded animals. After thousands of years of recorded history on our own planet, we’re still discovering new places, new threats in the environment. We must give the exploration groups more time.”
“We haven’t got more time, Jean-Philippe!” The Secretary General pounded on the table once more. “If there’s an unpopulated acre anywhere on this planet, it’s because we couldn’t tame it. Some acres have thousands living en masse above them, we’ve even got cities below ground. Even the underwater cities have been unable to alleviate the population pressure. Luna City can’t take any more. Marsopolis can’t take any more.
“Look son, I understand that you want to give your pet scientists the benefit of the doubt and all the time in the world, but the fact is we don’t have the time. We’re running out of food. The climate change has made it nigh impossible to produce enough food, even with the algae farms working overtime, even with the control we’ve managed to exert on the weather. Water is scarce and getting scarcer, even though we're using grey water for most things and we've got all the desalination plants up and running. Energy is getting harder to come by no matter how many deserts we fill with solar panels. You all know this. You all know that soon food riots will start, water riots will start, energy riots will start.
“The birth restrictions have not solved the problem. Voluntary emigration has not solved the problem. We have to do something. This was the plan we inherited in case all other options were exhausted. And I think we’re there.”
The Minister of Technology spoke up. “Sir, we’re just not sure how the inhabitants will react to start-up.”
“Sanjana, we’ve been over this. The psychologists screened everyone before they moved in. The people’s reaction is not your problem. Your tech folks have cleared all the workers on their skills 10 times over, the people know how to keep it all running, repair it, even jury-rig if something goes wrong. You’ve done all that you can do.”
“Sir, with all due respect, while the workers excel at all things, even jugaad can only take you so far in an unanticipated situation, if you do not have a planet supporting you.”
“Then they’ll have to up their you-gawd game, won’t they? These people aren’t fools. The psychologists picked people for their adaptability and mental stability. You’ve trained them within an inch of their lives. The time is now before those of us left behind cannot recover!”
One last bang on the table and the Secretary General stared at each one of the Ministers in turn. Satisfied that he had made his point, he left the room. The Ministers sat and waited, all of them hoping desperately not to be the one to break the silence.
“He’s right, you know.” The Minister of Space and Exploration sighed as he stood to stare out the window. “Look at all those people, right there. Millions of them within the view from our lofty tower. All of them are hungry. They are thirsty. They are in need.
“As much as I would like to delay to allow the teams to finish their exploration of the planet, we really have no choice. If we wait much longer, we may not have the spare energy for the launches. And even if we can scrape it up, those left behind will not be able to recover. And then we will all die.
“I vote to move ahead with the plan at the earliest possible moment. All in favor?”
* * * * * * * * *
Tears rolled silently down Kara’s face as she stared at the screen. She was not alone in her tears. Fully half of the exploration crew was crying as they watched. The vision of thousands of skyscrapers suddenly launching from cities all over the globe was repeated over and over until it was finally replaced by The Minister of Technology’s solemn face. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before speaking.
“It is in the best interest of humankind that this step has been taken. We regret that you did not have more time to explore, but please do your best to prepare for their arrival. It will not be easy, but by the time they arrive, the shock should have worn off and the inhabitants should have eased into a routine. That said, they will still likely be quite happy to be on solid ground again. That should make the colonization process somewhat easier.
“In your computers, you will find you now have access to data banks 150813 to 221113. This will give you data on all the inhabitants of the skyscrapers turned colony ships, as well as their occupations and skill level. Good Luck.”
Lambert stopped the feed and faced the team. “I know it’s a shock. Sending that many people into space without warning, unprepared. We don’t even know how many will survive the transition without a bonding, let alone without the will to survive.
“The leadership team and I will be sharing information as soon as we access it. I expect all of you to help prepare as best you can. We have a few years to get ready. I just hope it will be enough.
"Dismissed.”
(This story was, in part, inspired by a skyscraper - the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center - under construction in China, its' resemblance to a spaceship, and the current trend to make these buildings into something like self-supporting mini-cities. )
The Secretary General’s face was flushed and, as was his habit during public speeches, he was banging on the table to emphasize his words. The council simply watched and waited until he was done. Once that was clear, all eyes turned to the Minister of Space and Exploration.
“As you stated sir, nothing in any of the reports has shown anything of concern…. yet. Five years is far too little time to explore an entire planet, even with the aid of the bonded animals. After thousands of years of recorded history on our own planet, we’re still discovering new places, new threats in the environment. We must give the exploration groups more time.”
“We haven’t got more time, Jean-Philippe!” The Secretary General pounded on the table once more. “If there’s an unpopulated acre anywhere on this planet, it’s because we couldn’t tame it. Some acres have thousands living en masse above them, we’ve even got cities below ground. Even the underwater cities have been unable to alleviate the population pressure. Luna City can’t take any more. Marsopolis can’t take any more.
“Look son, I understand that you want to give your pet scientists the benefit of the doubt and all the time in the world, but the fact is we don’t have the time. We’re running out of food. The climate change has made it nigh impossible to produce enough food, even with the algae farms working overtime, even with the control we’ve managed to exert on the weather. Water is scarce and getting scarcer, even though we're using grey water for most things and we've got all the desalination plants up and running. Energy is getting harder to come by no matter how many deserts we fill with solar panels. You all know this. You all know that soon food riots will start, water riots will start, energy riots will start.
“The birth restrictions have not solved the problem. Voluntary emigration has not solved the problem. We have to do something. This was the plan we inherited in case all other options were exhausted. And I think we’re there.”
The Minister of Technology spoke up. “Sir, we’re just not sure how the inhabitants will react to start-up.”
“Sanjana, we’ve been over this. The psychologists screened everyone before they moved in. The people’s reaction is not your problem. Your tech folks have cleared all the workers on their skills 10 times over, the people know how to keep it all running, repair it, even jury-rig if something goes wrong. You’ve done all that you can do.”
“Sir, with all due respect, while the workers excel at all things, even jugaad can only take you so far in an unanticipated situation, if you do not have a planet supporting you.”
“Then they’ll have to up their you-gawd game, won’t they? These people aren’t fools. The psychologists picked people for their adaptability and mental stability. You’ve trained them within an inch of their lives. The time is now before those of us left behind cannot recover!”
One last bang on the table and the Secretary General stared at each one of the Ministers in turn. Satisfied that he had made his point, he left the room. The Ministers sat and waited, all of them hoping desperately not to be the one to break the silence.
“He’s right, you know.” The Minister of Space and Exploration sighed as he stood to stare out the window. “Look at all those people, right there. Millions of them within the view from our lofty tower. All of them are hungry. They are thirsty. They are in need.
“As much as I would like to delay to allow the teams to finish their exploration of the planet, we really have no choice. If we wait much longer, we may not have the spare energy for the launches. And even if we can scrape it up, those left behind will not be able to recover. And then we will all die.
“I vote to move ahead with the plan at the earliest possible moment. All in favor?”
* * * * * * * * *
Tears rolled silently down Kara’s face as she stared at the screen. She was not alone in her tears. Fully half of the exploration crew was crying as they watched. The vision of thousands of skyscrapers suddenly launching from cities all over the globe was repeated over and over until it was finally replaced by The Minister of Technology’s solemn face. She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before speaking.
“It is in the best interest of humankind that this step has been taken. We regret that you did not have more time to explore, but please do your best to prepare for their arrival. It will not be easy, but by the time they arrive, the shock should have worn off and the inhabitants should have eased into a routine. That said, they will still likely be quite happy to be on solid ground again. That should make the colonization process somewhat easier.
“In your computers, you will find you now have access to data banks 150813 to 221113. This will give you data on all the inhabitants of the skyscrapers turned colony ships, as well as their occupations and skill level. Good Luck.”
Lambert stopped the feed and faced the team. “I know it’s a shock. Sending that many people into space without warning, unprepared. We don’t even know how many will survive the transition without a bonding, let alone without the will to survive.
“The leadership team and I will be sharing information as soon as we access it. I expect all of you to help prepare as best you can. We have a few years to get ready. I just hope it will be enough.
"Dismissed.”
(This story was, in part, inspired by a skyscraper - the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center - under construction in China, its' resemblance to a spaceship, and the current trend to make these buildings into something like self-supporting mini-cities. )