Paradise Island - Ingrid's Tale, part 4 of 4


Chapter 17 -- The Clouds Gather

When Jenny returned to Ingrid's porch the next afternoon, it
looked like the study of an ambitious scholar. Ingrid sat upright
in her coach with a tome in her lap, reading avidly.

"What in Space are you doing, Granny?" the amazed girl asked.
Ingrid looked up from the book and smiled self-consciously at
Jenny. "Eh... I'm only checking some background data for my tale
today. It will be somewhat different from the previous ones," she
explained. Jenny helped her to clear the litter, and then they
seated themselves in their recliners for Ingrid's tale...

***

In the previous tales, I have, more or less, told you about my
life like a chronicle. Now I must leave the story of my life and
try to paint a picture of the events in the world at large -- and
it's necessary to go back in time quite a bit to do that. The
world simply fell apart -- the awful climax occurred when I had
left Earth but the roots of the crisis were deep and the first
signs of it were evident even before I left home. You have heard
most of what I will tell today in school, Jenny, but I hope that
this tale, and the one tomorrow, will shed some light on how we
experienced it.

The blight that almost caused the extinction of mankind was
threefold -- political, financial, and environmental -- and all
processes started long ago.

***

The *political* process started with the fall of the Soviet Union
and the liberation of the countries in Eastern Europe at the end
of the previous century. This was a genuinely *positive* event
that liberated millions of people in those countries, and Russia
itself, from communist oppression -- but it had severe negative
aspects too, as we would soon see.

Up till its fall, the Soviet Union was one of two 'superpowers'
(USA being the other) with nuclear arsenals large enough to kill
every man, woman and child on the planet -- several times over.
It had reached that position by a ruthless disregard for the
welfare of its people in favour of military might. An uneasy
balance of power was maintained between the two giants -- it was
given the very appropriate acronym MAD (Mutually Assured
Destruction). After the fall, only one superpower remained and
that would have far-reaching consequences, yet to be seen.

If there is one keyword to characterize what happened in the
former Soviet empire, it would be *fragmentation*. The empire was
literally split apart. It started with that the formally
independent countries in the empire's 'sphere of influence' freed
themselves, and then the 'states' that were a part of the union
broke free. But the fragmentation didn't stop there -- the
remaining parts were often heterogeneous, consisting of many
ethnic groups who wanted their independence. Sometimes the
process was peaceful, but far too often it was not. Several of
the fragments were torn asunder by wars and atrocities committed
by one ethnic group against another.

The economy also fragmented -- the old style, centralized, plan
economy was no more, and that left room for entrepreneurs.
Unfortunately, many of these entrepreneurs had a moral like
old-time robber barons, only interested in enriching themselves,
and several were outright criminal. Thus, vast resources
disappeared, factories were plundered, and millions lost their
jobs. Organized crime flourished, often in cooperation with an
underpaid police. In the resulting chaos, a few persons became
fabulously rich -- but many more were starving. This left the
field ripe for fanatics and religious fundamentalist.

However, fanaticism and religious fundamentalism first rose to a
fewer pitch in another part of the world, the Middle East. The
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians had been smouldering
for decades with no solution in sight, and many thought that this
conflict would cause another major war in the region -- sooner or
later. However, the roots of a new dangerous movement lay
elsewhere, and in a place no one suspected -- Saudi Arabia. 

At first, the people in the western world looked in amused
surprise at the 'Talibans', a new group who appeared from nowhere
and conquered Afghanistan. The amusement was replaced with
indignation when it became clear how the new regime treated their
women -- but Afghanistan was a poor, unimportant country, far
away, and nothing was done, at first. No one reacted either when
an increasing stream of young, Muslim men from countries all over
the world went to Pakistan to study the Koran -- it became clear
much later that a large part of them went on into training camps
in Afghanistan to swell the ranks of the Talibans. Many of these
serious, young men went back to their homelands later -- but they
kept in touch, forming a worldwide network.

The spectacular attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and
the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. changed the previous
indifference overnight. The name of the movement, al-Qaida, and
its leader, Usama bin Laden, became names on everyone's lips.
al-Qaida had 'cells' all over the world. They organized several
other attacks with many casualties -- and they inspired several
other groups to start similar campaigns.

***

The collapse of the financial system also began the last decade
of the previous century, and one of the key factors was,
ironically enough, *integration*. The technical development of
telecommunications and computer networks led to an exponential
increase of available information -- and the speed this
information travelled with. All major financial centres,
throughout the world, became linked in one global network.
Information -- and money -- moved from one part of this network
to any other within fractions of a second. 

The psychological effect of this technical development was
tremendous -- although it was overlooked at first. Speculating at
the stock exchange had always been a nervous business. Make the
right guess and you could make a fortune -- make the wrong one
and you were bankrupt. Thus, there had always been a tendency for
the market to react violently on any rumour, causing wild
fluctuations, up or down, for causes that often were found to be
irrelevant later. Now, every stockbroker -- and with time, most
investors -- were flooded with more information on their computer
screens than a human being can possibly assimilate, and the
information was changing all the time -- fast. 

Panic became a way of life on the market, and when computer
programs were developed to handle this impossible situation they
made it worse. A computer doesn't reason, but it can react on
simple cues -- faster than any human. All dampers were removed
and there was plenty of positive feedback, and you got what you
always get in such systems -- uncontrolled oscillation. Inventive
persons didn't wait to react on the market -- they learned how to
manipulate it. Because the system was so sensitive, it didn't
take much disturbance to send it in an oscillation that could be
predicted to some extent. Vast fortunes were made that way -- but
it was devastating for the market as a whole.

A more insidious, but in the long run just as devastating, factor
was the change in the nature of the investors. Most countries in
the developed world had an aging population, and all these
elderly people wanted good pensions when they retired. It became
evident that the national pension systems, most of them were akin
to chain-letters if they existed at all, were near breakdown.
Thus, all who could afford it saved money for their retirement.
Banks, insurance companies, and various foundations fought each
other to take care of this money and invest it for their clients.
The funds these investors handled grew at a tremendous rate and
soon became the largest source of capital on the market; they
began to push out the others as owners of, particularly the
large, companies. 

However, the new investors were lousy owners who had no interest
in the companies they owned, other than as a source of money.
Entrepreneurs with long range plans, even if they were good, had
no luck -- the 'horizon' for the new investors was three months,
or even less. Thus, many viable companies went bankrupt from lack
of long-range financing, and the management of the remaining
learned how to please the financial analysts. 'Downsizing' (i.e.
firing people, regardless of the company's needs) was one popular
method and other methods, such as creative accounting, were
common. 'Professionals' pushed out the entrepreneurs from the top
management too, and the new management shared the disinterest for
the companies they managed, other than as a source of huge
salaries and bonuses, with the new owners. 

Consequently, many companies were robbed and a lot of people lost
their jobs, while the robbers became rich. The affluent
middle-class -- the backbone of any country's economy -- was
drained, and the poor increased in number. This left plenty of
opportunities for religious fundamentalists and demagogues with
simple solutions.

***

The third factor, the disruption of the environment, leading to a
near total collapse of the biosphere had even deeper roots than
the other two. Already in the middle of the previous century, a
few scientists warned for the consequences of the widespread
pollution of the environment. The greenhouse effect and global
warming became an issue a few decades later when computer models
predicted major effects on the climate from carbon dioxide
released in the burning of fossil fuels. At first, there was a
heated scientific debate and the scientists who believed in
global warming were a small minority. However, at the turn of the
century, plenty of evidence supported global warming and there
were even some political efforts to limit the release of carbon
dioxide and other 'greenhouse gasses'. However, these efforts
were insufficient in the first place, and they were never
implemented by some of the largest producers -- the US in
particular.

There were other signs of serious disturbances too, such as a
depletion of the ozone layer and the diminishing amounts of fish
in large areas of the oceans worldwide. However, most people
didn't care -- they regarded the environmental disturbances as
something that their grandchildren, or great grandchildren, could
take care of. I think the speed of the final collapse was a
severe shock to everyone.

***

We must now turn to the development in USA. It had been the
strongest military power on Earth since the beginning of the
previous century -- but its strength was often guided by a woeful
lack of information, what the military call 'intelligence'. Thus,
the US usually stumbled into its many wars like a blinded
cyclopean -- with great strength but poor direction. Later, it
became more like a friendly bear, giving its well-meant favours
to suffering people all over the world -- often with disastrous
results. (Incidentally, we Swedes had a saying about bear-favours
that made no one happy -- but it was the 'Russian Bear' that was
feared most.)

The 11th September changed that -- the friendly bear turned into
an enraged grizzly. President Bush proclaimed his 'crusade
against terrorism' and an alliance led by the US invaded
Afghanistan, overthrowing the Taliban regime. Later, Iraq was
invaded and its dictator, Sadam Husein, was ousted from power.
However, the result was not the expected -- two evil regimes were
put to an end, but the leaders escaped and the US became engaged
in a long and frustrating hunt for them. Some of the leaders were
captured or killed but others escaped. They were like haunting
ghosts -- and the legends about them grew.

The situation in the freed countries was chaotic with internal
strife and killings. In Afghanistan, war lords who only gave lip
service to the central government re-established themselves and
fought for the interests of their different ethnic groups. The
Talibans held a low profile -- but there was no doubt that they
remained a force to be reckoned with. In Iraq, members and
supporters of the former ruling Bath party, al-Qaida, and various
ethnic groups continued their campaigns against the US-led
occupation force (and each other). There were attacks almost
every day -- often with many casualties. At the same time, the
resentment against Americans and other 'infidels on holy ground'
was growing steadily throughout the Muslim world. Suicide bombers
attacked American, and other foreign, interests throughout the
region, inflaming the feelings to the boiling point.

The Saudi Arabian revolution sent shock-waves throughout the
world, quadrupling the oil prices overnight. The worst fears soon
became true. The new regime was governed by religious fanaticism
-- they closed the country for the infidels and confiscated
foreign property. Within a month, the oil production had fallen
to less than ten percent of its former value. At the same time,
saboteurs successfully thwarted US and British attempts to
increase the Iraqi export to take up the slack. 

The most severe energy crisis in the history of mankind was a
fact. There was a mad struggle to secure the remaining sources --
and the US was the biggest hog in the sty. 'Gunboat diplomacy'
was reinvented and Venezuela became an US protectorate. When
Norway was forced to sign an exclusive contract with USA, a few
months later, it caused a major international crisis that
eventually led to the dissolution of the United Nations. USA had
discovered its strength and the building of the American Empire
had commenced. At its height, around 2045, this empire was the
largest ever -- it comprised both American continents, it had
'colonies' and vassal states throughout the world, and its
'sphere of influence' reached the entire globe. Predictably, the
empire was hated and the Americans became the most hated people
in the world -- the closing of the 'American heartland' (both
Americas) for all non-citizens in 2036 was the logical
conclusion.

***

Internally, the growing American heartland was long an island of
prosperity and stability in a world of growing chaos. 'The
American Way of Life' was bolstered by cheap import from less
fortunate parts of the world. There was no shortage of gas,
although there were some grumbles when the price gradually
increased to five dollars per gallon. People didn't know that in
many other parts of the world there was no gas at all, and that
people had to go back to horse- or ox-driven wagons -- or their
own legs. The minority who used to go on vacation abroad soon had
to quit -- it became too dangerous -- but that didn't concern the
great majority who never travelled abroad anyhow. The media were
almost exclusively concentrated on internal affairs, and they
became gradually even more so -- the average American knew
little, and cared less, about the world outside.

Nevertheless, the seeds of destruction were present and the first
rumbles of the catastrophe could be heard early on -- if you
cared to listen. The depletion of the middle-class were ongoing
and the poor became poorer and more numerous. Criminality
increased sharply, and it was countered by more severe
punishments -- the death rows were always full, and the time
spent there before execution fell to a few days on the average.
Religious fundamentalism thrived and the religious freedom was
rapidly eroded. So were the other classical rights, granted in
the Constitution -- and by the middle of the second decade, the
civil rights had had ceased to exist in practice (but they were
often the subject of solemn rhetoric until the very end). It's a
sobering fact that if Bob had lived for only ten years longer,
his siblings would not only have won the lawsuit for his fortune
-- I would very probably have been sentenced to jail (and maybe
even death) for my 'crimes'.

In the middle of the third decade, the US was still formally a
democracy -- elections were still held but they were unimportant.
In practice, the empire was ruled by a close-knitted group of men
who represented the industry, military, and right-wing Christian
sects. After the widespread food-riots a few years later, marshal
law was declared and the Congress was disbanded, and still later
the empire was ruled by a Patriarch, heading an 'advisory board'.
Most people became serfs, and those with the 'wrong' religious
belief (Muslims, Jews, several Christian groups, and many others)
were persecuted.

When the American empire finally fell, in 2053, it was in a
bloody cataclysm that, together with all the other disasters at
that time, killed more than ninety percent of the human
population on Earth.

***

Ingrid stopped and sighed deeply; "It's depressing to talk about
these subjects -- but I did it for a reason, as you will hear
tomorrow, Jenny." Jenny didn't say much -- she had heard about
most of this history in school, but Ingrid's long perspective was
new for her -- and plenty of food for her thoughts.


Chapter 18 -- Paradise Lost

Jenny was her usual talkative self when she returned the next day
and Ingrid answered several of her questions about the
development in other parts of the world that Ingrid hadn't
mentioned -- among them Europe. "The American Empire used the old
tactics from the British Empire -- to sunder and rule," she said.
"The UK soon became one of the vassal states, and the American
ambassador in Brussels was the de facto governor of the European
Federation for seven years. Nevertheless, Europe fared better
than most other parts of the world and it became leading in the
reconstruction after the catastrophe -- of the 200 million or so
survivors, more than one fourth lived in the European
Federation."

"However," she continued, "today, I will tell you about how we
fared on Paradise Island..."

***

The political upheavals hardly disturbed us at all until the very
end -- we watched the news on the satellite channels, needless to
say, but they had no direct impact on us for many years. There
were some terrorism in the Micronesian federation, including an
attempt to assassinate the president and one bomb in Kolonia that
killed several persons, but the terrorists were not interested in
our isolated island. The only fighting on Paradise Island was
with a group of pirates who probably sought a hide-out. Our
police force managed to drive them off and the only casualties on
our side were two lightly wounded. The pirates took their dead
and wounded with them when they fled so I don't know for certain
how great their losses were.

The American Empire also didn't bother us for a long time. We
were Americans in their eyes and our island had no strategic
importance. Occasionally, an American warship on patrol anchored
in our harbour and the senior officers came ashore for an
inspection. We treated them like guest and they soon found that
we offered nothing of interest to them. Similarly, our airstrip
was sometimes used by American aircraft and we treated their
crews like guests too. The officers were, as a rule, very polite
and their visits were amiable.

However, the visit by a proctor from the religious police when
Peter was three years old was something else. Fortunately, we
were prepared and we got advance warning of his arrival.
Consequently, we dressed all our servants in suitably exotic but
conservative outfits (padded halter-tops and imitation
'grass-skirts' reaching below the knees for the women, and ditto
grass-kilts for the men) and we dressed ourselves and our
children in a conservative fashion too. And the proctor found
nothing 'immoral' to complain about according to his right-wing
Christian standards. (He actually lifted the skirt of one of the
girls but only found her demure shorts underneath -- not her
naked bum.) Likewise, the villagers had been warned and his
'catch' in the village was only one naked toddler (an about
two-years-old boy who was playing outside one of the houses).
That resulted in a stern warning about 'immoral nudity' -- after
which the satisfied proctor left our island.

Incidentally, I cannot understand the logic of these people --
they believe that every word in the Bible is The Truth. Thus, the
must believe the story about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
and regret that they ate the forbidden fruit. However, it is
clearly stated in the Bible that Adam and Eve were naked before
the Fall (they didn't know better), and that they covered
themselves only after eating the fruit of knowledge. Why would
then the nudity of a small child, who in a sense lives in the
same blessed state (he too doesn't know better), be upsetting at
all.

***

I lost some money in the deepening financial crisis and all my
American holdings were seized by the government before the end.
However, most of my assets were placed in secure holdings that
weren't influenced much by the crisis, and less than ten percent
remained in the American Empire when these assets were
confiscated. Linda had realized early on that the situation in
the empire made our assets there threatened, and she moved most
of them abroad well in advance of the event.

Thus, we lost only about 20 percent of our capital as a direct
effect of the crisis.

Indirectly, the financial crisis hit us harder. We needed
jet-fuel and oil both to the yacht and to our power plant. As
'Americans', we could still buy what we needed but the prices
increased steadily and jet-fuel became hard to get at the end. (I
guess that the military aircraft needed most of it.) As I told
you earlier, we had to 'ground' our jet a few years after the
birth of Peter. It became too expensive and complicated to keep
it, and the crew was ready for retirement. The main impact of
loosing our rapid transport was that we had to do without certain
luxuries, such as fresh books and new clothes. However, those
were minor sacrifices; Internet was still working and many titles
were published there until the censorship dried up that source --
and the need of clothes of any kind was minimal because we had so
few visitors at the end.

***

The factor that really hit us with full force was the
environmental disturbances, particularly the global warming and
the melt-down of the Antarctic ice cap. However this effect was
insidious and the signs were subtle at first. The level of the
oceans was rising, but the rate was slow at first. During my
first twenty years on Paradise Island, the sea level rose with
maybe a meter. The effect was clearly visible, particularly on
our beaches -- the 'nude beach' more or less disappeared and the
others shrank to half the sizes they were when I first came to
the island. However, our island was fairly high and the rate of
rising was not very alarming -- yet. In the next, ten years the
level rose with another meter and a half, flooding agricultural
land, and threatening our power-plant, and the rate was
increasing. We realized that Paradise Island might disappear
beneath the sea within our lifetimes if this continued.

We saw other disturbing signs too. The fish gradually disappeared
and our fishermen had to work harder for longer hours to catch
enough to feed us -- and many of the fishes were diseased.

However, the factor that, finally, forced us to leave Paradise
Island was the deterioration of the weather. When I first came to
the island, the most common weather was a light breeze and the
sun shining from a clear sky. It rained seldom and the mild
showers were a pleasant break from the routine -- we all loved to
dance naked in the rain. The clouds increased gradually, and when
Bob died it was not uncommon with a whole day without the sight
of the sun. The rain showers became more frequent, and sometimes
we had thunderstorms. It also became windier, and we experienced
our first storms.

The first storm that caused real damage hit us when Undine's son,
Peter, was six years old. Fortunately, no one was injured but the
material damage was extensive and several families became
homeless. Two families moved in with us and My boarded others in
the guesthouse until the repairs were completed. Unfortunately,
this storm was followed by others and two men were lost at sea in
one of them. We decided to equip the cellar of our house as a
storm shelter -- and that probably saved our lives when a
full-blown hurricane hit Paradise Island dead on later -- that
and the one-day advance warning we got.

We did all we could to secure our houses until the sky was
covered with clouds and the winds made it hard to walk. Then we
all crowded into the cellar -- it must have been more than 200
persons, counting the children. We had hardly room to sit, much
less to lie down. We sat like scared children, listening at the
sounds of furor from the hurricane. The electric light went out
after about an hour and the cellar became pitch dark. The sounds
from the storm continued unabated for another hour -- and then it
became quiet. People prepared to leave but Brad cautioned them.
"Wait!" he said, "we might be in the eye of the storm." We waited
anxiously for maybe half an hour -- and many cried in despair
when the sounds of the storm started again.

***

Finally, it was over. After an hour's anxious wait we opened the
door of the cellar and climbed out over the fallen debris --
looking at the scene of devastation in shocked unbelief. Bob's
'manor house' was a roofless shell and the garden was a
wasteland. Almost every single tree was uprooted or broken and
many must have been blown into the sea. Most of us stayed close
together but a few brave souls went to investigate other parts of
the island. The reports they brought back made clear the full
extent of our disaster -- we had lost everything. Not a single
house was left standing, the power plant was damaged beyond
repair and the yacht was severely damaged. We had no shelter, no
food, almost no water, no tools, and almost no clothes. I was
completely naked -- I had worn a loincloth but I must have lost
it during the scramble to our cellar.

Once again, the mantle of leadership fell on Linda (although it
wasn't visible, Linda was as naked as I was -- and so were many
others). She organized us in work-parties and slowly a sense of
purpose returned to the people. We cleaned out the manor house
from debris and used one of the least damaged rooms for the
supplies we found -- another would serve as shelter for small
children and their mothers. Another group, led by the crew,
cleared most of the rubbish from the yacht and began to make
temporary repairs. Others searched the ruins for anything useful
they might find, and there was a hunting party to catch and pen
any surviving pigs that escaped during the storm. We were tired
but in better mood when we went to sleep, most of us under the
open sky, that night.

***

Fortunately, the weather was clement the following three weeks,
and at the end of this period we were ready to leave the island.
It was clear from the start that Rarotonga (I stopped calling it
Paradise Island -- it wasn't a paradise any longer) wasn't fit to
live on. The captain of M/s Dreamscapes declared her seaworthy,
and we prepared to set out for New Zealand. I had used the
communication equipment on the yacht to contact Ruth, who was now
a senior administrator in the government, and she managed to
obtain immigrant visas for all of us -- we were welcome. 

First, I had to say a last farewell to Bob. When it became clear
that we had to leave Rarotonga for ever, I had struggled with the
decision of what to do with his ashes -- and, finally, I had come
to the conclusion that Bob should remain on his beloved island. I
felt that this was what he would have preferred, and it was in
accordance with the local custom too -- you didn't take back what
you had given to the care of the Mother Goddess. Thus, the last
day I went alone to the lake -- I had to climb over fallen trees
or slither under them, and it took me more than an hour to reach
the lake. I was exhausted and my body was covered with mud when I
finally got there, and I had to rest for another half an hour
before I could enter the lake. The clear water was muddled by the
grime from my body but the caress of the water felt wonderful,
healing all the scratches I obtained from my arduous journey. I
felt the love of the Goddess, mixed with a deep sorrow, but there
was something else too -- a sense of purpose. Something glimmered
in the depths of the lake and I dove toward it. The light came
from a small figurine in the shape of a nude woman. I stretched
out my hand and touched the figurine and the presence of the
Goddess became overwhelming -- the feeling was indescribable and
I don't know how long I remained like this. After a timeless
moment, I swam to the surface and went to the cave for my last
farewell to my dead husband.

My return from the lake seemed like a dream and my body moved on
its own, finding ways past the fallen trees without difficulty. I
returned to the others almost effortlessly -- and there was not a
single scratch or blotch of mud on my body. When the stark naked
My met me, some distance from the harbour, she gave me one look
-- and then she fell to her knees. "Mother," she whispered. I sat
down beside her and pulled her into my arms, and we sat like that
for a long time in wordless communication before the presence of
the Goddess dissipated. In halting words, I described my
experience at the lake, and My told me that the Goddess had
chosen me to be her vessel. She told me that she had felt a
sudden urge to strip naked and go looking for me. When she first
saw me, my body was surrounded by a mantle of light -- it had
disappeared now -- and the oldest tale of her tribe told how the
Goddess came to the island in the form of a woman shining with
light. "I believe that the Goddess chose you, and that she wanted
me to know -- but not the others yet. Let's return to the yacht
-- we are ready to leave," she concluded.

Last of all, My and I boarded the yacht and it set out on our
long journey. Many of us cried openly when Rarotonga sank beneath
the horizon. 

***

"The long voyage to New Zealand on the overcrowded ship was
arduous and we were all thirsty, hungry, and filthy when we
arrived there at last. We had only the meagre supplies we had
managed to salvage, and we didn't dare to make any stops on the
way for fear that someone would confiscate our yacht. However,
the weather continued to be clement -- and we all survived,"
Ingrid concluded her tale.

Jenny had tears in her eyes when she looked at Ingrid. "What a
terrible tale!" she exclaimed. "Yes, it was terrible to loose our
paradise," Ingrid replied, "but we were fortunate compared with
the inhabitants on many of the other islands. There were no loss
of lives -- and we had somewhere to go. Most of the native people
found a welcome among the Maoris who where their distant
relatives, and I and my family and friends found a large house
with Ruth's help. Linda transferred most of our assets to New
Zealand -- loosing another ten percent in the process. However,
the remains of my fortune was more than enough to establish
ourselves in comfort -- and to start planning what to do next,
but that will be the subject of tomorrow's tale," she finished.


Chapter 19 -- Space?

Jenny was still solemn when she returned the next day and Ingrid,
feeling that the girl didn't want to chat before her tale, just
told her to sit down and then she began her tale...

***

The first months after our arrival to New Zealand were filled
with work but with the help of our friends -- and some work
behind the scene by Ruth -- we managed to get our household in
order. The house was large, but still much smaller than the one
on Paradise Island. On the other hand, the number of persons
living in the household was smaller too, and we had only a
handful of servants. Brad and I shared one floor with Undine and
Jenny and their families, and Lisa and Louise, who where single
had their rooms on the other floor. 

My and her husband were living in an apartment on that floor,
which also held rooms for her two helpers -- two young native
women who had worked for her at the guesthouse. The remaining
occupant on that floor was My's mother -- she was 69 years old,
but still the undisputed boss in the kitchen. Linda and her
family moved into a smaller house nearby. Thus, we were fifteen
adults and six children in the household at the start. We lost
one adult the first month when Lisa died quietly in her sleep,
and we gained two children the next when Undine had twins (Betty
and Susie). We had few guests the first year, living a quiet life
in a quiet neighbourhood. Naturally, we all dressed demurely --
our neighbourhood was definitely not the place for 'casual
skin'.

One of my first tasks, after moving to our house, was to decide
what to do with M/s Dreamscapes. She had been severely battered
by the hurricane, and she needed permanent repairs to replace the
make-shift ones we did before we set out. We had no lack of money
but the cost of the repairs would be substantial -- and it was
unlikely that we would ever need our yacht again. On the other
hand, our yacht had a crew of ten and I felt responsible for
these people -- who would be interested in buying a second-hand,
luxurious yacht in need of repair, much less to employ its crew.


Ruth solved that problem too -- she *leased* M/s Dreamscapes from
me on the behalf of the government. After repairs and fitting as
a floating hospital, our yacht (with its crew) made several
rescue missions among the outlying islands. Unfortunately, the
need for such missions was constant as the weather continued to
worsen and severe storms were a constant threat on the islands.
However, it was a good solution for everybody -- and it felt
satisfying to know that our ship was filling an important
humanitarian need. At the same time, the payment covered our
expenses for running the household, and the tax we paid on this
income bolstered our standing as productive members of the
society -- something that became very important later when the
times grew worse.

***

Two years later, our household increased with twelve persons when
my brothers Chris and Lars arrived from Sweden together with my
son Bob Jr. and their families. It was a long and hazardous trip
by boat in an age without civil airlines and with the natural
hazards augmented by pirates, especially along the African coast.
Moreover, New Zealand was closed for most immigrants and they had
to pay the lion's share of their cash in fees (i.e. bribes) to be
allowed to enter the country. However, I was now a respected
'legal alien in good standing' and with my help they were granted
permanent visa. Ruth made her contribution too but,
unfortunately, her clout had diminished due to recent changes in
the regime.

I was very happy to see my brothers again and the reunion with my
son -- and three grandchildren -- was almost like reliving my
first happy time with Bob. Robert Jr. was like a younger replica
of his father -- and his eldest daughter (Yvonne), who was seven
years old, was so like Anne at that age that it was almost
frightening. My other grandchildren accepted their new playmates
Yvonne, Jan (5) and Marie (3) readily and our household became
full of little savages again (not naked this time, though). Lars'
son Henrik (21) and his fiance Ulla (18) completed the picture.
Our house became a lively place, full of people, but it was large
enough and it didn't feel crowded.

***

My relatives and I had one thing in common -- our belief that
mankind's future was dependent on the colonization of space.
Chris had always dreamt about space travel since he and I
devoured science fiction novels together as children -- and Lars
had been converted and he contributed a much needed down-to-earth
(if the slightly misleading metaphor is allowed) realism. They
were now partners, and Bob Jr. and Henrik had been working
together with them in Sweden. The plans for a new kind of
space-shuttle, an orbiting platform, and a lunar exploration
expedition were well advanced and, as far as I could judge them,
eminently doable. However, the funds needed to realize them were
well beyond their means -- and it would tax even my much greater
resources to the limit. Needless to say, the resources required
to establish a permanent colony in space would be still much
larger and far beyond our means -- we didn't even dare to think
about that step yet. There were also the difficult problems of
how to obtain the necessary materials (not the least the rocket
fuel) and how the public would react when they heard of this
'waste of resources'. 

Last, but not least, there was the tremendous problem with the
American Empire -- space technology and weapon technology were
similar, and anything that could be perceived as a military
threat by the paranoid leaders of the empire was likely to
trigger an attack by the empire's vast war-machine. In order to
have any chance of success, our project needed active support of
the New Zealand government -- and we were extremely unlikely to
get it, for this last reason alone. New Zealand was, unlike
Australia, formally independent -- but the tentacles of the
empire reached everywhere.

Thus, we shared a dream but it would be foolish to try to realize
it. I could hear Karin's voice in my head, "This is sheer
madness, Ingrid! Back off, or it will destroy you!" Did I listen
to this sensible advice? -- No way! I was filled with a deepening
conviction that our project represented mankind's last chance of
survival -- and I suspected that the source of this conviction
was no one else than the Mother Goddess. She had left me to my
own devices since our flight from Rarotonga but now I was filled
with the same sense of purpose as when I visited her lake the
last time. My felt it too -- she didn't see a mantle of light
around me this time, but she felt the same sense of urgency as
when she went to meet me that day.

***

We started our space project and the expected problems
materialized almost immediately. I spent days in meetings with
petty bureaucrats (and Ruth had to pull a large number of strings
in the background) before we could acquire land for our
space-field -- and the necessary permits to build it. Obtaining
material and equipment required a lot of money and ingenuity but
it was done, and the space-field started to take shape. 

Meanwhile, Linda was busy with the American Empire -- and we had
a lucky break, which very probably was decisive. One of the
senior functionaries at the American embassy was no other than
Joe-Anne's son, Fred. He remembered Linda from his visits to
Paradise Island with his parents -- and he knew that the
ambassador was a Star Trek buff. A guided tour was arranged, and
the ambassador was delighted -- the buildings were mostly empty
shells at that time and there were no rockets or any other space
equipment in place yet, but Chris talked with him for three hours
about our plans. As a result, we gained a strong supporter of our
cause -- and he had the ear of the American Patriarch himself.

Thus, we managed to neutralize the acute threat from the American
Empire with surprising ease. (Needless to say, we realized that
the situation might change later when we actually started firing
rockets.) However, the press got wind of our project and the
reaction of the public became what we feared. New Zealand was
better off than most regions outside the American Empire itself,
but there still was a severe shortage of most raw materials, and
particularly oil. The papers published articles about our
'colossal waste' of resources on a 'useless project' and the
protests from 'ordinary Joe', who often couldn't even get a few
gallons of gas to his car or material to patch his roof, became
massive and vocal. The pressure on the politicians to force us to
stop the space-project increased rapidly. A very vocal minority
even wanted to strip us of all our assets and evict us from New
Zealand -- and I think that not so few would be delighted if they
could use tar-and-feathers too.

***

Our situation became critical -- our project hanged on a thin
thread, and the politicians swayed in the publicity storm. We
needed the support of a strong political group -- and My,
finally, found one that might be persuaded to support us -- The
Maori. Unlike, for example the aborigines in Australia, the Maori
in New Zealand had a strong position in the society -- and a
substantial political clout. If we could convince their leaders,
there was a good possibility for us to ride out the storm.
However, it was not without risks -- if we failed, we would be in
worse trouble than ever.

The final decision was mine -- it was still possible to back off
and save enough of my wealth to live in comfort, but if we made a
last attempt and failed, I and my friends could loose everything.


Ruth pleaded caution but, like the reckless fool I was (as Karin
would say), I decided to go for broke. My used her contacts and I
met three of the Maori leaders a week later. We talked for
several hours and I presented our cause as well as I could. The
Maoris were sympathetic but it was easy to see that they were not
convinced. In desperation, I told them about the Mother Goddess
-- that I believed that I was acting on Her behalf when I tried
to lead a group of humans in an escape from Earth. 

The effect on the leaders was dramatic -- they argued in their
own language for at least fifteen minutes, and then two of them
left the room, leaving My and me with the eldest who appeared to
be the one with highest rank. "We have ancient ways to test the
truth of your statement," he told me sternly. "If you pass our
tests, it will be our holy duty to support you but I must warn
you, if you fail the test -- both you and your companion will
die." My mouth became dry -- this was even worse than I feared.
The Maori leader told me to consider carefully -- he would
contact me in 24 hours.

My and I went home and discussed it with the others and it was
clear that the others didn't want me to risk my life. On the
other hand we saw no other way to save our project -- once again
the decision was mine. Brad and I made love, almost in
desperation, that night and then we fell asleep in each others'
arms. When I awakened the next morning, my mind was made up --
and untroubled -- I would submit to the Maori test, and I told
the Maori leader when he called me later.

***

Four days later, My and I took a tearful farewell (our last?) of
our friends and stepped into the limousine that would take us to
my test. We were told to put on blindfolds before we set out and
the trip took several hours. The limo stopped and we were
transferred to a jeep for another long drive on bad roads. Bereft
of my sight, my other senses grew sharper, and it was clear that
we were entering the jungle. Finally, we were led from the jeep
and into a cabin. Once inside, we were told to take off our
blindfolds -- and we were facing one of the younger Maori leaders
we met earlier at the meeting. He regarded us solemnly and told
us that we could still back off from the test. "I will leave
presently and return to the city," he said, "and if you put on
your blindfolds, you can go back with me. Otherwise, you must
take off everything, including your jewellery, and wait here for
your guides who will bring you to the trial -- once you go with
them, there is no turning back," he concluded ominously.

My and I looked at each other, and then we started to take off
our clothes. When we were naked, the leader gave us a small cloth
bag each and we put our jewellery in them. Then, he took our
belongings with him and left the room. "You will get back your
belongings after the trial -- if you survive it," was his
farewell. We heard the jeep start and move away from the cabin,
and then there were only the sounds from the jungle to break the
silence -- we sat down on the floor in the bare room and
waited...

***

It was already dark when two Maoris in traditional clothing came
and brought us on a long trek through the jungle. We walked in
silence -- it was a long time since I walked stark naked like
this outside, but it felt strangely comforting and my mind was
filled with calm. Finally, there was light ahead -- it came from
a large fire. The elder leader was seated on some kind of a chair
by the fire, dressed like a Maori chieftain, and about fifty
others in traditional attire were also assembled. My and I were
brought to stand facing the chieftain, and he told me to repeat
my claim about the Mother Goddess. Then my trial began.

I have promised not to disclose any details of my trial -- it is
enough to tell you that it was arduous and included several test
of my wit, strength and determination. I passed all the tests,
and then I was allowed to make my plea on behalf of the Goddess
-- and something strange happened. Words in a language unknown to
me effortlessly left my mouth, and when I was finished, there was
an awed silence. (My told me later that my body was shining even
brighter than when she met me the last day on Rarotonga, but I
didn't see it myself and I don't know if anybody else than My
did.) Then, the chieftain went to me, knelt, and kissed my naked
feet as a sign of fealty to the Goddess whose vessel I was.
Finally, he gave me a mantle, and My was given a short kilt. 

After a meal with the chieftain, we were escorted another way
back to another cabin. This one was larger and contained several
bedrooms and a bathroom. We showered and went to bed. The next
morning, our belongings were returned to us but we were allowed
to keep our Maori finery too. We dressed in our Western clothes,
and then we were brought back home. My desperation ploy had
worked and we now had the firm support of the Maoris.

***

Their support was decisive -- we still encountered many problems
but the worst obstacles had been cleared. Our first space shuttle
made its virgin flight eighteen months after my trial and one
year later we had three others in operation and the building of
the orbiting platform was well under way. The public opinion
changed with our success -- now we became a source of national
pride, and the newspapers explained that our project didn't
compete with the resources for ordinary activities, and that
spin-offs from it might improve the quality of life for
everybody.

As expected, some American militaries became suspicious when we
started to assemble the orbiting platform, fearing that it could
serve as a platform for nuclear devices too. However, with the
help of our friend the ambassador we managed to assuage their
suspicions. We invited the military to send 'observers' (i.e.
spies) both to our facilities on the ground and to the platform
in space. That was OK with us -- we had nothing to hide and these
young men and women were skilful -- they actually became an asset
to our project.

***

The moon shuttle was built in space, and so were several other
experimental spacecrafts for the exploration of the solar system.
One of the most successful was the 'solar sailer' -- using the
solar wind to move. This small, unmanned probe proved that the
concept worked beautifully and it served as a model for manned
'sail ships' that were going to the asteroid belt and beyond,
hunting for minerals, ice and hydrocarbons later.

Six years after the start of our project the first humans landed
on the moon -- after a hiatus of almost seventy years. Several
more trips were made to the moon the next few months and a
permanent base -- Moon-base Alpha -- was established, something
nobody was had done before, outside science fiction serials of
course. Incidentally, our moon base was named after a fictional
one that was a popular TV-serial when Chris and I were children.

***

"In one sense, our 'space project' was a roaring success; in less
than ten years, we had managed to do everything we set out to do
-- and more. In another, it was only a first stumbling step out
in space, and we still had no idea how to take the next -- to
establish a self-sufficient colony on the moon, to build our Luna
City. The difficulties were tremendous, and almost all our money
had been consumed in the first step. However, the next step --
and the improbable set of circumstances that made it possible --
must wait until tomorrow," Ingrid concluded her tale.

Jenny tried to pump her about the Maori trial but Ingrid only
smiled enigmatically. "I promised the Maori chieftain not to tell
anybody -- and there are still many Maoris around," she said.


Chapter 20 -- Luna City

Once again, Ingrid was studying reference material (computerized
this time) when Jenny returned the next day. "I'm afraid that
today's tale will be technical, Jenny" she told the girl with a
shrug. "It's really too technical for me to tell it to you as it
should be told -- maybe you should ask Sam to correct the
technical details later."

"...Anyhow, this is how I experienced it," she concluded and
began her tale...

***

As I told you yesterday, the first stage of our project succeeded
beyond our wildest expectations -- but we still had no clue how
to proceed with the second step. The problems we had to surmount
were tremendous:

First, it took a lot of fuel to lift a payload out of Earth's
'gravity well' into orbit. Our space shuttles were more efficient
than their predecessors and the fuel was made from renewable
sources. (Incidentally, this technique was the most important
spin-off from our project for 'ordinary Joe' -- he could run his
car on a similar fuel.) But it still took 26 kilos of fuel for
every kilo to be put in orbit. Counting the weight of the shuttle
itself, that translated to many *tons* of fuel needed for every
launch of a shuttle. The shuttle had a crew of two and it could
take ten passengers or about a ton of materials on each trip --
and we could only make a launch every tenth day or so from our
'spaceport'. Thus, we could easily maintain a workforce of twenty
people on the platform -- but to lift thousands of people, with
everything they needed to start a self-sufficient colony was
something completely different. Moreover, how could all these
thousands, many of them children or persons past their prime
(like me) be trained for space? -- We had no idea.

Second, the trip to the moon was much 'cheaper' in fuel -- only
about five kilo per kilo payload -- and a moon shuttle could
easily be constructed that was quite roomy (we had one for a
hundred passengers on the drawing board). The acceleration during
such a trip would also be far milder than the lift-off from
Earth. *But* every kilo of the material for the moon shuttle, and
every kilo of its fuel, had to be lifted up from Earth to orbit
first.

Third, where would all these people *live*? Moon-base Alpha had a
crew of four highly trained astronauts. Building materials,
equipment, food, water, oxygen ... *everything* was ferried from
Earth, via orbit. The 'men on the moon' were totally dependent on
this lifeline (which was about the 'thickest' we could maintain),
and they would die within a few weeks without it. Moon-base Alpha
was definitely not self-sufficient -- and there was a Catch 22.
We needed to build a much larger base, preferably underground, to
hold all the thousands of people, and we needed to find ways to
make at least oxygen, water, and food locally -- but to have a
chance succeed, we needed many more 'men on the moon' first --
and we couldn't support them by lifting material from Earth.

Finally, both our money and our time were running out. I
estimated that my money would run out in three more years at the
current rate if we didn't get new capital, and an optimistic
prognosis gave us maybe twenty years to establish a permanent
colony on the moon before it would be too late due to the
steadily worsening conditions on Earth. I'm an optimistic (Karin
would have said reckless) person but I don't deny that I
despaired many times during this period when we were working
against the clock -- with disaster staring us in the face.

***

Linda solved our money problem. She started a supporter club on
the Internet and the money started to flow in -- most of the sums
were small, of course, but the givers were many and it rapidly
added up to substantial amounts. Two years after the start, the
amounts of money flowing in was greater than our expenses -- and
the flow showed no signs of decrease. Millions of people
contributed to our project for various reasons -- some of them
egoistical, but more often because they wanted to be part of
something greater than themselves. I hope that we didn't fool
anyone -- and I know that our free disclosure of our technical
breakthroughs helped many millions to survive -- on Earth and in
space.

***

Our most crucial technical breakthrough -- the invention of the
'sky lift' -- was made in 2041 by one of the former military
'observers' who joined our project a few years earlier. Harry had
a successful academic career as professor in physics at MIT when
the financial breakdown made him loose his job and join the
military. He immediately felt at home in our project and we hired
him as soon as feasible. I cannot explain the theory of the sky
lift to you, Jenny. Maybe Sam can do that -- it is pure magic to
me. However it solved the first problem -- now we could build a
shuttle that gently *floated* up through the atmosphere when it
was shielded from Earth's gravity field. The return was just as
easy -- the spacecraft sank gently when the shielding was
decreased. We still needed some fuel for manoeuvres but now the
fuel/payload ratio was close to one. After some trials, we bought
two old Boeing 747 jumbo jets in good condition and refitted them
for space. I went to the orbital platform on the virgin flight of
the first one -- and the trip was almost like a flight in an
ordinary aircraft (the view was much better, though).

Our two new 'jumbo shuttles' made it much easier to build two
'jumbo moon shuttles' too. They were built I space and were
roughly spherical in shape. Each could carry up to 180 passengers
(or an equivalent volume of material). The sky lift worked even
better on the moon. Without an atmosphere, hardly any fuel at all
was needed for manoeuvres, and the fuel/payload ratio became
*less* than one for the whole trip. This, needless to say, made
it quite possible to support a substantial workforce on the moon
(solving the Catch 22) -- Moon-base Beta -- the seed of Luna City
-- was built for 120 persons.

***

The next great breakthrough was when our geologists found 'fossil
ice' in the moon. It wasn't totally unexpected but it was,
nevertheless, a giant step on our way to establish a
self-sufficient colony. The amounts were not very large but it
would be enough to supply the colony with water and oxygen (via
electrolysis) -- and to form a basis for an ecosystem with plants
and animals. With careful recycling the caches of ice we found
the first year would support the colony for several years -- and
we had only searched a tiny fraction of the moon yet. 

The main remaining problem was the scarcity of metals in the
moon's crust but by building Luna City underground, we could use
the rock itself as the main building material, and it was
possible to make good quality glass by melting it. Glass fibres
could replace steel and aluminium in many constructions and glass
foam was an almost ideal insulation material. Energy to melt the
rock was no problem -- we had thousands of square kilometres of
perfect land for collectors of solar energy. As our experience
grew, we learned how to refine aluminium and magnesium from
suitable moon rocks with this energy source.

Luna City began to take shape -- and the number of inhabitants
grew rapidly. We made mistakes but surprisingly few lost their
lives. As the conditions on Earth became worse, we stepped up the
rate of moving people to the moon -- a new tunnel had hardly been
made and sealed before the new immigrants moved in. One year
after the foundation, Luna City had a population of 670. At the
two-year anniversary, the population was 3257, and at its peak in
2053, Luna City was a booming 'frontier town' with more than
fifty thousand inhabitants -- ten times the minimum number that
we deemed necessary for its survival as an independent colony.
The numbers declined again when people began to move elsewhere
but Luna City still remains the most populous settlement in space
with close to thirty thousand inhabitants.

***

Brad and I moved to Luna City together with Undine and Jenny and
their families in the second wave of immigrants, eight months
after the foundation, and My and Lars with their families
followed three months later in the third wave. Chris, Robert Jr.
and Linda stayed behind to handle the 'dirtside' part of our
business. 

The conditions during my first year in Luna City were primitive.
The threat of 'leaks' was ever-present and we learned to live in
spacesuits for days in a row -- with our helmets open but ready
to be closed within seconds when we got a leakage alarm. Whatever
a spacesuit is, it isn't comfortable to live in for a long time
and the 'plumbing' was very unsatisfactory. I think constipation
was the most common 'occupational disease' among us early
settlers -- there was a catheter and a plastic bag to handle
urine, but defecation had to be done in an oversized diaper if
you couldn't wait until it was safe to get out of the suit.

However, our techniques for sealing and testing the tunnels
improved gradually -- and the 'safe' tunnels grew in numbers.
After the first two years, it was rarely necessary for anyone to
stay in the spacesuit for more than a few hours in a row -- but
any 'loony' who didn't keep his suit close at hand (a very small
number) usually didn't live very long.

***

The following years, Luna City grew steadily more populous and
the quality of our lives improved. Our diet became ever better
and more varied, as the number of different crops we grew and
animals we raised increased. We got schools, libraries, concert
halls, theatres and even several arenas for different sports,
modified to fit the different environment -- basket ball at 1/6 g
simply is *very* different from the game played on Earth. In most
aspects, life in Luna City was similar to (but better than) life
in a town of similar size on Earth. There were differences, of
course, and the main ones were that Luna City was almost totally
underground and that it was three-dimensional. We were living
*in* the moon and the average loony rarely went to the surface.
Finding one's way including thinking in terms of *up* and *down*,
as well as the horizontal directions.

Some people went outside, leaving the moon and exploring the
planetary system (particularly the asteroid belt). The sky lift
and solar sails allowed us to do that with very little
expenditure of fuel, and asteroid mining gave us access to heavy
metals like iron, hydrocarbons for the making of fuels and
polymers, and more ice. In theory, and, as the years passed,
steadily more in practice too, we became independent of Earth for
all our supplies.

***

This independence of Earth became our salvation when military
forces from the American Empire suddenly invaded New Zealand and
seized our 'spaceport'. At the same time, the orbiting platform
was hit by a hydrogen bomb, killing the entire crew and
destroying a moon shuttle that was just leaving -- with its
passengers. I still don't understand what the empire hoped to
achieve with these unprovoked attacks. Their propaganda claimed
that they had successfully eliminated terrorist bases. We were
certainly no terrorists and we didn't threaten the empire in any
way -- maybe the empire couldn't tolerate anything that they
couldn't control totally.

In one stroke, we lost our means to transport more people and
material to the moon -- and we mourned the death of our friends
and colleagues. However, our loss didn't mean that people stopped
coming to Luna City -- after a short hiatus, other groups built
their own transports, using the technology we had developed. New
Zealand became an American colony and nobody escaped to the moon
from there any longer, but space vessels started to arrive from
other parts of the world -- Europe, Japan, and even the American
Empire itself. The migration was not as well organized as before
and there were hundreds of lost lives due to technical
malfunction -- and several spacecraft were even shot down by the
imperial forces. However, the number of people who made it to the
moon increased steadily, and we loonies were hard pressed to make
room for them all.

Most of the people who came to Luna City were true fugitives, but
some were spies and saboteurs and they caused some damage with
loss of lives. Our justice on these people when we caught them
was harsh and rapid -- we threw them out on the surface of the
moon -- without spacesuits. We feared a massive attack from the
American Empire but it never came -- I guess that they got other
problems than us to occupy their mind. After the catastrophe in
2053 that wiped out the American Empire -- and more than 90% of
the human race with it -- we didn't hear anything from Earth for
several years.

***

Man is a political animal and politics flourished in Luna City
too. Its population came from all over Earth and everybody had
his or her ideas about the perfect society -- and many wanted to
impose their ideas on all others. Several political and religious
groups organized themselves and made their bids for power. We
hard-core loonies were a recalcitrant lot of individualists and
we resisted such trials vehemently. Loony politics became chaotic
but it, usually, stopped short of actual fighting -- we had to
space a few die-hard fundamentalists, though.

I and my friends started to grow tired of the chaotic, crowded
life in Luna City and we discussed if we should migrate again --
and where. One alternative was to build another settlement in the
moon, and another was to move to the asteroid belt. Several small
groups had done one or the other already, and several more were
making plans. However, neither of these two solutions appealed
much to us -- the moon was big but not big enough if the
political situation worsened and one of the more extreme
political groups gained power. Moreover, building a new
settlement in the moon meant living under primitive conditions
again (using those spacesuits and their pesky 'diapers' -- ugh!),
and the life as troglodytes had lost most of its charm for us. A
settlement in one of the asteroids in the belt would be similar,
and the life there would be even harsher due to the threat from
pirates and other lawless groups who had established their bases
there. What I and several others really wanted to do was to
recreate our Paradise Island in space -- but would it be
possible?

***

As you know, Jenny, it *was* possible -- and that was what we
did. We started to build our new home in 2051, and we moved there
six months after the fall of the American Empire. Our habitat was
constructed in open space, in Earth's orbit but trailing it sixty
degrees. Most of the building material came from the asteroid
belt and the 'foundation stone' was a whole asteroid we moved
from the belt to its new orbit. We didn't plan to live as
troglodytes and we constructed our new home with plenty of open
space and windows to let in the sunlight. A variant of the sky
lift provided us with a comfortable level of gravity, set to 0.2
g -- we had come to appreciate the comfort of lower gravity than
Earth's, and our youngsters soon developed the art of flying. 

Our new home was constructed to hold eight thousand people in
comfort and we were 2423 persons who migrated there in year 2053.
Alas, my husband Brad was not one of them -- he died two months
before our migration -- but my brother Lars and both my daughters
accompanied me, together with their families. My and her family
came to, and so did most of the people from the original Paradise
Island, together with many of their Maori friends -- almost half
of the migrants were of Polynesian origin. Much to my surprise, I
was elected 'Colony Leader' unanimously, despite my advanced age
(76 years). I protested in vain that the job should go to a
younger person but everybody wanted me to lead them, and My told
me that at least the Polynesian group couldn't think of any other
that was more suitable -- I was the vessel of their Mother
Goddess.

***

"Thus, the mantle of leadership settled squarely on my shoulders,
at last, and I couldn't avoid it. I started to think about how
*my* perfect society should be organized, and it shouldn't be any
surprise to you, Jenny, that the society on Paradise Island was
my most important model," Ingrid concluded her tale.

Jenny grinned, "I think you did and excellent job, Granny", she
declared, "but..." "But what?" Ingrid chuckled, "you are full of
'buts', Jenny." Jenny tittered but she was determined to get an
answer to her question. "But why did you name our habitat X-57?"
she asked. Ingrid smiled fondly at the girl, "I must confess that
I was an old romantic. We had several other suggestions -- New
Eden was one of them -- but X-57 comes from another favourite
science fiction serial of mine," she confessed.


Chapter 21 -- A new World

Ingrid was pensive when Jenny returned the next afternoon.
"Today, we have come to the last chapter of my memoirs," she told
the girl. "I won't deny that I was very hesitant to tell these
tales, at first -- but I will miss telling them to you." Jenny
hugged the old woman and told her that she would continue her
visits for many days yet. "I still have many questions -- and it
will be a long time yet before you have fulfilled our deal," she
claimed.

Ingrid smiled fondly at Jenny and began her tale...

***

When we migrated to X-57, the workforce had already made most of
the preliminary work on it. The ecosystem to support us was in
place with plants and animals -- and fish in its 'lakes'. We
decided early on that the climate of the habitat should be
tropical -- both because many of its prospective inhabitants
originated from the tropics, and because several of us, myself
included, had a predilection for 'casual skin'. Man is a tropical
animal, and it seemed silly to choose a colder climate that
necessitated heavy clothes -- or any clothes at all. There were
still no buildings of any kind -- X-57 was truly a new Garden of
Eden.

There were a number of decisions to make how to organize our new
home -- how should we live? What kind of houses should we build?
What kind of political system should we have? How should 'foreign
affairs' be handled? ...

***

First, the question about our lifestyle -- should I make total
nudity mandatory? I could have done that with a simple decree --
my position as Colony Leader was similar to that of a spaceship
captain. In a sense, X-57 *was* a spaceship and, like a spaceship
captain, I was the ultimate authority and my Word was The Law. It
was very tempting to let people 'go back to Nature' and use the
nameless island as a model for how our society should be.
However, in the end I decided not to -- X-57 was not the nameless
island, and forbidding something (like clothes) was not a good
way to start our new life together. I discussed my ideas with my
friends, particularly My and Undine -- they were both as fond of
nudity as I was but they cautioned me that mandatory nudity and
other similar decrees were likely to backfire. "Remember Anne!"
Undine admonished me, "When she had to be naked as a child, she
came to resent it and she left us at the first opportunity."

In the end, we settled for a society where almost nothing was
forbidden. The only strict 'taboo' was that you were not allowed
to harm anybody, directly or indirectly, and the punishment for
breaking this rule was swift and without appeal -- exile from our
habitat for severe offenders, various kinds of 'community
service' for the others. With My's help, I instituted a 'Council
of Elders' to take care of the interpretation of this rule -- and
the punishment of the offenders. This council was modelled on the
one on Rarotonga but, unlike the original, it comprised both men
and women and My was its first leader. Needless to say, there
were no rules at all about religion, political beliefs, or how
you lived your life in general -- as long as your practice didn't
harm others, you could do whatever you wished. (This system
worked very well from the start, and ever more smoothly when
people became used to it -- during the twenty years it has been
in force, only five persons have been exiled and about a hundred
done community service.)

Subsequently, my friends and I led by example. We shed our
clothes and used 'casual skin' in our daily lives as much as
possible, and usually only a loincloth when we deemed some
clothing was appropriate. We introduced the Rarotonga custom that
children should be naked until puberty -- with a 'coming of age'
ceremony to mark the onset of adult status. However, we didn't
insist that they should be stark naked all the time, but allowed
dressing up for parties or as part of a game. We even engaged in
public sex (including yours truly) and we arranged orgies as a
part of various celebrations. 

I think we shocked a number of people in the beginning but we
were all people with high prestige and much of what we did made
sense -- 'casual skin' really *was* the most comfortable attire
in our climate, and public sex was fun and educational for the
kids. Consequently, the population in X-57 soon became almost as
naked and open with their sexuality, as the people on the
nameless island -- without the need for any mandatory rules at
all.

***

What kind of buildings did we need? It was tempting to answer
'none at all' -- X57 was a beautiful garden with a perfect
climate. Why spoil it with houses that we didn't need for
protection? However, I soon rejected that idea for both practical
and psychological reasons. We needed rain for our crops and, even
though it was wonderful to dance naked in the rain, it wouldn't
be too nice to be *forced* to always endure it without any
protection for ourselves and our possessions. Moreover, even the
most enthusiastic exhibitionist wants *some* privacy, and there
were the needs for 'official buildings' of different kinds. (Our
'industry' didn't figure in this planning -- it would be located
outside the main habitat.)

In the end, I used Paradise Island as my model. We built eight
'villages' around a central village square with 'official'
buildings like shops, schools and a medical clinic. One of these
villages became our 'capital village' -- it contained the
'government buildings', a hospital, two theatres, and more shops
than the others. Our capital also contained a guesthouse for
visitors to our habitat. Most people chose to settle in one of
the villages and they erected 'cabins' to live in. Despite the
somewhat derogatory name, these cabins were fully modern,
modular, and lightweight houses that could easily grow to
accommodate the needs of a growing family. Naturally, there were
farms that were located some way from the villages, and the
cabins of a few people who preferred to live apart from the
'bustling city life'. Nevertheless, almost half of the habitat
remained a 'wilderness' and it became a popular retreat for long
hikes and a life 'as one with Nature'. 

Like on Paradise Island, we built no roads -- the distances were
not great and walking at 0.2 g is no hardship. Later, the art of
flying like birds was invented and it became the most popular way
of commuting. Silent and efficient pneuma-coaches were developed
for the needs of the elderly, like myself, and 'air trams' were
used for heavy transports.

***

What kind of political system should we have? This was the most
problematical question of all. In the beginning, X-57 was a
tyranny -- and I was the tyrant. According to the 'spaceship
rules', I had absolute power -- and absolute responsibility --
over the space habitat and all its inhabitants. This system has
much in its favour -- if the tyrant is wise enough to surround
herself with good advisers, and listen to their advice, the
result can be both efficient and benevolent. I think my tyranny
was of this kind, and that it helped us to get the colony started
in a good way. However, tyranny has severe drawbacks too -- what
if the tyrant abuses her power? Moreover, man is a political
animal -- repress this urge and you're asking for trouble (one of
the exiles was exiled from X-57 because he tried to assassinate
me).

We needed a Constitution and a workable system of checks and
balances to prevent abuse of power -- and to let ambitious men
and women make a political career. At the same time, X-57 wasn't
Earth or even Luna City. Outside our thin metal skin, there was
only the vacuum of open space -- we were totally dependent on
each other and there must be someone who could give orders with
absolute authority in an emergency. In the end, I settled for a
system with clearly defined roles and division of power between
three different parties.

The Council of Elders was a nucleus of an independent body of
authority and its role was expanded to become a cross between
'Supreme Court' and 'Department of Internal affairs'. Thus, the
Council normally decided about everything inside the main habitat
and they were the ultimate guardian of our Constitution. Finally
they could veto the election of a Colony Leader -- and suspend
him or her in the case of abuse. The members of the Council were
elected in free elections among all adults in the habitat. A few
years later, this council was supplemented with local councils in
each of the other villages.

The Chief Engineer, who was the head of the technical staff,
became another independent centre of power. He or she not only
could refuse to carry out any order from the Colony Leader or the
Council -- it was his or her duty to do so if the order
endangered the welfare of our habitat. Moreover, the Chief
Engineer was elected by the technical staff among themselves.
(There was some grumbles about this 'undemocratic' system but I
instituted it for a reason -- I wanted to foster a proud 'corps
esprit' in the staff that was essential for the welfare of our
colony.)

Finally, the Colony Leader remained 'the head of state' but,
normally, he or she had mostly a ceremonial role. The Colony
Leader was still an absolute despot in an emergency and he or she
could veto any changes in the Constitution. Free elections of
Colony Leader were held every fourth year and no one could hold
the office for more than two terms. Thus, the role of the Colony
Leader became that of an 'elderly statesman' and usually went to
former members of the Council. The office as Deputy Colony
Leader, on the other hand, was often a stepping stone for
ambitious young politicians who aspired on a seat in the
Council.

No political system is totally proof against abuse but I think
that ours has worked smoothly for the nearly twenty years it has
been in effect. I believe that the main reasons for this are the
manageable size of our colony and that our Constitution leaves so
little for the politicians to mess up. The great majority runs
their lives with minimal disturbance -- and those with political
ambitions are happy with their therapy. Needless to say, this
happy situation might change if the Colony Leader isn't vigilant
and stops any limitation of our freedom that the Council wants to
add to the Constitution -- that's the most important task for the
Colony Leader.

***

The first election of Colony Leader was in 2057 and I was
determined retire. However, my friends persuaded me to candidate
and, much to my surprise, I was re-elected with an overwhelming
majority. I served my second term, mainly occupied by heading
banquets and vetoing silly amendments to the Constitution, and
then I retired. There was some pressure to make me run for a
second term of office but this time I was adamant in my refusal.
First, I was eighty years old and, second, I had served two terms
as Colony Leader already, counting my first four years.

"Thus, I retired and Gus was elected Colony Leader. He served for
two periods, continuing the policy I started, and then his wife
Jenny became a candidate. However, she wasn't elected and I was
relieved -- I'd started to worry that we would get a dynasty of
Colony Leaders, but Bill was elected instead and he is not
related to me. He has been a good leader -- he soon realized what
his main task was."

***

"Meanwhile, I have been sitting here on my porch, sucking my gums
and thinking about my misdeeds. On the whole, my life have been a
wonderful adventure -- and I don't regret anything," Ingrid
concluded her tale.

Jenny embraced Ingrid, thanking her for her wonderful tales and
then she smiled her wide grin. "I think the successful conclusion
of your memoirs requires me to 'thank you in the proper way',
Granny", she giggled. "Let's go to your bedroom and I will show
you what I've learnt about 'The Fine Art of Pleasing Women"

Much later, Jenny left Ingrid asleep with exhaustion on her bed.
She was still smiling tenderly when she donned her wings and rose
into the dark 'sky'. She would return for many days and ask
Ingrid to clarify various parts of her story -- she had many,
many questions to ask...


Chapter 22 -- Ingrid 

Jenny continued to visit Ingrid several afternoons each week for
the next two months to check various details of the memoirs. The
editing work took her nearly twice as long time as Ingrid's
telling it in the first place but the girl didn't give up,
although both her friends and her teachers (and Ingrid herself)
told her that she was overdoing it. Jenny didn't agree -- she saw
her task almost as a holy duty. "Your fantastic life is worth my
very best effort, Granny", she told her with a wide grin.
Finally, Jenny graduation work was completed and ready to be
presented for her committee. There was no doubt at all that it
would pass -- Lynn, the chairwoman of the committee, was lyrical
in her praise of it, and she thought that it should be published
in Luna City -- and maybe on Earth too.

Ingrid was reluctant but Lynn and Jenny persuaded her and the
manuscript was sent to Artemis Press, Inc., Luna City. The
transmission took a full minute and cost a tidy sum but it was
worth it. The publishers bought it and printed it with 'a slight
change in the title'. Both Ingrid and Jenny thought that the new
title: "Cinderella -- The Life of a Slavegirl" was rather
melodramatic but the original title (The Memoirs of Ingrid Shane
-- as told to her great granddaughter Jenny Hampton) was printed
as a subtitle -- and maybe the publisher knew best how to coin a
selling book title.

The book became an instant bestseller in Luna City and it became
an even greater hit on Earth when Penguin Books Ltd. (yes, the
venerable British publishing house survived the catastrophe and
was thriving again) bought the rights and published it -- both as
a leather-bound 'collector's edition' and as a pocket/e-book for
the mass market. A reporter from 'The Daily Lunatic' brought two
of the former to X-57 four months later -- and his interview with
Ingrid and Jenny was sent not only in Luna City, but by several
TV-channels on Earth too. The picture of Ingrid, surrounded by
all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren living
in X-57 found an even wider distribution -- and that provided
Ingrid with a great joy when she received news about her son
Chris.

Chris' wife Astrid sent a message telling her that both Chris and
the rest of the family survived the catastrophe. They had four
children and two grandchildren and an attachment contained a
family photo. Ingrid sent a long reply and they continued to
exchange news until she passed away -- and then Jenny continued
the contact for many years.

***

One year later My became ill and was brought to the hospital.
Ingrid visited her old friend and they talked about all they had
experienced together. Naturally, they talked about the Mother
Goddess, and how she had changed their lives. "I will soon
undertake another long journey," My said with a gentle smile. "I
will soon meet the Mother again -- and I feel that my task will
be to prepare the way for you once again, Ingrid."

Then, My fell silent ... "Oh, Ingrid, you are glowing again --
stronger than ever!" she exclaimed. "Please, hug me," she begged.
Ingrid sat down on the bed and pulled My into her embrace. My
closed her eyes but her smile became wider. As they sat like
this, it seemed to Ingrid as if My grew younger -- her wrinkles
faded away and the skin became young and smooth. Soon, My looked
like the teenager she was when Ingrid first met her in the
guesthouse lobby, long ago -- and her friend continued to grow
younger. Finally, My was a newborn baby in her arms -- and then
the vision disappeared. Ingrid was back in the mundane world,
holding My's dead body in her arms.

She released her friend's body and arranged it carefully in the
bed. "Farewell, my dear friend," she said softly. "We will meet
soon again..." After telling the nurse that My was dead, Ingrid
left the hospital and began the preparations for her own long
journey and final task. She was filled with the same sense of
purpose that she had felt before -- the presence of the Mother
Goddess. She knew exactly what to do now -- and when. There was
no anxiety, only a deep, serene calm. Smiling gently, she went
home to write her will...

***

"Yes..." John Fulton answered his phone in an irritated voice,
and then he paused when he saw who the caller was. "Well, what
can I do for you?" he continued with a tolerant smile. Ingrid
sighed mentally -- she had met this reaction more than once after
the publication of Jenny's book. She had become a celebrity --
and someone to be taken not quite seriously. However, this was
not a social call. "Johu, the Mother needs you," she said in
Maori. The man was shocked -- he didn't use his Maori name and
very few knew it or his origin. Yet, this crazy old woman knew --
and she invoked an ancient obligation that he had to obey. "Come
to my place after work," she commanded him.

John almost talked himself into *not* going to the woman's cabin
-- ancient obligation or not. He was a scientist and the ancient
beliefs of his people were pure superstition -- or wasn't it? He
hesitated outside Ingrid's cabin and almost decided to leave
again without entering -- and then it was to late...

The door opened and Ingrid stood before him -- clad in a
brilliant mantle of light. Without thinking, John prostrated
himself before this frightening apparition. "Forgive me, Mother
-- I didn't know..." he whispered. Ingrid took the few steps to
where the man was lying, she took his hand and bade him rise, and
then she embraced him. "Come, Johu, we have much to discuss," she
told him and led the bewildered man into her house. He looked at
Ingrid -- the mantle was gone and she looked like an ordinary old
woman again -- but Johu knew better...

***

Jenny was not flying when she and Sam visited Ingrid this time --
she was pregnant and near full term with her first child. Ingrid
offered the girl her comfortable pneuma-coach to sit in and she
accepted it gratefully. After some small talk, Jenny came to the
point; "Sam and I decided to name our first child Ingrid, if it
is a girl and if you permit it," she told her hostess. "Yes and
yes," Ingrid replied with a fond smile. "It *will* be a girl, and
I'm honoured that you want to name her after me. My only
condition is that I must be present at her birth and give her my
name myself," she continued. Jenny's eyes went wide; "Did you
have a vision, Ingrid?" she asked. Ingrid nodded; "Yes, your
daughter will inherit more than my name from me," she told the
girl -- and Jenny thought she saw a brief flicker of light, like
a mantle, around Ingrid's body. Sam didn't comment and his face
held a tolerant smile -- it didn't matter, Jenny would make
certain that Ingrid was present when her daughter was born.

Jenny's daughter was only five minutes old when she was placed in
Ingrid's arms by the midwife. The baby girl looked up at her with
her big eyes and stretched out her tiny arms toward her. Ingrid
cradled the baby in her arms; "Welcome to life, Ingrid," she
said. "You have a long life and an important task before you."
Baby Ingrid gurgled happily and it appeared to Jenny that both of
them were surrounded by a bright light. The enchanted moment
didn't last long, and then Ingrid returned the baby to her. Jenny
was tired but happy when the baby started to suckle her breast.
She closed her eyes and was only dimly aware that the midwife was
talking with Ingrid. "Whatever you did, I would like you to teach
me how ... this was the easiest delivery I've ever seen..." Jenny
drifted to sleep and didn't hear Ingrid's reply.

***

"Died in her sleep..." the doctor droned on and Jenny felt a
great emptiness after her 'fairy grandmother' -- not sorrow, she
knew that Ingrid had finished her life the way she wanted, and
that she had appointed Jenny's daughter as heiress to her task
somehow. She looked at Ingrid who was sleeping soundly in her
arms -- was there a flicker of light around the child?

Ingrid's will created quite a stir on X-57 and many people
thought that the old woman must have gone completely mad at last.
Bill and Joliet opposed the directives vehemently -- what a
useless waste of resources to satisfy the whims of a dead woman,
who must have been senile for a long time and completely out of
her mind at the end. However, it soon became evident that Ingrid
had prepared carefully and she had a massive support from the
Maori population. The Council was steadfastly in support of her
will and Bill soon realized that he was facing a 'fait accompli'
-- he could either consent, or be ousted from his office as
Colony Leader. Joliet complained to her daughter about the
strange requests but Jenny only smiled enigmatically. "I'm sure
Ingrid knew what she was doing, Mom", she said. "I cannot claim
that I understand her purpose -- but I came to understand my
great grandmother well when she told me the tales about her life.
Ingrid had a purpose with her request -- even though we don't
understand it yet." Jenny smiled at her daughter who smiled back
at her.

Thus, the preparations to fulfil Ingrid's last wishes commenced.
A small but very special spaceship was built. I contained a
central compartment, where Ingrid's body was to be placed,
surrounded by a large number of glass canisters with specially
prepared blue-green algae. John had started working on this part
of the project in secret even before Ingrid's death. Completing
the spaceship took several months but it was finally done -- the
small ship was ejected from X-57, it hoisted its solar sails, and
set course for its long journey -- to Venus.

***

The spacecraft steered inwards from Earth's orbit, following a
great spiral until it intercepted Venus, eight months later. It
jettisoned its sails and used the planets gravity and small
thrust with its manoeuvring rockets to enter into an orbit around
the planet. Then, its sky lift was activated and the ship sank
slowly into Venus' thick, poisonous atmosphere. It reached a
level of thick clouds of dilute sulphuric acid and its outer
shell fell away, exposing the algae-containing canisters. While
the craft circled around Venus, maintaining its altitude, these
canisters were ejected, one by one, exploding like tiny bombs and
spreading the algae throughout the cloud layer. The environment
was tough, but not beyond the capabilities of the hardy algae --
they started to grow, consuming carbon dioxide and releasing
oxygen, and multiplying rapidly.

Finally, the last canister was released and the remnants of the
spacecraft plunged toward the ground, far below. The air
resistance and the increasing ambient temperature soon reduced it
to a molten clump of metal that hit the side of a small mountain,
far north of the equator -- exactly one hundred years after
Ingrid's birth. The impact formed a small circular crater in the
soft rock -- and then nothing more happened for a long time...

Epilogue

Ingrid Baxter patted the butt of the statue of her illustrious
great, great grandmother and namesake absentmindedly. "We'll meet
soon again, Granny", she said softly and thought back on the
remarkable events that had changed the woman's status from 'that
mad old fool' to a local hero. She didn't remember much of the
first phase herself but her mother, Jenny, had told her about
it.

Ingrid had one early memory, though -- a very early memory. She
remembered being cradled in the arms of an old woman who was
shining with light; she remembered feeling very loved and secure
-- and she remembered that she was given an important task. That
memory had shaped her life -- not that it had prevented her to
have a happy childhood and a satisfying life as a young adult,
but she had been filled with a sense of purpose since she was a
little girl.

***

After her death, Mrs. Shane had been sent in a spacecraft to
Venus, together with hundreds of canisters with blue-green algae
-- all according to her will. A common sentiment at that time was
that the old woman must have been senile for quite some time, and
that she became completely mad at the end. The leaders of the
habitat, particularly Ingrid's grandmother Joliet, tried to stop
this 'colossal waste of resources' but the old woman's will
prevailed because of a massive support from the Maori part of the
population.

Ingrid was eight years old when the scientists detected a change
in the spectroscopic signature of Venus. There were signs of
oxygen in the atmosphere and the cloud layer was changing. This
news created a stir -- and it was the first step in the process
that would transform Mrs. Shane from 'mad fool' to 'hero'. Ten
years later the change in Venus' appearance was visible in a
small telescope -- the cloud layer was thinner and there was
sometimes small gaps in it, and the planet began to assume a
bluish cast similar to Earth's. Unmanned probes were sent to the
planet and they confirmed the dramatic changes -- the oxygen
content was up (close to 15%) and the carbon dioxide was down
(below 1%). Venus was still hot but the temperature on the
surface was falling below the boiling point of water (barely). 

A manned expedition was sent in a specially equipped spacecraft
and they found that the planet was covered with water, and the
hot ocean was crammed with life -- countless blue-green algae
were thriving and there were signs of primitive multicellular
life-forms. DNA-analysis showed that the algae were clearly
related to the ones sent there with Ingrid's funeral spacecraft,
but they had evolved and adapted to the local environment. These
reports completed the transformation of 'the old fool' to 'our
hero'. It was decided to erect a statue in titanium of the new
hero and Ingrid Baxter was the model for it. A few old pictures
remained and everybody agreed that Ingrid Baxter looked
remarkably like her namesake. 

Three-dimensional laser scanning and modern production methods
made the statue of the naked woman life-size and very life-like.
Naturally, it was completely anatomically correct in every detail
-- down to her erect nipples and visible clit. (Posing for the
statue made Ingrid very aroused.)

***

Venus continued to develop -- faster than anybody expected. The
temperature of the ocean in the polar regions dropped to a level
that allowed the introduction of higher life-forms and a more
complex ecosystem was developed gradually -- and now, forty-two
years later, it was time for man to make his debut. The surface
of Venus was still almost completely covered with water and it
was still too hot for a human being to survive in the equatorial
region without special protection. However, farther north or
south, the climate was hot but bearable -- and there were several
islands, shattered on the surface of the ocean. A fairly large
island in the northern temperate region was selected and suitable
plants were introduced in the fertile soil. The island was partly
chosen for sentimental reasons -- a small circular lake marked
the impact crater of Mrs. Shane's funeral spacecraft.

Ingrid Baxter had been the leader of this project throughout her
adult life, and she would be the first leader of the new colony.
She began to inherit her namesake's reputation as a mad fool. Her
friends told her that she was crazy to leave her comfortable
home. "Venus is a hot steam bath and the gravity is far too high
to be comfortable," one of them told her. "I doubt that it will
be fit to live on for hundreds of years -- if ever. If you insist
on becoming a ground-hog, why not go back to Earth -- it's
shaping up again I hear." Others expressed similar sentiments but
Ingrid only smiled benignly at them and refused to listen.
Founding the colony, New Eden, on Venus was her sacred task --
the task she inherited when she was five minutes old.

***

The spaceship sank through the thick atmosphere of Venus and it
landed gently on the green, virgin island. The whole trip only
took two days with the new gravitational drive that was a
development of the primitive 'sky lift'. However, the colonists
had been living at 1 g for several months already and exercised
to get used to their life as ground-hogs -- there would be no
flying like birds on Venus.

The large cargo doors of the spaceship opened and the hot, moist
air struck Ingrid's bare skin when she prepared to step out on
Venus' soil, as the first of the colonists. She stepped out,
feeling the warm, soft ground under her bare feet and the three
hundred naked young men and women followed her. The doors of the
spaceship closed behind them and the ship lifted silently,
disappearing into the clouds. Ingrid had decided that the
colonist should be naked and bring nothing with them to their new
life. They had some technology and communication equipment, of
course, but that were for emergency use only. Otherwise, 'back to
Nature' was their motto.

Ingrid slept on the ground the first night. Later, the colonists
would build simple huts of local material but this first night
they slept in the open. It was hot and she slept uneasily. Maybe
it was a bad idea after all to go back to Nature -- she would
have appreciated a nice, soft bed and air-conditioning. Then, she
met her namesake -- she couldn't tell for certain if it was a
dream or not. A shining figure of a nude woman walked up to her
and embraced her. "Ingrid?" she asked the shining woman. "Yes, I
was Ingrid once," was the reply. "You made the right decision and
I will be here to guide you. Sleep well, Ingrid", the shining
woman concluded and faded.

Ingrid woke up the next morning and her mind was untroubled. She
assembled the colonists and divided them into work-parties. There
was much that had to be done to make New Eden their new home...