Chapter 17

ARKON CH-17  Arkon Delta,  Launch

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-03, Mon, 0925hr

Captain Mark Cheng, from Arkon One  module two, would be acting Admiral on Arkon Delta module 'A'. The six Captains (acting) would be the Executive Officers from Arkon One. When they arrived on station, the promotions would be permanent.

All six modules of Arkon Delta launched on Monday, Wk-3, 12,028 for 10 days of sea trials. After which they hooked up with their AgroSembly barges and headed out for their rendezvous station (25N, 135W), cruising at 5 kph, faster than most ocean currents, February and March being the minimum storm period. When on station they will be carefully bolted and welded together into a large hexagonal floating island, 800 m across, with protected slot anchorage for cargo and guest boats.

Looking at the space available, Stakka and his team decided to merge two primate labs into one large one amidships on Module C, with a pig lab in the stern. The two clone labs would be merged into one large one amidships on Module D, with the virus lab in the stern, at a biohazard safety level of four. With five main modules cruising at 5 kph straight for their station, Admiral Cheng agreed to allow Module C to proceed directly to Arkon One at 7 kph, so they could still arrive on station with the main fleet. Karl, Robin, Ed and Mary supervised work on Module D, while Stakka, Renka, Allan, and Jane stayed on Module C.

'Now all hands hear this. In celebration of our passing sea trials there will be a Beer and Pizza Party on the fantail this Saturday night. All hands not on watch or work welcome.' "Wow" said Allan, "Captain McDougall gets my vote." "You'd vote for any redheaded female with a tight butt," said Jane, "Like me." As she dodged his swat at her derriere.

ArkonDelta, 12,028 Wk-04, Sat, 2015hr

      Pizza Party

After a craft beer and two tokes of Red Zinger, Stakka had this philosophical observation, "I have been wondering why, when we spend time on floating islands, I feel more relaxed and comfortable than when we were on shore in Monterey or San Fran. I think it has to do with a little bit of order and cleanliness and not worrying about getting mugged on each corner or shot in a gang war. There are no little pieces of trash blowing down the street, or blobs of stinky air to hurry through. What do you think Renka?" "There's that, plus not worrying about if you're breaking some law or city ordinance," she replied, "Oh, and visually things look solid, not crumbling down."

"While we haven't lived in any cities, we have experienced a feeling of unconstraint," said Allan "Like we could try anything without worrying about immediate consequences." "It's a definite sense of Freedom," agreed Jane.

"Another thing," said Renka, "Is everybody wants to be here. The staff, workers, and visitors. If they don't like it, they can leave."

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-05, Sun, 1915hr

Sunday evening they were exploring the central mall area, when Jane said, "Look, a Rusty Rooster Pub." "Just like on Babylon," said Allan, "It must be a franchise." "There's a Red Fox Bar and Grill," said Renka, "Across the Esplanade in the corner." "Let's try their beer and snacks," said Stakka. On the way they passed a Smokie Dokie shop and looked in for some Red Zingers, but they were sold out.

The Red Fox seemed quieter than Rusty Rooster and they were seated at a table near the back. The custom smoke umbrella was less intrusive than the one at Rusty Rooster. After the beer and snacks came, Allan said, "How are we going to promote the business of genetic tweaks for improved life outcomes?" "Initially we will count on referrals from Babylon and Arkon One, with small signs and brochures in lobbys," said Renka, "Later we will have signs and brief advertising campaigns in large college towns in Europe and Asia."

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-07, Sun, 0905hr

Captain McDougall of Module C sent a message to Admiral Kaiser of Arkon One, "Request permission to take on cargo from slot E-F, 1500 hrs." An hour later came the reply, "Permission granted."

After Module C was secured stern first to Arkon One, Stakka and his team went to meet their group taking care of the primate lab.

In their conference room Stakka said, "Let's just outline the transfer process to Module C, and go for an early dinner." "That sounds good," said Zak, "We have individual carrier boxes prepared." "How are the patients doing?" asked Jane. "All the little mothers are very healthy," said Sophie. "One idea we had to make them feel comfortable in the new environment," said Dan, "Is to take some of the old litter at the bottom of the cage and transfer it to the new cage so it has a home like smell." "Also," said Katie, "We will stay in the new lab while you bring them from here. That way they will always see someone familiar and not get alarmed at the changes." "It looks like you have a good working plan," said Renka, "Let's meet at the Rusty Rooster at 2000hr.

After a hearty meal of pasta primavera at the Rusty Rooster, washed down with craft beer, the team was relaxing with a shared Red Zinger. "This reminds me," said Allan, "You might want to bring an extra packet or two of Red Zinger while they're available here." "Thanks for the tip," said Sophie, "We now have some Green Zingers available, and they're delicious."

They easily finished the lab transfer on Monday then did some shopping on Tuesday and advised Captain McDougall Tuesday night that their part was finished and they could leave when convenient. Wednesday morning the Quarterdeck announced "Now all hands hear this, we will set the sea and anchor detail at 0800 hours Thursday morning."

At their Friday review meeting Zak said, "I worked up some marketing copy for the Clone project, what do you guys think?"

'Servident Workforce ... more flexible than robots. Big John 1.8 m, 100 kg, and Slim Jim 1.6 m, 80 kg. Also available in female models. Indentured servitude contracts going for 3, 5, and 7 years.'

"That sounds good," said Karl, "And reminds me, what happened with the suggestions we made to 'Lure the Tiger down from the mountain' and find the clone factory?"

"I saw the website," said Katie, "Its called 'Designer Workers', they never rust and reprogram quickly. Now taking applications for employment." "The other idea we had," said Allen, "Is to send two male and two female chinese students to register for genetic courses at Gwangju University." "They could say straight out they got a scholarship from Arkon One," said Jane, "And some of the graduate students and teachers that worked on that project 9 years ago may still be there, or know where they went."

"I'll check with Commodore Kaiser and Captain Nelson's staff," said Stakka, "And see what they've found out."

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-08, Fri, 1915hr

At their Friday meeting Stakka said, "We've got some nibbles on our bait, heh. The first two, male and female with Chinese family names, came in the same day 7 weeks ago, from an eMail address in Kyrgystan. The resumes were similar, both having done postgrad work at Guangju University. Then 3 weeks ago we got two from Brazilia with Spanish family names. They also had done postgrad work at Guangju University. We sent all four a positive response and asked if they were familiar with a new technique in the field from three years ago. We also asked what city airport and airline we could send tickets to for an expense paid interview to Arkon One.

"The students on scholarship also had some luck. They found one very old professor and an old lab assistant. They are questioning very slowly and indirectly so as to maintain an open and friendly relationship.

"What they've found so far, is the top four students in that class went to work for a Russian oligarch in Astana, Khazakstan, and the next four went to work for a private lab in Brasilia, Brazil.

"So the next eMail we send will invite them to Arkon Delta," he concluded.

"Next Friday," said Stakka, "Let's bring some ideas for the gene tweak promotional brochures."

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-09, Fri, 1915hr

At their usual Friday meeting, Stakka opened with, "How does a little mascot sound? A little dragonfly winged girl with a carbine titled, 'Let us shoot those bad genes holding you back. We have snip and zap technologies for many genetic improvements. Schedule your free assay exam today.' Not Tinkerbell, mabe an Asian with tan?" "How about a shiny robo-android," suggested Ed. A chorus of 'Yeah'. "OK," said Renka, "Now for a short list of popular tweaks."

Enhanced muscles
Stronger fingernails
Faster reflexes
Reverse lung damage
Permanent lighter darker tan
Enhanced immune system
Boost neurotransmitters
Straight curly hair swap
Reverse kidney damage
Boost learning and retention
Reverse liver damage
Boost interleukin-33

Procedures take 2 to 5 days in deep sleep under a doctor's supervision, followed by one day of mild exercise for recovery. Make your appointment today, for a better tomorrow.

"Shut up and take my money," said Zak.


Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-10, Sun, 0915hr

With calm weather forecast for the next week, the joining process began. Module A was designated North, B through F arranged clockwise from there. With teams working around the clock, they finished in five days. Of course they had a big Saturday night beer and pizza party to celebrate.

All the openings where the modules were joined were standard 3 by 10 meters. You could imagine them forming a Ring Road about the center of town. The first one on the second deck was about 75 meters from the center. The next connection on the third deck was about 150 meters from the center. The third connection was on the fourth deck about 100 meters from the center.

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-11, Sun, 0915hr

The next Saturday night was also an all hands party. "So what are we celebrating tonight?" asked Dan. "Well, I understand it's two things this time," replied Zak, "number one, the ship fitters assembled the 600m raised landing strip for STOL aircraft, and number two, we deployed the solar powered desalination plants at every AgroSembly barge." "I read where those are unique," said Allan, "They employ an air pump to reduce the pressure over the water and double or triple the evaporation rate." "I rode in an STOL once," said Renka, "They are a little bit rough but they only need a clear patch of dirt, maybe 300m, to take off and land. Typically they can carry 6 passengers plus camping equipment and have a range of three thousand kilometers."

Arkon Delta, 12,028 Wk-12, Fri, 1915hr

At their Friday review, Karl said, "After we evaluate the first stage of Gibbon acceleration, I propose we start two more fetuses with enhanced vocal chords and brain to include Broca's Area. Then they could tell us how something feels, or where it hurts, heh." "Do we need to worry about international opinion?" asked Sophie. "I think not," said Stakka, "We aren't publishing any papers." "And they are much less aggressive than Chimps," said Renka. "I would suggest we also modify their hands," said Zak, "So they can work a keyboard." "Also the feet and hip joints," said Jane, "For comfotrable walking." "And short thick grey fur," said Katie, "For the coming ice age."

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)
(NB- these chapters are consolidated
 at Floating-City-Island.blogspot.com)
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 X

Chapter 16

F R E E  on  the  S E A

ARKON CH-16  Arkon One, ProtoClones

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-42, Mon, 1915hr

We're having this special Monday team meeting,"  said Stakka, "So we can lay down some guidelines for our research projects." "And who's going to choose to do which task," said Renka.

1. Who's gonna work on bovine digestive systems? Compare them to a Colobine monkey, the only ruminant primate.

2. Who's gonna work on which virus targets what organ?

3. Who's gonna work on the macaque monkey clone?

4. Who's gonna work on the gibbon ape clone?

5. Who's gonna work on the lesula clone?

6. Who's gonna work on the womb chamber and growth acceleration?

Keep a Lab Notebook, bound, not spiral or looseleaf. Do not tear out any pages. Record your experiments and data. Sign and date each page because it can be used as a legal document in contested patents.

At our regular Friday meeting you can tell me who decided to take up which project," said Stakka.

Another thing we learned from reading dr. Liu's notes," said Renka, "Is the researchers spent three years perfecting the technique to enucleate the egg and inject the clone nucleus back in very quickly. The faster this process is done the better chance for success."

"Since I had no background in biology," said Stakka, "I found this non-technical definition of a genome very useful."

A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. For example, the human genome is analogous to the instructions stored in a cookbook. Just as a cookbook gives the instructions needed to make a range of meals including a holiday feast or a summer picnic, the human genome contains all the instructions needed to make the full range of human cell types including muscle cells or neurons.

1. The book (genome) would contain 23 chapters (chromosomes);

2. Each chapter contains 48 to 250 million letters (A,C,G,T) without spaces;

3. Hence, the book contains over 3.2 billion letters total;

4. The book contains approximately 20,000 different recipes (genes), which together make up less than 2% of the letters in the book.

5. The book fits into a cell nucleus the size of a pinpoint;

6. In meiosis, the genetic material of gametes is divided in half to create egg and sperm cells, which have only one copy of the book.

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-42, Tue, 2025hr

"I saw an ad for Ink-N-Blink tattoo," said Robin, "Let's call Ed and Mary and do it tonight." " Okay," said Karl, "Let's go."

They picked up Ed and Mary on the way out and headed for the Ink-N-Blink shop. When they got there the staff showed them catalogs of facial tattoos and let them use a computer design program to customize and print out their selection. They decided in addition to the small cheekbone triangle to have the girls tattoos be curvy and the boys mostly straight line geometric constructs.

When they got back they used their commo pod and sent pictures to the rest of the team.

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-42, Wed, 2015hr

Zak, Sophie, Dan, and Katie get their fix at Ink-N-Blink. On the way back Katie says, "I'm going jogging tomorrow Sophie, wanna go with me?" "Yeah, if its indoors," she replied, "I haven't had my melano-tan shot yet, and I burn easy." "That sounds like a catalog genetic tweak," said Zak, "Mabe a bonus with fingernail strength enhancement." "Sign me up," said Dan, "My nails are always chipping."

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-42, Thr, 1945hr

Stakka, Renka, Alan, and Jane get their fix at Ink-N-Blink.

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-42, Fri, 1905hr

At their regular Friday meeting everyone explained a little about their project.

"With our non-technical background," said Renka, "We chose to study which virus targets what organ." "We will make an easily searchable database," said Stakka, "Where you can pick an organ first and find out which viruses are available to invade it."

"We chose ruminant digestive systems," said Karl. "We will also investigate if a more efficient one could be substituted," said Robin.

"We are are working on the macaque clone," said Sophie. "We are going to  try earlier fetal cells than fibroblasts," said Zak.

"We are are working on the gibbon clone," said Alan. "We will try some moderate growth acceleration techniques as well," said Jane.

"We are working on the lesula clone," said Katie. "We will also try some moderate growth deceleration techniques," said Dan.

"We chose the ectogenisis chamber," said Ed. "And growth acceleration by extending natural cycles," said Mary.

"Before you get too deep into your projects," said Stakka, "I recommend reading an online article called 'Design of Experiments'. "It could show when you need a small pre-experiment first," said Renka.

     . . . Eight  Weeks  Later . . .

Arkon One, 12,027 Wk-50, Fri, 1915hr

At their regular Friday meeting everyone gave a status update on 

their project.

"We have finished the virus database," said Stakka, "And added further divisions to choose from. You can now select whether the virus is  encapsulated or not, or whether it's an RNA or DNA virus." "Also we added the organs for common farm animals," said Renka." "A human gene map and database is also available," said Stakka, "But we see no improvements are needed."

"We looked up feed conversion ratios for different farm animals," said Karl, "And beef cattle are rated 6 to 8 and pigs are rated 3.5 to 3.7 and digest faster." "So what we were thinking," said Robin, "Is convert pig muscle to look and taste like beef muscle."

"We took fetal cells earlier than the fibroblasts," said Sophie, "And had a much higher success rate. The four embryos we have are due in 15 weeks, and we will use for an acceleration experiment," said Zak, "Two of them we will cause a small increase in growth hormone for their early childhood development, and the other two will be the control group. Somatocrinin turns on growth hormone and somatostatin inhibits it."

"What we discovered about gibbons largely comes from a paper published in Nature in 2014 titled, 'Gibbon genome and the fast karyotype evolution of small apes', said Allan, "With this introduction, 'Gibbons are small (50 cm, 5 kg) arboreal apes that display an accelerated rate of evolutionary chromosomal rearrangement and occupy a key node in the primate phylogeny between Old World monkeys and great apes'." "We do have four embryos, due in 22 weeks," said Jamie, "And we will try early childhood growth accceleration on two of them." "Gibbons sexually mature 6 in years, and humans in 12 years," said Allan, "Which suggest human 4 year old would equal a gibbon 2 year old."

"The Lesula monkey, at 50 cm, 5 kg, is similar to the macaque," said Katie, "It lives between two rivers in the Congo and was only discovered by outsiders in 2010." "Its face, nose, and eyes seem vaguely human," said Dan, "And it spends more time on the ground than other monkeys. We have four embryos, due in 16 weeks, and we will try early childhood growth accceleration on two of them."

"What we discovered," said Ed, "Is external artificial wombs are off-the-shelf items in the Chinese province of Guangju. Different sizes and external oxygen/ nutrition support systems are available," said Mary, "So we will order four monkey sized ones at first." "What we've read in published papers on acceleration techniques," said Ed, "Suggests physical and mental growth are not well matched. Our proposal is to push human physical growth in deep sleep so a two year old would be as tall as a four year old, then let them spend a year of slow time in normie kindergarten acquiring language and social skills, then back to deep sleep for three years, then a slow year in normie middle school. That would correspond to 4+1+6+1=12 yrs effective growth in 2+1+3+1=7 yrs actual. Now comes puberty and the biggest height growth; two years deep sleep and one year of normie senior high school. If we take weekly blood samples to monitor all hormone levels and monthly mri scans, we might figure out when and how we could safely accelerate more." "Another observation we made," said Mary, "Is that the number of papers increased every year from 2007 to 2014, and dropped to zero by 2016. The research didn't stop, it just went private, underground, heh."

"Dr.Liu is very happy with your experiment's progress," said Stakka, "And we are too." "For the next two months you will continue with these primate  trials," said Renka, "While Ed, Mary, Karl, and Robin participate with us in the launch and sea trials of Arkon Delta. We will also supervise the construction of two primate labs, a virus lab, a pig lab, and two clone labs." "As we get close to Arkon One," said Stakka, "Each module with a primate lab will come by and pick up a team and their experiment."

   (expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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 X

Chapter 15

F  R  E  E   on   the   S  E  A

ARKON   CH-15     Arkon One, CloneWorks

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-33, Fri, 2045 hr

Captain Kuznet led them down the gangplank to the Quay, where a reception committee awaited.

"Welcome aboard," said Commodore Kaiser, "I will just make a brief introduction to some staff you may come in contact with frequently. Next Saturday night we will have an informal welcome party after you have time to get oriented. This is Elder Charles, Council of Elders representative; and Captain Nelson, in charge of the module where your quarters have been set up; and Guild Master Hedtke; and Dr. Jian Liu, head of genetic engineering for longevity; and Dr. Katya Markovic, head of Ai applications."

"Frank and Jamie will be your facilitators and guides for three months as you settle in. Their cabin is nearby in the next hall over."

"Thank you for the warm welcome," said Captain Kuznet, "These are the founding members of Arkon Delta; Stakka and Renka, Karl and Robin, Zak and Sophie, Alan and Jane, Dan and Katie, Ed and Mary. They recently lived in a small village in Canada. There was a resource conflict that drove them down to Monterey where we intervened to help them. They are still suffering a little bit from the rough journey, culture shock, and coming into advanced society, so please cut them a little slack for social awkwardness."

Captain Kuznet and Commodore Kaiser went off together to swap sea stories and Frank said, "Please follow me and I'll show you to your quarters." "There is a 24-hour food court nearby," said Jamie, "And tomorrow I will take you to personnel and have badges issued."

As they went down a dead-end hallway Frank explained, "Each key card opens the door ahead and two doors into the conference room and the back door at the other end. The numbered keycard will only open your individual door as well. There is also a commo pod and a gray Arkon Delta hoodie in your cabin." "We'll meet in the conference room in 30 minutes," said Stakka, "And all go to the food court together for a snak."

In the conference room Stakka said, "Good, all the hoodies seem to fit. We should always wear them when we're out in the open, I believe. Probably 80% of individuals that see four of you together would think, 'Oh!, they're from the same family'. But 20% might have an alarm reaction and think, 'Oh my God!, clones'. So when we're going from here to another office we should go 2 by 2 and take a slightly different path. Because it's a little late tonight and the food court is close by, we'll just go as a mob, heh, and I'm starving."

The next morning Frank and Jamie showed up at 9 to take them two by two and get their ID cards issued.

After lunch they gathered in the conference room for a live video presentation by Dr.Liu on cloning and genetic engineering.

"Nine years ago," Dr Liu explained, "A Chinese research team drew DNA from fetal monkey cells from a macaque and used that to create clone eggs. They created 127 eggs, 79 of which were transferred to 21 females.

"Four pregnancies resulted, but there were two miscarriages within two months of gestation. The other two were successfully birthed, and named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua."

"Since that time we can imagine someone has been cloning humans. They must be more efficient at getting live births and we can imagine two or three ways they could accelerate growth. It would be nice if we could locate them and form a joint venture for further research.

"Genetic engineering on humans started in1998, when inactivated viruses carrying a special gene were injected into the target leg muscle of old men, who lose a third of muscle mass between 55 and 70. The viruses attach to the individual cells and squirt in the gene. The gene then tells the muscles to rev up production of IGF-1, a naturally occurring hormone that builds new muscle tissue.

"By using CRISPR, a gene editing tool, we can like, cut and paste segments of chromosomes to make new ones. If there's a defective gene that could cause early onset diabetes, we can just cut it out.

"In conclusion, when you log on to your computer, there is a tab called college courses. Inside that you will find some labeled cloning with somatic cells or fetal cells, another labeled gene editing, cell structure and chemistry. For those of you interested in getting hands-on experience, I will put together a short list of courses and videos, that our lab techs used, which will enable you to work in our Laboratory. The material might take two weeks if you spend three or four hours daily."

They spent the next week doing exercises for dr. Liu during the day and then late at night going out exploring, two by two.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-34, Fri, 1915 hr

"Having a Friday review meeting in the conference room is a good idea," said Karl, "Should we wear hoodies to the welcome party tomorrow night?" "I think we can skip them tomorrow," said Renka, "Its not far and the hall lights dim after 20 hundred hours."

"Here's some background for where we came from in Canada," said Stakka, "It's a small city in the Northwest Territory called Yellowknife. It's at the North end of the Great Slave Lake. Russian and German miners were fighting over copper deposits. We had a difficult overland journey following railroad tracks and broken highways to Monterey."

"I don't know about the rest of you," said Ed, " but Mary and I finished the courses recommended by dr. Liu yesterday. Maybe we could ask about starting on-the-job training this Monday." "Did the rest of you finish as well?" asked Stakka. There was a chorus of yes's. "Great," he said, "I'll speak to the doctor at the party tomorrow."

"The book 'Art of War' suggests how we may find our clone makers" said Dan, "It's called 'Lure the tiger down from the mountain'." "What that means," said Katie, "Is we set up a website called 'Designer Workers', they never rust and reprogram quickly. I'm sure our clone makers would see that as competition and make inquiries we could follow up on."

"Another approach we thought of," said Allen, "Is to send two male and two female chinese students to register for genetic courses at Gwangju University." "They could say straight out they got a scholarship from Arkon One," said Jane, "And some of the graduate students and teachers that worked on that project 9 years ago may still be there, or know where they went."

"On the Designer Worker website," said Zak, "We could even say we are taking applications for employment."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-34, Sat, 2100 hr

At the Welcome Party dr Liu was saying it's really incredible how fast they learn." "We think they are gifted," said Renka, "With high IQ and social skills to match." "I think it would be okay for them to start work- training this Monday," said dr. Liu, "Frank and Jamie can bring them over at 1230 after the shift has started."

Stakka was explaining to Commodore Kaiser and Captain Nelson that his Team had come up with several plans to discover the Clone makers.

Katya was going over the results of her Ai comparison program with Renka and Stakka. "The program compares every location as well as looking for standard defects that have been discovered in the last 20 years. They have the same genes except for male-female differences, and no defects. They even have one area that's the same but different from normal humans. We don't know what it does at this time. The other interesting thing is compared to European populations they seem to be chimeras, like lower body from Spain, and torso and heart and lungs from Germany, and brains and facial features from Russia, and so forth."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-35,Mon,1300 hr

Instead of just observing in dr. Liu's lab, the Arkon Delta team got to actually perform some of the operations under supervision of staff.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-36, Fri, 1910 hr

At their regular Friday meeting Karl said "We've been looking at the other residents on our Sunday exploring trips and quite a number have tattoos on their hands, arms, neck and even their face." "So we were wondering," continued Robin, "Could we put some simple designs on our face? That would make us look more different." "I think that's a good idea," said Stakka, "Renka and I may join you." "Yes," said Renka, "Mabe have one element in common. Like a small triangle dropping down from each cheek bone."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-37, Fri, 1920 hr

At their regular Friday meeting Zak asked, "Can we get space to set up our lab and repeat the fetal monkey clone experiment?" "Also we want to start work on miniature cattle for beef on floating islands," said Sophie. "I'll take that up with Captain Nelson this weekend," said Stakka.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-38,Wed,2111 hr

Wednesday night Stakka, Renka, Karl, and Robin were at a small stand up bar away from the tourist hangouts having a craft beer and sharing a Red Zinger. A large tourist came up behind Rinka and put a hand on her shoulder saying, "How about a dance, sweetie?" She brushed his hand off saying, "Don't touch me, I'm busy, go away." He reached out to touch her shoulder again and there was a blur of motion and Renka ended up sitting on his chest with a large knife pointed under his chin and she said, "Listen carefully; I said NO and DONT TOUCH ME; if you touch me again I will cut your hand off." At that time two peacekeepers arrived and dragged the tourist away. "WoW!" Said Robin, "What was that?" "That is called Taekwondo," said Renka, "I can take you by the dojo I train at tomorrow." "Me too," said Karl, "I think that would be a good skill for all of us to have."

At their usual Friday meeting Stakka reported, "Captain Nelson will find a 20 by 50 meter space for your clone research. Dr. Liu will put together a list of equipment that you will need to have installed." "Dan and Alan are working on an artificial womb," Karl said, "Is there a mechanical model shop that could put together their idea?" "There is," said Renka, "And Frank can help you find it when you need it." "Using a weak virus to insert a genetic tweak could have military uses as well," said Ed, "From things we've read online about biowarfare, that has not been mentioned." "I'll discuss that with dr. Liu," said Stakka, "And see if she has come across anything in the literature she reads."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-39, Sun, 1010 hr

Stakka went by the Comm Center and sent a message to Babylon, "Expect to see Boss Chako Saturday morning." and another to Monterey, "Expect to be at airport 1000 next Sunday. Have minty Green Zinger seeds ready to take back to Monterey. 70% sativa with strong minty aroma and taste."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-39, Tue, 0930 hr

Captain Nelson called a meeting of the Arkon Delta team. He explained, "When the modules launch in January they would be crewed by 70% new trainees from Arkon One and 30% old hands that had been on the original module launch. Also the period from mid January to the end of March is a minimum storm period for the Pacific. Expect the trip to take about 45 days.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-39, Fri, 0930 hr

Friday morning Stakka and Renka

boarded a seaplane for an 8 hour flight to Babylon, to make a status report to Boss Chako, and then on to Monterey.

Babylon, 12,027, Wk-39, Fri, 1800 hr

Renka and Stakka debarked from the seaplane at 1810, stopped for a snack, and headed for the Three Palms check-in desk. "We'd like to pay for two days now," said Stakka, "And can we get a receipt? We're on an expense account." "No problem," replied the clerk, "Here's your key card." "We represent Delta Ventures," said Renka, "And we'd like to make a 10-minute presentation to Boss Chako tomorrow. Can you help us with that?" "Certainly," replied the clerk, "I'll just connect you with his appointment secretary."

Renka booked a 15-minute slot at 1015 and they went up to their cabin.

Babylon, 12,027, Wk-39, Sat, 1010 hr

As they approached the receptionist desk she pointed to the door behind her and said, "Go ahead, he's expecting you."

They entered and Boss Chako, standing behind his desk said, "Please take a seat. "Thanks," said Stakka, "The Arkon Delta will launch modules the third week of January, 12,028." "And Captain Nelson has informed us," said Renka, "That when the modules launch in January, they would be crewed by 70% new trainees from Arkon One and 30% old hands that had been on the original module launch. Also the period from mid January to the end of March is a minimum storm period for the Pacific. Expect the trip to take about 45 days." "So things are going well," said Stakka, "We will come by with another update week 46." "Very good," said Chako, "See you then."

Back in their cabin they ordered room service for dinner and practiced Kundalini Yoga until midnight.

Babylon, 12,027, Wk-40, Sun, 0630 hr

Stakka and Renka boarded the  seaplane at 0630 for a 3-hour flight to Monterey.


Monterey, 12,027, Wk-40, Sun, 0930 hr

Stakka and Renka debarked from the sea plane at 0930. Entering the terminal they grabbed a snack and headed for the exit. Just outside they were met by Rico who said, "Hey, good to see you." "And we have some homegrown Red Zingers," said Lola, "Back at the ranch, heh."

When they reached the Safe House compound Dingo and Tengo came out to greet them. "We have hot chocolate and snacks to go with a Zinger inside," said Tengo. "Do we need to get Sergei and Natasha down from SanFran?" asked Dingo. "Hot chocolate sounds good," said Stakka. "We have nothing urgent for SanFran," said Renka.

Warming up with snacks in the kitchen, Stakka said, "We have a nice surprise for you. The first batch of genetic engineered Green Zinger seeds." "If there is room at the far end of the backyard, you might put up a plastic-covered grow back there," said Renka.

"How is Dragon Products doing now?" asked Stakka. "It's doing well," said  Dingo, "We leased about two hectares just touching our property and planted mild goldleaf tobacco, which is just coming up." "The cigarette machinery arrived two weeks ago and the building to set it up in will be ready next week," said Tengo.

Monterey, 12,027, Wk-40, Wed, 0630 hr

Stakka and Renka wave goodbye and board a seaplane for 12 hour flight to Arkon One.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-40, Fri, 1910 hr

At their regular Friday meeting Karl said, "We plan to host an online discussion among the residents here on Arkon One about clone laws and regulations that would protect them and regular humans." "We'll start with indentured servitude," said Robin "And work out from there." "That sounds good," said Renka, "Be sure and save a copy of all the responses."

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-41, Sun, 0930 hr

Karl and Robin host a public online forum to propose legal rights, documents, and discussion for clone's protection, such as indentured servitude with specific legal rights and time limits. Here is a summary of their findings:

1. Every clone should be sold with an indentured servitude contract stating their physical, medical care requirements and salary and the date they will be freed, including a possible  ticket to some developed continent.

2. Hazardous or unusual work conditions for indentured clones should get special compensation and consideration. For example if human workers last four years in a difficult job a clone must be given Freedom after 5 years.

 

3. An indentured clone may not be killed intentionally or placed in circumstances where death is certain.

4. An indentured clone's organs and body parts remain the property of the manufacturer and may not be sold or leased by the indenture contract holder.

5. An indentured clone may not be subleased to a third party.

6. A free clone may enter into marriage contracts with normies.

7. A free clone may be adopted by a normie.

8. A free clone may adopt a normie.

9. A clone's manufacturer may inspect and indentured clone at any time without prior notice.

Arkon One, 12,027, Wk-41, Fri, 1930 hr

At their usual Friday meeting, Stakka reported, "Dragon Products, the Cannabis cigarette project started by Dingo and Tengo is coming right along. They have planted mild goldleaf tobacco which has been coming up for three weeks now and the cigarette machinery will be installed in a new building the end of this month." "Did they like the green mint seeds?" asked Mary. "They did," said Renka, "In fact, they were planted in a new plastic covered grow at the far end of the backyard before we left, heh" "Dr Liu said an industry newsletter already mentioned a dwarf beef product line being developed in China," said Ed, "And she suggested we work on the digestive system and improving the efficiency." "We could approach them about a joint venture," said Katie, "When Arkon Delta launches in January." "I second that motion," said Robin.

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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