Faction and colony
Days past , and Alex was diligently working with the government in the Nexus to arrange their relocation to the island .
Meanwhile , the transportation of goods from the island to the colony continued on a steady pace .
Shipments were increased , and the portal had to be opened every day .
The transported goods varied widely , ranging from furniture and consumables to textile and even wood and different kinds of meat intended as samples for artificial growth .
Livestock had been ordered and was scheduled for delivery on a date that Da’grass had indicated the colony would be ready for it .
Sam and Cynthia , now a couple , continued to spend time together , deepening their understanding of each other .
Sarah and Helena were as happy as could be and were joking that Sam and Cynthia would be the first to give a grandchild to Sarah .
Helena , in particular was happy to no longer be the main subject of their jokes.
Finally , the day arrived when the officials from the Nexus were due to arrive .
Two weeks had passed , and during this time , Da’grass , had been diligently erasing any digital evidence he could find related to the travelling officials and their family .
“They should be on the next transport to the island” said a nervous looking Alex.
“Don’t worry , it will be fine .
Did you send a message to the people on the island who would be manning the facilities to maintain a working environment?” said a confident Helena .
“Yeah , but with it a lot of other people volunteered to relocate to the colony and I had to turn them down” answered Alex .
The island needs its occupants in case of an inspection , and it will take a while longer for the colony itself to become self-sufficient .
Da’grass is contacting people from outside the island who have been previously investigated and is setting up dates for their arrival .
They will be sent directly to the colony and will receive treatment similar to that of the officials during their travel .
I can only hope we remain undetected , as it’s a considerable number of people to disappear .
Once in the colony , they’ll have to pay for services rendered in credits .
Your mother has already sent and put the necessary bracelets in production for everyone , which should make things a little easier .
“You should let everyone choose their home , even if they can’t relocate at the moment .
They were here first.” said Helena .
You could establish conditions for the spacious and regular residences , and let Da’grass monitor the people through the colony’s network while they make their choices .
“Very well , after the officials and skeleton management have secured their homes , I will let the others choose their residences in the colony.” replied Alex .
“Thanks sweetie . They’ll be happy to hear it . I think there will be another party on the island after they made their choices” replied Helena with a smile .
“There they are , I can see the ship.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Da’grass let the people know that they can choose their houses this evening but can not move in yet” said Alex .
“That’s a rather large ship and there are a lot of people on the deck” exclaimed Helena .
“We paid a cargo ship to transport them over .
You don’t want to know how many people there are” replied Alex .
Just for future references , we can’t do this for all the governments to come at least not under our current circumstances .
Let’s go to the pier ; they’ll be docking soon.
Remember , they have to turn in their smartphones and receive a bracelet .
The others who’s help we asked will do the same and each guide a family to their new homes .
We’ll be handling John Carther and his family since he is the representative of the government in the Nexus .
Da’grass , open the gate will you ?
“That looks more like a refugee ship if you see how many people are leaving the ship , all with suitcases” said a pale looking Helena .
“I had to assure them that they would be getting all they needed , including homes .
Most of them were well off” replied Alex .
They told their neighbours they were moving and terminated their employment.
I’ll be giving them a chance to convert some of their money to credits if they wish to do so .
It’s not like I need it , but I do feel a bit sorry for them .
There is John , let’s go to him .
Hello john !
“Ah , Alex , thank you for receiving us , but I’m afraid it will be very difficult to get us to the next location considering how many of us there are” said a flustered John
“That won’t be a problem but may I ask you to turn in your phones and put on these bracelets ?” replied Alex .
“We already ditched our phones .
These are my parents , my wife , and her parents” said John
“Hello pleased to meet you .
Rest assured that you will be living comfortable” said Alex .
They didn’t say anything but Alex saw the relief they exuded .
They put on their bracelets , and Alex explained to them how they were to be used .
After they synced their Nexus accounts , they followed Alex as instructed by him.
They were surprised when they saw that everyone , including themselves , was led to a warehouse .
Alex told them not to be concerned and to hold their questions until they were on their way to their new home .
This only produced more surprise on their faces .
When they reached the gate , only gasps escaped their mouths , and they started to look at Alex as if he were an alien .
They were to shaken up to utter any words and followed the others trough the gate .
Once they were through the gate , more gasps escaped their mouths when they saw the city in which they now stood .
“Once it’s up and running , the colony will house 250 000 residents” said Alex .
Follow me to your new home .
If you ever get lost , you can ask the city for directions through your bracelets .
“You mentioned a colony and then there is that portal .
Where exactly are we?” asked John .
“You are on Mars” said Alex
To explain a little more , I built it thanks to my clearance level in the Nexus .
And no , I’m not an alien , and no , I won’t disclose the finer details of how I did it .
All your basic needs are provided for .
There are shops and entertainment , but everything has to be paid for in credits.
The housing is free , and if anyone of your group wishes to exchange money for credits , I’m willing to do so .
Since I don’t know the exchange rate , I’m calculating it based on the pay for work performed per hour in the Nexus and cross-referencing it with the same work in our country .
In the colony , we implement the same pay rates as inside the Nexus for the same jobs .
Government officials are allocated spacious residences while the rest receive regular ones until further notice .
Don’t worry about space in your new homes ; even the regular ones have plenty of room available .
Once your settled , you’ll be free to explore the city , but keep in mind that the vegetation is still growing .
The city will inform you of any restrictions if you wander in an area where you shouldn’t be .
Pets are allowed , but not at this time .
If you want them , please order them through me , but do so as a group .
Oh and John , no one has entered the Nexus from Mars yet .
The moment you do so everyone in the world gets access to Mars in the Nexus .
Everyone will know we have access to Mars .
You’ll get the choice if you want to build a new Capitol City , it would be a tier 4 city once completed .
The decision is yours since you’re the government , but consider everything carefully before entering the Nexus .
Discuss it with the rest of the officials .
“It’s all a lot to take in Alex .
I’ll hold a meeting this evening with the rest to discuss everything .
We’ll put a ban on entering the Nexus until we made a decision” replied John .
“Were here .
This will be your new block .
According to the city , the top has two spacious residences , while the rest are regular ones , so you can be close to your family” said Alex .
Request the city for a meeting room large enough to accommodate your meeting , and register your new homes to it .
It should have everything you need , but if there are any problems feel free to contact me .
If there are no pressing questions , I’ll be leaving and let you guy’s settle in .
“Alex , thank you for everything .
This exceeds everything I could have hoped for” said John , visibly emotional .
Think nothing off it .
Hold your meeting , and I’ll see you guy’s once you’re settled in .
“Why did I have to come with you ?
You handled everything yourself” said Helena on the way back .
“I like it when you’re near me .
Besides , I wouldn’t have been feeling comfortable if I had to do it alone” said Alex , smiling .
“Sweet-talker” she said and smiled .