It is only six hours after the last meeting that they call another. We appear to rapidly be approaching the point where everyone needs to be in the room at all times to stay up to date with what's happening.
The majority of the terraforming group spent their time picking and assembling team members. We have broken the terraforming process down into three phases: atmosphere building, building the foundational plant life, and then completing the ecosystems with animals.
To build the atmosphere, we will have a large team of elves sing trees into being. They will create the new martian rainforests and densly wooded areas. Dwarves will help keep the planet at optimum temperature, and sirens and water dragons will control the melting waters.
Once the water cycle has started and the elves no longer need to use their magic to sustain the trees, they will pair off with dragons to plant the rest of the lands. The sirens will do the same with water dragons in the seas.
The problem really comes into play when trying to complete the ecosystems with animals. There are two ways we can go about this. The first is to bring enough of each species with us to replicate the environments on earth. This option puts the dragons being sent out to collect the hoard at risk of being taken by humans. It is also impossible to transport all the species alive, so the demon clans would have to resurrect the initial populations and keep them alive with magic until they can reproduce.
The second option involves enclosing most of the planet in a time bubble and fast forwarding a few million years so mars can create its own habitats. Apparently, the magical energy is approximatly equal for the demon and magical contingents. The problem with this option, though, is some would have to remain in the time bubble. They would age the few mililon years with the planet, and help guide evolution so it doesn't go through a major extinction event.
There are those who are true immortals who could do it, but it would really suck. Most of us are meat eaters of some flavor, so food would initially not exist. It also means sepending a few million years potentially seperated from your friends and family. Also, stabilizing the planet so 90% is in the time bubble and 10% with the mortals is outside of it is apparently really difficult. It would be easier to have the whole planet in the time bubble or none of it.
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If we encase the whole planet in the time bubble, it could be millions of years before the planet has a proper lifecycle to support everyone we bring. Anyone outside of the time bubble would not be able to jump into it, and those in the time bubble would not be able to escape. Any mortal entering the time bubble would spend their lives there on a fledgling, pimordeal planet with no option to change their minds.
There is no good option, so the debate has turned to which is the least bad option, or the option we can live with. The discussion was getting really heated when we were called to this meeting.
At the first of these big meetings, the elders were like students on the first day of class. They were excited to see eachother after a long time apart, and chattered like children. Now, they walk into this meeting like college students approaching a final. Many are absorbed in thir notes or going over plans with people not in their breakout groups. Everyone seems subdued and apprehensive of this meeting.
I doubt we are getting good news.
Remus, Stata, and Loki are the last to walk in. Loki and Stata sit on either side of Remus who remains standing. Loki, upon sitting, immediatly opens up his laptop and keeps working on whatever it is he is working on. Remus clears his throat and everyone else falls silent.
"The political landscape has changed in a significant way," Remus starts, "Vulcan is a spy for Ra. We have reason to believe even if the humans contact him first, he won't honor the agreement he made with Isis and the others."
"Wasn't the agreement sealed?" Puck asks.
"We didn't have fairy contracts back then," Isis laments.
"But you did have demon contracts. Why didn't you seal te agreement with one of those?" Luci asks.
"That was during the demon wars." Belenos responds.
"Ah. I forgot about those." Luci confirms.
"So this was basically a handshake deal?" I ask.
"There was a contract, but not a binding one." Lugh clarifies.
"And now you think he wont honor the contract?" I ask.
"He has already broken the contract by intentionally interferring in human development." Loki doesn't stop typing as he speaks. "More than once. Vulcan was in contact with Ra, and we have evidence that he was ordered to interfeer. Vulcan seems to think the humans sending the signal will lead to their deaths."
"They will send the signal in less than four days. Are you saying four days is all the earth has left?" Samara asks.
"Unless we come up with a way to stop them from sending the signal or find another plan?" Loki stops whatever he is working on and looks Samara dead in the eyes. "Yes, humanity only has four days left."
Humanity only has four days left and its all my fault. I should have listened. Why didn't I listen?