<u>Faction and colony</u>
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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.
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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 .