Chapter 1
It was the chance of a lifetime. One hundred families were to be selected from Earth's advanced human population. They would colonize a newly discovered planet with an Earth like environment. Unfortunately the planet was located in a solar system over 160 light years from Earth. The crew and the colonists would be in cryogenic sleep for nearly two centuries. Such a lengthy hibernation had not been attempted, and the risk was considered to be significant that not all would survive.
Life on Earth was not easy for the majority of its twenty billion human inhabitants. In the previous century wars had been fought along religious, racial, and class designations. Billions had died senseless deaths in ill fated attempts to establish a world wide dominant religion. More died because of racial bigotry and hatred. And the poor tried to unite to seize wealth from the privileged few.
Out of desperation came the light of dawn. The world's ten wealthiest families established an enclave of hope on Iceland's shores. They recruited inventors, scientists, intellectuals, athletes, and artists. This "Trust" as it would become know was well hidden from public scrutiny. Secrecy was of utmost importance in determining and recruiting members of the Trust. The Trust leadership used its great wealth to methodically buy the island's real estate. Less desirable inhabitants were encouraged to leave. Some were easily persuaded with money. Some of the indigenous population was less willing to leave. The Trust had established a puppet government which passed laws making exportation the punishment for many common crimes and infractions. These laws were used to cleanse the remaining undesirable population away.
Iceland was the perfect location for the Trust. It was isolated by a cold ocean from any large population centers. In addition, Iceland had an inexhaustible supply of geothermal energy. This would give them independence from reliance on dwindling fossil fuel supplies.
In the year 2180 Jill Porter was born in New York City. Her parents were two of the United States' premier physicists. They were recruited to join the Trust a year later. They never looked back. Ney York as many cities in the United States had been bombed in the religious wars in the mid and late twenty first century. Threats remained from underground terrorists. The Porters loved their daughter and wanted her to live a life far from the maddening crowds.
Jillian Porter was 39 years old and in peak physical form. She had born two children under the Advanced Human Breeding Act of 2187. Her eggs were matched with sperm from two genetically determined donors. Such was life in the late twenty second century. Her daughter, Karen, was now 21 years old and already possessed an advanced degree from a leading biotech university. Her genetic score on the McBride scale was 945. Only one tenth of one percent of the advanced human population scored that highly. Her genetic markers made her taller, stronger, smarter, and gave her more endurance than anyone could have achieved from natural selection. Her younger brother, Christopher, just turned 18. He also scored well on the McBride scale. His 894 placed him in the top two percent. He was a sophomore at the Trust's premier university.
Jill's talented children would make her family an almost certain finalist in the selection process if she decided they would risk the long hibernation. She knew it must be a family decision. Karen and Chris would each individually have the right to veto their participation. It would have to be unanimous or the Porters would remain on Iceland as part of the Trust.
Jill loved to cook for her kids. It was very old fashion, but the simple act of cooking for her beloved children made her feel like a mother and a woman. There had always been something missing from her childhood days that she yearned for now. Her parents taught her much. She learned literature, art, mathematics, and of course physics. It was if her life had been scripted for perfection. She could learn and do anything. She was a top selection in the Trust's Advanced Breeding program. Her genome had many desirable features. She had been blessed with superior intellectual abilities. Using the antiquated IQ test scale, Jill scored a 234. She understood atomic particle theory by the time she hit puberty. She developed a specialty in particle acceleration. It was ground breaking work and it lead to improvements in defense shielding and in long range scanning technology. If it had not been for her work in scanning it is unlikely that the atmosphere of Zeta9 could have been so clearly identified as Earthlike. Jill was also aware that some of her work dealing with particle accelerators had offensive military ramifications.
Becoming a mother at the age of 18 was her choice. Jill could have waited for another seven years or she could have also chosen a mate if she so desired. She had never experienced the physical love of a man at the time of her children's conception. It was this lack of intimacy that was missing in her life. She compensated by being such a dedicated mother to her exceptional children.
Karen Porter was a stunningly attractive young woman. She had already been selected for the Advanced Breeding program. Unlike her mother Karen had elected to wait a few years before having a child. She was almost 188 centimeters tall and weighed 72 kilograms. Her eyes were hazel green and she wore her brunette jaw length hair in a very sexy bob. Karen was also an amazing athlete. She could run 5,000 meters in 12 minutes and not be tired at the conclusion of her run. Genetic engineering had made her body strong and efficient.
Christopher was taller than his sister, just over two meters, and more muscular. He could dead lift over 350 kg. As his body matured his strength would continue to grow. He knew that someday he would be able to lift 500 kg without effort. Chris's hair was light brown and he kept it cut short. His eyes were the same intense hazel of his mom and sister. Jill had taught Chris a love for math. He was comfortable as a teen in discussions of matters concerning relativity. Time and dimensionality were common themes in his work.
The kids would be home soon and Jill wanted dinner to be special tonight. The three of them would discuss the merits of the colonization mission to Zeta9. It would be a decision that would shape their destiny and that of all humanity.
Chapter 2
The living area in Jill's home was warm and comfortable. The aroma coming from the kitchen was intoxicating. As soon as Chris stepped into the house he felt his body relax. He had been working on topological quantum field theories in low dimensions. The work was a good challenge to his intellect. His mother understood the subject very well and was capable of guiding him through it, but she always challenged him to first try to master it without help.
"Hi mom, I'm home."
Jill looked up and smiled. "How was your day? Are you hungry?"
"I'm starved, when is dinner going to be ready?"
