h.e.l.lflower was occupied with her work in the labs when she received the communication from Cloudhawk, asking her to meet him . It came as somewhat of a surprise . She knew the man and knew he wouldn’t ask her to leave her work unless it was important .

So she left to answer his summons . Upon arriving he launched right into the situation .

“I have a surprise for you . We’re going on a field trip . ”

In the early days, when h.e.l.lflower and Cloudhawk first met, she’d told him about her desire to learn about the history of their world . A scientist and Seeker through and through, her thirst to learn all the secrets of what happened was ever present . It was part of what motivated h.e.l.lflower to keep learning and improving in her field .

She was the first person Cloudhawk thought of when he found New Earth . There was no one better suited to explore the Ark . He first made his way to the proto-human base, then opened up a portal for her to step through from Greenland . The moment she stepped through and laid eyes upon the scene, even she couldn’t hide the shock on her face . It was expected, of course . A settlement of this type, of this size, was unimaginable .

New Earth was bustling and fantastical .  

h.e.l.lflower rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn’t some sort of illusion . Everywhere she looked there were markers and architecture reminiscent of pre-cataclysmic society . From the buildings, to the people’s clothes, all of it looked like they came from the ancient texts .

And most importantly, those who lived here were actual ancestors of original humans!

“Crazy, right?” Cloudhawk explained what she was looking at . “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it . Who would have imagined there was a piece of the old world all the way out here in some distant corner of the universe . Amazing that they have survived for so long – thrived, even . ”

h.e.l.lflower was bursting with questions, but they were all pushed to the back of her mind . She was too impatient to waste time talking . “Let’s go look around!”

The two changed into local clothing, but even still attracted a fair amount of attention . They were unique looking even without their wasteland garb . Walking down the street, many curious gazes followed them .

The base’s interior switched to night . Electric street lights flickered to life . People walked back and forth through the city, minding their business .

It was the end of their work day and people were commuting home in levitating cars and maglev shuttles . They wore vintage-looking suits and dresses, but the material was a high-grade composite . Men hustled from one place to another with briefcases in one hand and handheld communicators in the other . No one but Cloudhawk and h.e.l.lflower were surprised by the scene .

They pa.s.sed by parks where grandparents were playing with their grandchildren . Robot street cleaners shuffled endlessly along picking up debris .  

Because they’d been in such a hurry to evacuate, the proto-humans couldn’t bring all of Earth’s technology with them . The barren and inhospitable environment of this new world limited how much they could develop . As a result, even after a thousand years New Earth could not recapture its old glory .

These days New Earth was pretty asymmetrical in its advancements . Agriculture, computers, manufacturing were all what they were back in the twenty-second century . However, their s.p.a.ce, biology and quantum technology were all stunted .

Anyone who grew up here in this city had no idea what the outside world was like . As far as they were concerned, this Ark was their world . There was no other nation but New Earth and it was the perfect place for them . It was modeled perfectly after the lost cities of Earth, complete with simulated weather and a day-night cycle . After so long the citizens had practically forgotten that the world they emulated no longer existed .

“What do you think?” Cloudhawk cast a glance at h.e.l.lflower, walking by his side . “This is the surprise I wanted to show you . ”

h.e.l.lflower felt moisture gathering in her eyes . She was not an emotional woman by any stretch of the imagination, but in this moment she was having a hard time holding back her feelings . Cloudhawk had met many incredible women over the years like Dawn and Selene . They all held a special place in his heart, but it was h.e.l.lflower he was most similar to .  

They’d both been born into humble beginnings, were raised in the wastes, and fantasized about the past . As a scientist, h.e.l.lflower’s yearning to explore that lost civilization was even more intense than Cloudhawk’s . To her, there was nothing that could move her more deeply than this very moment .

“Thank you, Cloudhawk . ”

“Don’t even worry about it . We don’t have much time, let’s keep going . ”

As they toured the city, Cloudhawk explained all he knew . He told her about the history of the Ark and the artificial intelligence that watched over it . Although Father agreed not to try and expel their manufacturing base, it also refused to help Green Alliance in any capacity . The Ark and its city would remain completely neutral . It would not join their fight or partic.i.p.ate in their war . It was a shame .

New Earth’s technology and production were under Father’s control . If he’d managed to convince the program to help Greenland, they could have been given a whole army of mechanical soldiers . Fighting Skycloud would have become a whole lot easier .

But Cloudhawk felt no regret .  

Earth’s original people had lived here in peace and prosperity for a thousand years . That harmony should never be disturbed . If it was their choice not to join the fight, then so be it . His enemies were many and they were strong, but Cloudhawk had a plan .

“What’s this place?”

The two wastelanders stood before a large door where a number of young men and women were pa.s.sing through . They were definitely unique, for they had neither the hard and brutal air of wastelanders nor the haughty arrogance of Elysians .

This was a school . More specifically, a university . It was named after an old learning inst.i.tution from ancient Earth .

As they walked pa.s.sed the school Cloudhawk made a number of the young women blush . The boys, on the other hand, seemed eager to capture h.e.l.lflower’s attention . However, when they saw her walking with Cloudhawk they scowled and sighed with regret .

New Earth’s universities, hospitals, even their bars were all made in the old style . h.e.l.lflower and Cloudhawk even pa.s.sed a number of churches . Old Earth’s religion even persisted here after so long . Cloudhawk noted that there were some similarities in their architecture and icons to what he saw in Skycloud .

The ancient religions focused on doing good deeds and achieving inner peace . Some of that was present in Skycloud, but it was more about wors.h.i.+p and service . Perhaps that was inevitable, since their G.o.d was real and present . It was more real, and the living G.o.d was a powerful symbol .

All in all, the city was filled from one corner to the other with incredible things to see and experience . Coming here was like taking a portal to the past, where the old civilization still thrived .

Eventually they made their way to the administrative center of the Earth Federation . An audience was granted with president Tang Zhonghua .

Tang Zhonghua knew Father’s directives, but still greeted the two denizens of his old planet with warmth and congeniality . “Father was very clear la, we are not to partic.i.p.ate in disputes of na mother world . But from my own view, mu hopes new humans and original humans can build a close relations.h.i.+p . After all, we come from same root ba . ”

Cloudhawk nodded his head . “I hope so, too . That’s why I’d like to introduce you to Green Alliance’s chief scientist . ”

Tang Zhonghua turned his eyes to h.e.l.lflower and his brows raised in surprise . In his world science was a complicated, mysterious field . It was the elderly who had the time and learning necessary to excel in that area . Although it was difficult for him to know precisely how old h.e.l.lflower was, she wasn’t the seventy or eighty he was expecting .

Cloudhawk went on . “h.e.l.lflower is the most outstanding scientist in our Alliance – probably the entire world . She is a master of many fields of study, especially biology, quantum physics and advanced materials . I was hoping we might introduce her as a liaison so that our two peoples can learn from one another . ”

Tang Zhonghua knew well that new man was very different from his people . For instance, Cloudhawk could probably destroy an entire army of proto-humans on his own .

He had strength Tang Zhonghua could only imagine . His scientist and military leader, h.e.l.lflower, had a mind comparable to their best computers . She had spent years wandering the wastes with a single-minded mission to learn everything there was to know, and she’d largely succeeded . A lot of what she knew could indeed provide what the Earth Federation lacked .

Tang Zhonghua gave voice to his curiosity . “What do you want to learn from Earth Federation?”

It was h.e.l.lflower who answered . “I am very interested in your optical computing . ”

The computer was an incredible engine of human development in the ancient times . Some simpler machines had been restored to use in the wastelands, but their functions were limited . In the wastelands it was difficult to get the materials and energy needed to make the better computers work .

As they’d wandered around New Earth, h.e.l.lflower had noted computers that employed light and calculated extremely fast . If she could learn more about this technology and bring it back to Greenland, it would benefit both her research and their military .

Cloudhawk nodded . Father would not allow New Earth to partic.i.p.ate directly in their fight, but it hadn’t forbidden communication between their people . If they traded some of what they knew for the secrets of the old civilization, it would benefit everyone .

Tang Zhonghua did not agree immediately . He turned his attention unto Cloudhawk . “What else?”

“I’m hoping for books and data,” Cloudhawk answered . “I want our children to learn about our shared history . ”

That was a tall order, but as a matter of procedure Tang Zhonghua was expected to consult with Father before allowing it .  However, after meeting the two new humans himself Tang Zhonghua was struck by their earnest nature . “I will allow your requests . We welcome Miss h.e.l.lflower, mu excellent scientist, as cultural and knowledge liaison . We hopes she can be a visiting professor at our university, ba . ”

Tang Zhonghua gave the order to see their requests done .

New Earth had no books . Trees and other flora were precious, so they weren’t going to use the material so frivolously . However, once Green Alliance was able to build more advanced optical computers, all the data Cloudhawk hoped for would be available to access . It would even include precious databanks and backups of ancient knowledge for use as he pleased .

And thus, Cloudhawk’s goals were achieved .

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