<snip>

Thomas took the hint, making his excuses to duck out of the room.

=/\=McGregor to Genesis. I’ve got a couple of things to update you on from our talks, and a request.=/\=

COS

=^=This is Genesis, Go, McGregor.=^= Came the clipped reply of the Captain.

Marius

=/\=Captain, we’ve learned that the Pallasians have encountered ‘pirates’ in the region. They’ve been sending probes out to nearby systems, but they keep getting drawn in by a planetary body with large gravity. And they want to know if we can help advance their domestic power generation, specifically how we’ve mastered fusion technology.=/\=

While this was happening, Dagen asked them, “Lt McGregor is making a call to the ship for a little more guidance. In the meantime, tell us about yourselves. We’re engineers and innovators and ministers and everything like that. What do you like to do at the end of the day when you’ve hung up your engineer and ministerial hat?” He paused and looked down at the floor then up again. “I’ll start. I grew up on a world called Trill. Very different. The skies and oceans - we have a lot of oceans on Trill - have a purple tint to them. Earth is blue. It was quite a change for me when I went off world.” He chuckled. “I like to ski. That is a winter sport where one straps one or two curved wooden planks to their feet and propel oneself smoothly through the snow. It can be either down a hill - which can get rather swift, or as a recreation along a level trail. One uses poles in each hand to guide and propel you along.”
- Dagen

Reia enjoyed hearing about what people did in their personal lives. It helped her to understand them but she decided not to join the conversation just yet.

• Reia, CIO

COS

“Perhaps,” said Yeeker, “we might make a change to our itinerary. Let us skip our next two venues and move to the central health facility. Our recreational activities are found in many of our residential areas but it is in our health facilities that we had developed the tools we use to ensure a wholesome and healthy regime for our people.”

GM

Dagen was open to wherever they wanted to show them. Seeing their ‘tech’ was interesting to know where they were at. Seeing how they lived was another thing, another window into their lives. He waited for them to work this out amongst themselves. It was not like they were able to just change venues on a dime. This was a scheduled and planned tour. Changes would require some administrative adjustments. He did, however, reply, “Anything you wish to show us we are pleased to see.” he was curious as to what tools they meant relating to a healthy regime. That sounded very … organized to use a nice word.
- Thor

It took a little time to get the new itinerary sorted out. The away team was escorted by their companions to an underground area about 400 metres from where they had their conference before. They were shown what looked like the high speed rail system that 21st century Japan uses. It used magnetic force to raise the cars off the track and move it in very fast speeds. They could not see much whilst they were underground but they emerged from underground to an area where there were forests on both sides. The forests showed signs of being polluted but the river that they had a chance to see running parallel to the tracks showed evidence of attempts to clean it.

At some places, the group could see that the forest was cleared for agriculture. Minister Nongfu, who had said very little at the conference, pointed out to the group the various kinds of crops that were planted. Apparently, about 40% of their crops were organic. In an effort to balance the need for natural forests and agricultural land, advanced technological farming techniques were developed, similar to the hydroponics and aquaculture advances made in 21st century Earth. This made up about 60% of the food that is consumed by the population.Just before they entered an urban area, they could see large hangar type buildings. Nongfu said that the hangar type buildings were where the food plants were situated.

They entered an urban area. Yeeker informed them that they had entered one of the satellite towns of the capital city. They had gone about 5 minutes into the town when the train slowed and came to a stop.

“Here we are, we are now at this satellite’s health facility,” said Yeeker. Standing at the platform were a woman and a man.

“I am Yee,” said the woman and she turned to the man, “this is my associate, Shou.”

“Dr. Yee is the director of the health facility,” Yeeker explained. “Mr. Shou is the man responsible for the recreational facility here.”

GM

Reia had been trying to wrap her head around what, exactly, health facility meant in this particular circumstance.

• Reia, CIO

Yee led the group through the first doors and there was a fork in the corridors that led to two different parts of the building. “The left goes to the physical health facility. That is where we deal with physical injuries or physiological illnesses. To the right is the the corridor to the emotional and psychological health facility.” She stopped and looked towards Shou.

“This facility not only treats illnesses but also promotes emotional and psychological health. Part of this is to provide recreational opportunities with vital sign monitoring at the same time,

The team took the right fork and they came to a large reception area with several different reception stations.

“We use virtual and augmented reality technology to bring our clients to their activity of choice,” continued Shou.

Coming to the last station, he spoke to the people manning it. Then they opened a small door In it was a corridor with fourteen doors on each side. There were little windows on the doors.

“If you take a look at the first door to the right, you would see someone with eye goggles moving in what looked like a rowing machine. The client is rowing in a river. The special jacket he wears is monitoring his vital signs. We can then evaluate whether this activity is good for his mental or emotional health. Please take a look.”

GM

“So if he manages to wreck the boat and drown himself in VR, you can pull him out and he knows he shouldn’t do that again?” Thomas asked. That sounded like a safe way to try new things, but he could also see how that sort of technology could be used to confine and imprison.

COS