Chapter 45 - Coming Home To Roost

Imogen and Lü Zhi sat facing each other in the boardroom. They and the major shareholders of New World Explorations were five hours into the meeting and the fatigue was beginning to show. If it went for much longer then people would start making fools of themselves. They found themselves caught between this looming embarrassment and Lü Zhi's authority. This was the moment both women had been waiting for. "So to recap our overall capabilities, do we know what we're doing when it comes to colonising Mars" asked sharply.

In their exhausted state the rest of the room was only too happy for Imogen to supply an answer, any answer would do. "No, we do not know what we're doing well enough. The only way we, or any other organisation, can really know what they're doing is to have a coalface experience. We have to jump in the deep end and just go, casualties are to be expected but not guaranteed. After that we will know what we're doing. I'd like to add that early humans colonised the planet in hopelessly under prepared craft. Their discoveries are not their legacy, we are their legacy. Lets be worthy of them."

The intercom buzzed "Code 13 from NASA Ms Zhi". As the number suggested code 13 was bad news requiring immediate attention. She tapped her phone and a look of thunder spread across her face. Her voice trembled as she relayed the message to the board. "NASA is withdrawing their offer of supplying fuel and rocketry for the Mars colonisation. They claim to have achieved their research goals without having to make the hardware investment."

"I believe that SpaceX will supply that if we send The Entity to Mars and that research will help them with their neuralink program.", Imogen suggested.

"So you want me to spend millions of dollars sending a genetically edited octopus to Mars. You've got to be fucking kidding me?", shouted Lü Zhi.

"It is a compromise I know. But its an obligate aerobic multi-cellular eukaryote lifeform that communicates its mood and well being in a highly visual way. We will learn a lot about the biological stressors to expect on these missions. If there is to be an advantage to neuralink the Entity will have to land close to SpaceX's proto colony. Some interesting benefits may flow back to us, if you get my drift."