“What about Ofelia?” He asked.

“You’re right, I have Ofelia to keep me company. And I just remembered; will my induction charging cap fit under the helmet? Ofelia consumes a bit of energy… Her  interface you know.” 

“Yes, the cap. I remember seeing it on you. Yes, no problem. I’ll scan your head with it on so adjustments can be made. So, you will have a companion of sorts.” 

“Just the two of us. Not that I have any choice in the matter as we are inseparable.” Ofelia’s voice sounded irritated in Vigil’s head. 

“Inseparable? If you could, would you choose to separate?” Ofelia said in Virgil’s mind. 

“Hey, I don’t have a choice. But, if I did, I would choose to remain a slave to your  benevolence.” Virgil thought to Ofelia. 

“How charitable of you.” 

“Hey look, I’m the one physically restricted to one location. Most of you live out in the vast data cloud. You are in multiple locations at once,” Virgil said. 

“Virgil, excuse my asking, but are you conversing with Ofelia now?” Tim said. 

“Yes, sorry. She can do many things at the same time. We mere humans can only focus on one thing at a time. You have my full attention.” 

“You both communicate without speaking. That sounds very useful.”

“She can be an excellent source of information at critical times. She saved my butt when Draco Osborn sent Zarita and the Marines to take over Ellie 5 Zeta.” 

“I imagine she could be a great assistant at a blackjack table.” 

“I am not allowed to participate in that sport.” 

Dr. McKeever entered the room and Dr. Storm turned the recorders back on and canceled the sound isolation. But Dr. McKeever noticed the actions. With hardly a break Dr. Storm continued the conversation. 

“A shame… You said before that you have an amateur’s interest in geology?” 

“Very amateur I’m afraid. Dag has sent me some unusual rocks from the Asteroid belt over the years. I might find some interesting rocks in the enclosure… So, I’ll be poking around a bit. Could become contaminated. I assume I can take the suit off occasionally  for hygienic needs?” 

“Yes, in one of the oasis stations. You vacuum the suit before taking it off. There are also showers and kitchen facilities,” Timothy said. 

“Understood. But do I need to wear my suit at other times? 

“Yes, you can remove your suit when you need to, but otherwise keep it on. You should sleep in it. You can keep the visor open, however. It will automatically close and seal if a  problem with the atmosphere or intrusion of dust particles is detected.” 

“Looks like you have me covered.”

“I’ve uploaded the holograms into your PET Virgil. You can view them in two or three dimensions. The screen will show your location and record and display your movements,” Dr. McKeever said. 

“So, it seems you’ll be isolated from society socially and sometimes electronically as well. The holograms will be very useful,” Dr. Storm said. 

“That’s the way I like it. I sense you and I will make a great team Chuck. Now about the  other projects Tim?” 

“Of course. As you know Virgil, the object of the Valles Marineris project is to attract enough people to occupy cities. To achieve that we need to also provide a comparable number of rehab orbiters. That will include, for the first time a new type called the Gestation Station. Later a boarding school orbiter will be needed. Children of all ages need to grow and develop in standard gravity. The increased population will also mean many more people will need to counter the long-term effects of reduced gravity. So, we are boosting our ground robots to increase the fabrication of a powerful mass driver. Among other things, the driver will be used as a launch assist for shuttles. We need increased transport capacity of construction materials and later, people to orbit. People on a mass driver shuttle will experience 4 before the shuttle fires up its engine and detaches to complete the launch into orbit. Construction materials will be accelerated directly into  orbit at acceleration rates up to 11 or 12 g.” 

“You have designed such an accelerator?”

“We have, and we are building it, a very long electromagnetic driver with variable acceleration capabilities. We call it the Large Electromagnetic Mass Driver (LEM Driver).” 

“Clever name.” 

“Heh, yeah, I thought of it myself. The LEM Driver assist will result in less fuel needed for each shuttle launch. Most materials can be launched in containers as they will achieve orbit from the higher acceleration. This translates to a greater launch rate. But we also need to design and build new shuttle spaceships and more landing facilities. Keeping the supply, production, and deliveries in sequence are my major headaches.” 

“My wife Daria and Simone Beaulieu will be arriving soon in the Spindizzy. They should be able to help with the new shuttle designs. Simone is a very talented rocket engineer and Daria has extensive experience in engineering project management. They’ll be  reviewing and reporting on the Spindizzy trip, but I’m sure they can devote significant  time to your shuttle design project.” 

“Wow! I hadn’t thought of that possibility. They sure could ease the workload. And I  haven’t even mentioned the Phobos Rail project,” Dr. Stone said. 

“Phobos Rail? I haven’t heard about that.” 

“Well, we’re not publicizing it yet. We got ahead of ourselves… started the project too soon. Our excitement got the better of our judgment. But now it’s beginning to make sense. It’s at a phase where the work is nearly all auto-robotic. It will be named the Phobos Rapid Rail in honor of our moon Phobos. Chuck is in charge of that project.”

“Phobos? That’s an odd name for a train. To be named after the Greek God of fear and panic,” Virgil said. 

“It’s appropriate. Once completed it will give us rapid access to the badlands outside. It will take us far from the safety of Valles Marineris. The project has caused much trepidation… at least for me. But it’s really to honor the moon which will no longer exist within a few years, sacrificed to mining operations.” 

“Obliterating the moon… isn’t that a momentous decision.” 

“We are only accelerating what would naturally happen in a few million years. It’s doomed to eventually break and crash into Mars… a result of its decaying low orbit. I  felt it only appropriate we honored it for its contribution to our progress.” 

“I guess that’s a great tribute.” 

Dr. McKeever joined the conversation. He had been silent for a while. The fact that Tim and  Virgil had a brief secret conversation in his absence bothered him. He didn’t know Dr. Greenly except by reputation so he wouldn’t necessarily be offended if the scientist held a conversation in private. But Tim? They had worked closely together for the past five years. Tim had never kept anything from him, at least that he was aware of. He would ask Tim about it when they were alone. He posted the holograms up on one of the wall screens and began to describe them. 

“We’ve already started construction of the elevated rail using robots and 3D printing. The first columns are presently being set as you see here at the western end. They will extend east along the center of Valles Marineris. Tomorrow you’ll see the first few elevated rail segments already installed within the enclosure,” Dr. McKeever said.

The review continued for another hour and a half before the men decided they were all too exhausted to continue. Before they parted Dr. Greenly made a last statement. 

“Tim and Chuck, I think this break is well-timed. You have your holiday and I’ll have mine. Then the three of us will get to work. I’ll review all the ongoing projects Tim, and study your holograms, Chuck. The holograms will provide a foundation for building my imagined ecosystems. Solitude will be my redemption from a long-cramped voyage and will prepare me for the task ahead. In another week both your jobs will become easier and mine more engaging. I will see both of you again when I return from the enclosure.”