Secrets of the Lost Ark - Part 4

Yesterday, we saw how the colonists addressed the issue of shelter. Food is more of a logistical issue. The mission planners only packed enough food to last the colonists one year. The mission planners packed the cargo compartment with a huge variety of seeds. Many of the seeds were fast growing hybrids. It was also assumed that every planet that could sustain life would have available sources of vegetable matter and protein. The protein could come in the form of fish, animals or whatever.

The thinking was if the colonists could not gear up and start producing their own food or find it within the first year, they probably weren’t going to survive anyway. Anything beyond that would be to just prolong the inevitable.

If things went well, the colonists would have a crude village, food and water and they would begin survey operations for a more permanent settlement. The homes built here would made of metal and wood (if available) by mining ore or cannibalizing the spacecraft. You will recall from The Ark Lords that the Arks were built of two thirds pig iron and one third martensite. The cargo craft also carried smelters for refining the ore or recasting the pig iron.

The martensite, if needed, would be used as is. It could be carved into useful pieces by the laser pulse rifles although the cargo compartment did carry a wide variety of more traditional tools to be used as needed.

After the village was built, the colonists would break up into three groups. There were the miners who, in reality, were the Darwin contingent although nobody knew it. Their goal was long term but the plan was to build up the numbers of people and technology so that they could one day return to the Earth.

The second group were the farmers. They would spread out as wide as possible and use another section of the seeds and embryos to create farms. If the planet had edible plants or herd animals, they would incorporate these into their repertoire.

The final section was the “ordinary” folk who went on scouting missions, hunting and gathering, prepared schools for the children who would be coming. Generally, they were tasked with creating a new civilization. Everybody had their role, a place to live and a source of food. They figured out art, music, entertainment, alcohol, interest groups. Think of their goal as building, some day, a landed cruise ship, with all the modern amenities.

It takes many, many years and many generations but this is how you build a world. Let the colonization begin!