Chapter 2

New Hawking, initially known as Alpha Centauri Bd, was colonized by the human race about 200 cycles ago (roughly 153 Earth years). It is the third closest planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri b, the smaller more dim star in the binary system. The planet orbits its star every 280 Earth days with each orbit referred to as a cycle. It sits at 0.7 AU from its parent star Alpha Centauri B (about 70% of the distance from Earth to the Sun) and it’s just slightly smaller than Earth. The planet’s surface is approximately half water and half land and the climate is quite similar to that of Earth, though the winters can be especially harsh. The planet rotates more quickly than Earth, with each day being 22 hours long. The decision was made to measure time in the same manner, with sixty second minutes and sixty minute hours, but AM and PM were done away with, opting instead to use military style time with midnight being 00:00 running through to 21:59:59 the following night before resetting again. Due to the shorter rotation, a cycle on New Hawking has 305.5 days (280 Earth days).

Analysis gathered from unmanned rovers and drones sent before the Hawking II mission showed that plant life existed on Alpha Centauri Bd, but animal life forms (mammals, reptiles, insects, amphibians, etc) were not found, although the water, both salt and fresh, contained multi-cellular organisms. For this reason, labs aboard the Hawking carried DNA samples from all of Earth’s known species. Special equipment that allowed for the growth of embryos outside a surrogate were also installed in the Hawking’s labs. The intention was to kick start a small population of a very small percentage of species before letting nature take over. Over the course of the first cycle only cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs and a few fresh water fish were simulated. The mammals survived the process and the planet successfully, but less than twenty percent of the attempted fish species survived in the alien water.

The data from the drones and rovers showed atmospheric pressure to be slightly less than that of Earth, but well within the range of adaptability - similar to living a mile and a half above sea level. The ratio of Nitrogen, Oxygen and Argon in the air were also similar, but not exactly that of the home planet.

According to historical records, the original colonists’ last contact with Earth was shortly before completing their 25 year journey. Communication, though essential, was not a major focus of the colonization mission. Due to the vast distance between the two planets, any transmission sent from either Earth or New Hawking would take over four years to be received at its destination. Regardless, daily updates and data links were part of the protocol and they continue to this day. For reasons unknown, Earth simply stopped responding.

The craft that brought the colonists, named the Hawking II, carried 20,000 passengers, most in cryonic suspension. Limited stores were brought on the vessel, just enough to get started and survive up to two years (1.5 cycles) before a second craft was scheduled to arrive with more colonists, supplies, equipment and materials. Communications with the Hawking II show that the second vessel, The Ark, did depart Earth as scheduled; however, it never arrived at New Hawking. Its final communication was received on the Hawking II about two years after Earth’s. None of the transmissions were out of the ordinary and there were no distress calls. It was thought that the problem could be with the Hawking II’s communication systems, but no abnormalities were ever found.

The Hawking II’s colonists were quick to establish working villages around their pre-selected sites, some near water, some near timber, some near mines. A centralized hub was built in close proximity to these work zones and the Hawking II’s landing site. This hub, as well as the planet, was named New Hawking by the Hawking II’s Captain, Emory Falstead.

The colonists were selected carefully to ensure that all important fields of expertise were covered. Approximately a third were scientists of varying disciplines... physicists, medical doctors, botanists, geneticists, biologists, chemists, geologists, meteorologists, psychiatrists etc as well as a full compliment of technicians in each field. Another third were engineers, architects, agriculturists, cartographers, electricians, plumbers... even a few musicians, artists and writers. Many of those in cryonic suspension were still young enough to breed on arrival, as the suspension halts the body’s ability to age, but due to the uncertainty of the effects of cryonics on reproduction, 5000 of the colonists departed Earth as infants.

The infants were raised on the Hawking II and taught very specific skills - cooking, carpentry, nursing, masonry, metalworking, construction, mechanics, programming, firefighting, teaching etc. They were taught about Earth’s cultures and art. They were taught sports, music and games, they were introduced to hobbies. Individual talents were nourished and encouraged. They were to be the first labor force, but also their age at departure allowed them to breed upon arrival without any complications from cryonics. They were to raise families.

A crew of 3000 maintained the Hawking II and cared for the children over the 25 year journey. The crew was split into three teams, each with 1000 members. One team would man the ship and care for the children over an eight to nine year stretch, while the other two teams remained in suspension. They would then rotate, with each team getting one third of the trip. For the sake of continuity with the children, ten men and ten women were selected to remain on duty for the entire twenty five years. Captain Falstead also remained in command for the voyage, although four backup Captains were waiting in suspension.