Loose Ends: The Royal Mugen Institute

[Halbarad]

Tomoe smiles at that. "Certainly it would," he answers. "Who knows? Perhaps you can join one of the colonization groups for Mercury after the survey mission is complete. It IS a bit far from family, but once we get a teleport grid set up between Mercury and the Moon that itself should become a minor issue. And I'd be most pleased to get a first look at your report, by all means."

[Ebiris]

Rowan looks thoughtful at that. "I'd never really considered that... I'd sort of expected to live here in the capital for the forseeable future." But now that the idea has been planted, she's giving it serious thought...

"I suppose it can wait until I see what the place is like, but perhaps... It's something to think about, at any rate."

[Halbarad]

"By all means, keep it in mind. And watch for the other planets as well - you might find that you like Mars, or one of the outer planets' moons even more than Mercury." He winks at that.

[Ebiris]

"I expect Mars to be the most popular destination for colonists, anyway," Rowan observes, "Living beneath the surface in great sunless cities on Mercury would be rather trying for many people, and past Jupiter the Sun is little different from any other star in the sky..."

[Halbarad]

"Certainly it should be the easiest of the planets to colonize," Tomoe agrees. "It has water deposits in the ice caps and the actual planet itself is very similar to the Moon - so the techniques applied to the terraforming of Luna should apply quite well on Mars."

[Ebiris]

"It's still rather amazing to think about... within a century or so we could have humans living all across the solar system for the first time in ten thousand years..." she chuckles a little, "And just as amazing to think I'll be one of the pioneers in making it happen."

[Halbarad]

Tomoe chuckles at that. "Indeed - I know the feeling. I don't know if I ever expected the Moon to turn out the way it is today."

And so it goes, most of Rowan's coworkers taking the time to talk to her about the training and the other members of the team as the morning rolls on. Helena is mentioned another time or two, but mostly in remarks on her absence - and on the rather foul mood she's been in for the past few weeks. Sadly, like all good things, the party winds to a conclusion around noon - most of the others having projects to get back to. All of them wish Rowan the best of luck, and most demand to hear about the mission as soon as she gets back.

[Ebiris]

Promising that she'll come and visit with lots of stories as soon as she returns, Rowan bids farewell to her friends, going home to take care of some last minute details before having dinner with her family and then returning to the palace.