The world changed, but still the Legion slept — such happenings not for their attention or concern. Only the proper signal would awaken them if their service was again required.

[Mora]

So beautiful, and I was its creator!

Well, one of many, actually. At the university, I took over the terraform ecological simulations and directed botanical selections. I jumped at the chance to come here to complete the terraforming, having arrived a year ago.

Tau Ceti Four? No, Paradise was a better name. I've always enjoyed gardening and now I had a planet-sized garden to play in!

A colleague, a molecular biologist originally from Dehli University, came to the window beside me. His bright smile contrasted with dark skin and short beard as he gestured with both arms to the outside panorama, a green forest in the lowlands on one side and a brushy grassland on the hills above to the other. "Not bad, is it?"

"Absolutely stunning, Samir. It still amazes me that the terraforming went so well and so quickly."

"No one guessed the initial conditions would be so ideal, but there is still so much work to do before the first ark arrives. Ready?"

Because this was such a pivotal meeting, I traded my typical gray work overalls for black leggings with a green tunic top — the dressiest outfit I owned. Paradise fashions were definitely casual. In the same spirit, Samir wore a buttoned-collar shirt instead of his usual t-shirt and white lab coat.

Yet, the ideal conditions bothered me, as if too good to be true, but enough of those thoughts for now. The hallway to the main conference room provided additional outside views through rows of rounded windows. The construction team really went over the top when they built the original habitat dome.

An older man with groomed white hair, intense blue eyes, and a big cheesy smile came over as I entered the conference room. He wore a dark suit jacket with matching trousers, the only one here even remotely formally dressed. Grasping my hand firmly within both of his, he said, "Mora Torr? Hi, I am Tom Sander."

This was the man in charge. Third generation, actually — his grandfather started it all. I had not expected him to come up to me.

"Pleased to meet you, Director."

"Please, call me Tom. I am looking forward to hearing your update."

Before I could say anything else, he turned away to greet someone else, giving me the feeling that his big smile was not so genuine, just part of the job. I supposed someone in his position had to worry about that kind of thing. Although, the way his eyes scanned my body gave me the creeps, but maybe I was too sensitive.

Murmurs of many conversations filled the crowded room like static as I took a seat in the back. Those seated at the front table under the windows were the who's-who of the Tau Ceti Four Settlement Project, at least in this part of the galaxy. Since I spent so much time working at the settlement sites, I had not yet met many of them.

The room quieted as the Director stood up tall beside the display screen and lifted a hand, that big smile still on his face."Welcome all," He said in with a projected voice. "The purpose of this meeting is to review preparations for the first group of settlers and allocate resources as needed. As you know, the Ark Hope will arrive in two-hundred days, and everything must be ready.

"First off, congratulations to us, and also those who came before us. This planet was ready in record time. The terraforming project only took ninety-five years from first microbial seeding. Ours was to be the third planet settled, but it was moved up to the first. Truly remarkable! Let's build off that success."

He continued with some fairly boring budget summaries, which I tuned out as I went over my presentation once more in my mind while my stomach churned. I shouldn't be so nervous. I knew my area of work well, but still standing up in front of a crowd was not something I did for fun.

The space construction team lead spoke next. The orbiting spaceport and cable elevator that would shuttle people and supplies from orbit to ground were installed some time ago. An expansion project to handle the first of the big ark ships neared completion.

Next came the habitat construction team, whose accomplishments included the impressive dome we occupied now. Work continued on several more buildings that would temporarily hold the colonists until they moved to a settlement site. Even with that, the space elevator could only bring down a small fraction of them at a time.

The security team reported next. I was surprised to learn that there were rival groups on board the ark that needed to remain separated lest hostilities break out. Apparently, it was a political reality to include them in order to get funding for the overall settlement. So much for utopia.

Following came the settlements construction team. The work to erect living quarters, common buildings, and storehouses at the three initial sites was behind schedule. The director's smile faded at this news, and he reluctantly shifted some additional resources their way. I had a feeling that the team leader would get a scolding later.

Now it was my turn. I took a deep breath and walked to the front.

I've got this.

"Hello everyone. My name is Mora Torr, and I am a senior botanist on the settlement agricultural system team. Vic, our team leader, could not be here because of an injury, so he sent me.

"Presently, we are completing agricultural fields and greenhouses at the three initial settlement sites. Last season test plots gave us a wealth of data so we could fine-tune the crop selection, rotation strategy, and general farming practices. Also, we will tweak some of the food crop genomes to improve yields and resiliency. Some initial plantings will be done before the settlers arrive, as appropriate. We established the orchards five to ten years ago and planted perennial crops within the last one to three years.

"We had a setback at the north settlement, though, due to an unexpected severe cold spell, killing many of the trees and insects. Thus, we revisited the plant selection and replanted using our genetic core stock and cuttings from the other sites, but reestablishing the insect pollinators to the proper population density could be a problem."

I looked at the director. "I understand there are some insect stocks on the ark ship. Could we find out the species and numbers of these? We need to prioritize their delivery."

The director motioned to an assistant who jotted down the action item, then turned back to me. "Will your team be ready?"

"We will, although we could use some engineering assistance on the irrigation setups. Is that available?"

Two of the construction team leaders conferred, whispering among themselves. A short, balding man answered. "We don't have anyone we could spare, but there is a civil engineer listed on the ark ship that specializes in water systems, umm, named Gan Finn. We could have him come down right away and assign him to your team. Would that be acceptable?"

"We could work with that."

The director nodded. "Are there any other issues?"

After a moment's thought, putting a hand to my chin, I brought up the nagging concern that lived in the back of my mind. "Well, there is one thing. The initial planet conditions when the terraform process started were perfect. The air was already breathable, water cycles were already established, and we found no native harmful pathogens to our plants, animals, or ourselves."

"That is a concern?" Chuckles broke out across the room.

"Well, it should not have been like that. Those kind of conditions required an extensive established biological ecology, but all we found were low numbers of basic microbes. Something big happened here, and it concerns me that we do not know what that was."

The Director's smile continued, but a slight narrowing of his eyes suggested annoyance. "Mora, I do not think we should question good fortune."

And like that, I was dismissed. I didn't listen to the few remaining updates. Something about it still bothered me, and as a scientist, we should question fortune.

Later after the meeting, the Director hosted a reception in the expansive foyer to celebrate the project success thus far. Alcoholic drinks were brought in, a rare luxury on this planet, along with a delectable assortment of treats. Uptempo jazz, performed by an impromptu group of workers eager to share their musical talent, swirled above the buzz of countless conversations.

The Director had several drinks while he meandered through the groups, all the while sporting that big cheesy smile. Not being a social animal, I retreated to the big window and gazed out over the landscape. Shadows and color cast from the setting sun altered the landscape in subtle ways, still filling me with awe.

A hand appeared on the window next to my shoulder and I turned around to see the Director's toothy smile close to my face, reeking of alcohol vapors. I had a bad feeling about this.

He plopped his drink down on a nearby table, spilling a bit, and placed the hand that once held it on the window at my other shoulder, effectively blocking me in. My gut twisted as his smile took on a lecherous quality.

"Mora, I want to congratulate you on your work. Truly outstanding."

I gulped. "Umm, thank you, Director."

"Please, call me Tom. Perhaps we could meet later and get to know each other better?"

This was bad... "No. I don't think that is a good idea."

"Come on, Mora," Tom pleaded, moving his face uncomfortably close. "You need to relax and be part of the team. I think you would enjoy my company."

I suppressed the anger that welled up within me, but I could not let this continue without a measured response. "Tom, do you know how I lost my first research assistantship at the university?" After he shook his head, I continued. "My major professor pinned me like this and would not take no for an answer. I lifted my knee very fast, and he wasn't able to straighten up for two days. Thought you should know that."

The smile completely disappeared as he growled. "No need to get hostile."

"I do hope you are right."

He left in a huff and I let out a big breath. This party was done for me. Threatening to knee the Director in the balls probably was not a good career move, but I will not let a man take advantage of me.

Never again.