We did what we could while we waited for the return of our J-2 fleet. Here and there the President and his cabinet would find ways to gain a payload of one thing or another that we desperately needed to continue our production. But for the most part we were on standby. As each day progressed the public became louder and more restless, once again demanding answers. Politicians across the U.S. seemed disconnected and, in some cases, misinformed. It was clear that some were paid off as they showed unquestioning support for the President's agenda.

The White House released almost weekly updates in a tactical manner, never divulging too much of the truth. To keep the masses at bay they almost immediately began to pass massive relief funds to the whole of the country. Many questioned where that money was coming from, but everyone accepted it happily in the end. Another clever way to keep on their determined path to ultimate power. What the public didn't know was that in this case; likely the only case ever of its kind, our government did have the means of supporting its now constant printing of money. If things went as planned the U.S. wouldn't see extreme rises in inflation and poverty that the rest of the world likely would. We would be so rich in resources from space that money would never be a problem again. That was the idea at least. In reality, such an influx of wealth could totally crash the world economy, but this was an issue for tomorrow.

I sat in the control room of SETI and rubbed my temples, eyes stinging from a lack of sleep. It had been about two months since the J-2's began their mission to the Asteroid Belt, and things were going as planned. Jacob sat in a corner facing his laptop, looking to and from the multiple screens around him. Not often did any of us speak openly to the Ark anymore. Jacob communicated with it on a higher level, being the only one of us capable of interpreting its vast data with any bit of accuracy. He was always at it. Downloading file after file and plugging them into his own programs, always trying to improve some bit of tech. The one good thing about it all was that our current plan showed probable signs of success across the board. . . As long as the J-2's made it back. So technically there wasn't anything that we needed to be worried about until something went wrong, or some new unseen issues were to arise. Luckily the days continued to pass, and another two months went by without a single complication. Still, there was something that felt uneasy to me.

"Why don't we speak with the Ark more, like we did in the beginning?" I asked Jacob one night when we had gathered back in his secret room.

"The Ark doesn't ever go out of its way to start conversation, and I guess I'm not much of a talker." He answered. "Besides, it is constantly feeding us updates on the status of things out there, with its main vessel."

"I know that, but it just seems strange that we haven't spent more time actually talking to it. Trying to understand its nature better, you know? Or at least to keep learning more about the Ezgarians." I said.

"I don't think any of us really have the time to be having casual chats with the thing all day long. You're no exception to that James." Said Morales kindly.

She was right after all. I only found myself dwelling on the thought of it in between phone calls or emails. Which didn't really add up to all that much time at the end of the day. I only thought it was a bit of a shame that only the three of us had direct access to its knowledge. I suppose that was what we wanted though, and it was also what the Ark wanted when its craft first came into our possession on the moon. This sparked another thought. One I had been too distracted to ask about for a very long time.

"What is happening with the Ghymora Object anyway? Last I remember it was just sitting there in that underground bunker, sealed shut with lady Izla's body inside."

"As far as I've been told, that is still the case. It is able to communicate with those on the moon base, as we already know, but it refuses to open its doors to the men up there." Said Morales.

"I wonder why?" I pondered aloud.

"Well, the Ark made it pretty clear that its trust did not fully lie with our government alone. That is why it requested our help in aiding it. And perhaps that is why it doesn't open its doors to them. It knows it's really only military personnel up there. It's possible that it's the only way it can protect the lady's remains." Added Jacob. Once again it seemed like something he'd already given a bit of thought to.

He must be right. Still, with a little more time to think about it all I found myself wanting to know more. More about the people of Ezgar, of the nature of their existence. If it was just a craft with a body inside, discovering those things would have been our primary goal. But from the very start circumstances did not benefit the general curiosity that we humans naturally possess. It demanded the machine that we were becoming.

"I suppose we could always ask it, when the time comes." I said, thinking out loud. Jacob gave me an odd look, and then continued on with his work.

The weeks marched on till the day that the J-2's were set to make their departure from the Asteroid Belt; primarily 16 Psyche where much of the excavation took place. The endeavor could not have gone more smoothly. Less than 10% of the equipment we sent up was damaged or destroyed, and it was determined that all of these failures had been caused by human error during early production of the new space crafts, and even by some of the excavation equipment we sent with them. The J-2's themselves, along with the crafts that they helped build, operated with perfection no human crew could ever hope to match.

Ten days and they would return, with a payload of such significance that it alone was hard to put a monetary value on. Things were quiet on the ground. None of us were able to get out at all really, but we did our best to watch for any significant events that occurred around the world during this time of waiting. America had the best hold on things, mostly due to the weekly relief checks they were dishing out. No one really even needed to work anymore, and those who did were all the better for it, making it hard for anyone to complain. Other countries were not so fortunate. The U.S. helped in aiding other NATO nations, but anyone that did not directly side with us was left on their own.

The Middle East was in chaos. As well as many regions of Asia and Eastern Europe. There was word of food shortages and famine, but it was hard to verify much of this information. Most of it being shared over social media. Nearly all countries capable of it had closed their borders. The United States was the first to do so, but we were also the most fortunate in this worldwide predicament. We had the proper infrastructure to sustain ourselves. And now with the J-2 work force we were beginning to have the hands to pick up the slack of all those who chose to abandon their jobs and hide away in their homes.

With the return of the remaining J-2's imminent, the robots that we did have, the ones that sat idly waiting for more resources were implemented in secret into certain industrial sectors. Mainly being agriculture and development of infrastructure. The key things we would need to survive if the war did reach our home. The government began buying up huge plots of existing farmland and had some of the J-2's begin work there. Others began immense underground building projects in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. Fallout shelters for all those who could afford a spot in them. This work started off slowly, but after four months of waiting our fleet finally arrived home.

There was no hiding it when they left, the number of spacecrafts that took off from American airspace was surely seen by other nations. But we never did learn what the response was to this, or if they gave any at all, and now with their return, they would surely be seen again. Regardless of this they came in the night, looking like an alien force themselves in our advanced nuclear-powered spacecrafts.

We watched from SETI using the Teebler Array as they entered the atmosphere above southern Nevada and descended down with absolute control to Area 51, where all preparations had been made for their arrival. It was a sight to behold. The first true successful test of this new technology.

We witnessed them approaching at magnificent speeds back to Earth and soar down with such an indescribable amount of coordination and precision towards the surface. The amazing part was that what they carried were essentially highly fortified shipping containers filled to the brim with the rare materials that we were searching for. Everything unessential was left behind, even the excavating equipment. The idea was to go back and continue the mining eventually, and it was thought that some of the equipment left up there could still be put to good use. For now we had what we needed, and the final push would soon begin.