Chapter 712: The Staff Curating Materials
The orientation for the space station staff ended after a full month. The workers knew their schedules and understood the layout of the massive structure. It was time for them to begin their actual jobs.
For the culinary team, their first task required them to leave the station. They needed to source specific edibles and related items that Nova Technologies did not cultivate inside the Agricultural District. The station grew plenty of fresh produce, but certain global flavors required genuine terrestrial environments.
The kitchen staff gathered in the docking bay and boarded one of the sleek space shuttles. The doors sealed shut, and the vessel detached from the station. The shuttle descended smoothly toward Earth, passing through the clouds. The atmosphere parted around the hull as they approached the surface. The shuttle touched down on a designated runway without making any noise. The staff alighted and found ground transportation already waiting for them on the tarmac.
The vehicles carried them to various companies and suppliers scattered across different cities. The culinary team needed to acquire region-specific materials that only grew in certain climates.
They visited vineyards to select specific grapes and traveled to coastal regions to source rare sea salts. They walked through massive spice markets and inspected specialized farms.
The culinary staff sourced rare truffles from private European forests and aged cheeses from underground cellars. They spoke directly with the farmers and the harvesters. They recorded every detail of the supply chain to ensure transparency. They wanted the dining experience on the space station to rival the finest restaurants on Earth.
The chefs used their years of expertise to assess the quality of every ingredient. They tasted the samples and checked the cultivation methods. They verified the storage facilities and examined the supply chains. They checked the climate controls on the transport crates.
The chefs ensured that the delicate ingredients would survive the journey into orbit. Once they finished their assessments, they compiled a detailed list of qualified companies and submitted it to the Station Director AGI for final approval.
The Station Director had given them a very stern warning before they left the station. The staff understood that they must never act based on personal interest.
If any of them accepted a bribe or favored a supplier for personal gain, they would be let go on the spot. Nova Technologies would also blacklist the offending company permanently.
The warning was more than enough to keep everyone focused. The staff valued their new lives and chose to do their jobs properly. They selected only the best ingredients for the restaurants in orbit.
Edibles weren’t the only items being sourced from Earth. The gallery staff also traveled down to secure artwork for the station’s cultural centers. Nova Technologies planned to hold regular gallery shows on the space station for the residents and the visiting researchers.
The gallery curators needed to buy or rent pieces from established art houses. They visited prestigious galleries in major cities and inspected classic paintings and modern sculptures.
They examined the brush strokes on the canvases and measured the dimensions of the sculptures to ensure they fit the viewing halls.
Unsurprisingly, most gallery houses were more than willing to let Nova Technologies rent their artworks. The prospect of having their pieces displayed in the first art gallery outside of Earth was an opportunity no curator wanted to pass up.
The staff negotiated the terms and arranged for the Nova Express drones to pick up the secured pieces. The art would travel up to the station and sit in the viewing halls of the commercial district. The staff finished their selections, packed their data pads, and boarded their transport to head back to the sky.
While the space station staff secured goods for the commercial sectors, the final phase of a different Nova Technologies project was concluding. The clinical trial volunteers were finally returning to Earth.
These were the people who had traveled to the Lunar Base Sanctuary for treatment. Over the course of the past month, twenty-six of the thirty-three remaining volunteers had returned home. They arrived healthy and fully recovered, stepping off the space shuttles to reunite with their families.
The entire world watched their arrivals. The stories of their miraculous recoveries dominated the news feeds on LucidNet. People like Diego and Maya had proven the medical nanites could reconstruct a human body from the brink of death. Maya had completely reversed a terminal genetic disease.
Their successful treatments gave hope to millions of sick people watching from their screens. The global public followed every update and celebrated every single return. The volunteers looked nothing like the fragile patients who had left Earth months ago.
Now, the last seven volunteers were finally making their way back. The space shuttles carrying them descended from the lunar base and entered Earth’s atmosphere.
The black hulls reflected the afternoon sun as they glided through the air. The families of the last seven patients gathered at the designated arrival airports.
They waited on the tarmac with flowers and handmade signs. The press stood behind the barricades with their cameras ready. Everyone was excited to see the clinical trial finally come to a conclusion. The trial proved that the medical nanites worked perfectly on a wide range of human conditions.
The sleek shuttles touched down on the runways. The boarding platform descended to the ground. The last seven volunteers walked out into the sunlight.
They didn’t need wheelchairs or assistance. They moved with strength and energy. They had color in their cheeks and steady strides. Families broke past the security lines and ran toward them.
They hugged their loved ones and cried tears of joy. The cameras captured the reunions and broadcast them live across LucidNet. The viewers at home watched the final Chapter of the medical trial unfold. Some people even hosted watch parties in their homes and cheered when the platforms descended.
The return of these volunteers marked a major shift for the planet. Nova Technologies had delivered on its promise. The company had taken people who were out of medical options and sent them back completely healed.
The governments of the volunteers’ home countries scrambled to provide security and new estates for them. They wanted to ensure the volunteers remained safe as they adjusted to their new lives.
The medical community watched the final arrivals and prepared for the next step. The successful conclusion of the trial meant the technology was real and functional.
The public understood that soon, that level of healthcare would be available to them.
The clinical trial was officially over, and the volunteers were all safely back on Earth. The world turned its attention toward the sky, ready for the space station to open its doors, while also waiting for Nova Technologies’ next world regarding the rollout of the medical nanites.