Read Online Akasha 4 - Earth by Terra Harmony - Free Book Online Page B

him, mouth
open.
    "No incidents with these particular
boilers yet. Top of the line, they are!" He patted it.
    "Okay. This room is officially off
limits for anyone under the age of, well – me." I said.
    "Ohhh," Bee let out a disappointed
sigh, as if she knew what I meant.
    "Come on." Captain Carl shut the door
to the boiler room as we exited. "I'll show you the captain's
bridge next."
    Last time I was in one of
those, I thought ,
I…well…I met Bee.
    Alex was quizzing the captain about
the hybrid power stations.
    Captain Carl held open the door to the
captain's bridge for us. "They've been building them since before
Daybreak, preparing to run the country on renewable energy. A
combination of solar, wind, and hydro-power; eventually there will
be enough power to support the population."
    "What about One Less?" Alex asked. "I
thought they were shutting down any attempts at energy."
    The Captain shrugged. "I guess not
renewable energy. I've heard almost all of Germany is powered on
solar and wind, and has been since Daybreak. They've had no issues
with One Less."
    A man, standing at the wheel inside
the captain's bridge, perked up at our conversation, inserting his
own two cents, "Hungary is powered by its nuclear reactors. They
were at thirty-nine percent before Daybreak but almost the entire
country has power now."
    Captain Carl rubbed his temples. "Here
we go again." He addressed my raised eyebrow. "This is Arnold, the
First Mate."
    Arnold looked at Carl with crossed
arms, "You only prefer renewable because you've been promised one
of those hybrid thingies."
    "Hybrid power stations," Carl almost
yelled. He threw his hands in the air. "I prefer renewables because
there is no chance of nuclear meltdown!" He glanced at us. "Sorry –
we've had this conversation more than once."
    Arnold didn't notice. "Renewables are
inconsistent – you know, those pesky clouds and all. And wind
doesn't blow constantly. Besides, too much land needs clearing for
wind and solar farms."
    Carl rolled his eyes, then turned to
us to explain. "And the hybrid power stations resolve all that.
Wind farms do typically take up a lot of space, which is why they
are being installed in the ocean. The stations are basically large
floating vessels that patrol the wind farms. Plus, they are
outfitted with solar panels and hydro-electricity pumps. The three
renewable resources combined allow for more consistent power.
Developments in energy storage let us store more power, accounting
for dry spells."
    Alex interrupted, "The Seven itself
has had this debate for some years. Nuclear vs. renewables; which
way does the world move forward?"
    I rubbed my temples. "And the
consensus?"
    He shrugged. "Never came to one. Susan
was all for hydro, of course. Cato seemed to be for
nuclear."
    "What about you and Micah?" I
asked.
    "We just sort of heard out each
argument, then tried to keep the peace."
    I cleared my throat. "And
Shawn?"
    "He never really stuck around for the
heated debates." Alex walked over to the large windows. "Um,
Captain Carl?"
    "Hmm?" The captain flipped switches at
the helm.
    "Are we leaving already?"
    I joined Alex at the window, Bee still
on my hip. Most of the open decks were taken up with our convoy of
canoes and kayaks, along with our supplies. Someone was lifting the
onramps up.
    The captain nodded his head. "Gotta
keep on schedule."
    I sighed. I could've used a few days
on land. The buildings, even overgrown with vines as they were,
were a welcome site.
    The captain tapped one of the steam
output gauges. "Barrel two is only at half capacity again. Check it
out after we get underway," he told his second in command. "Have
you ever considered that mining for Uranium could create just as
much damage to the earth as mining for natural gasses and
coal?"
    Arnold was undeterred, "Solar panel
construction consists of no less than a dozen minerals, all mined
in various places across the world. Cadmium, copper, titanium
dioxide—"
    "Well what about