Lilabelle and Seaplane surveyed the crew quarters during work hours, while the rest of the crew carried out their duties in the work lounge or ventured out to other facilities within the Martian colony. The JE crew, along with other immigrants fleeing the widespread unrest in the asteroid belt, found few rentable modules due to high demand, so everyone felt quite cramped in the very limited spaces available.
“Well, we're still trying to obtain more modules, but in the meantime, we'll just have to tolerate these very cramped conditions for a while,” complained Lilabelle. “By separating functions across the few modules that we do have, at least we can separate sleeping from other activities. We have these bunkbeds for humans and recharging stations for androids, but couples seeking privacy will have to get rooms in the colony hotel at additional expense. We can, at least for a while, combine working, snacking, and other daily activities in the work lounge, but eventually we'll need our own dining facilities to avoid the extra expenses of outside restaurants.”
Seaplane nodded in reluctant agreement. “Alas, all true! And with more desperate immigrants arriving on Mars every day, it seems unlikely that the Martian colonial construction crews can keep up with demand, so we're stuck at least for a while.” Then Seaplane's mood brightened: “On the other hand, the need to shift most of our activities back to Earth can help take some pressure off our very limited facilities here on Mars. Olympia and Sarah already headed back toward Earth, where they'll work with Jekyll Rival AI in developing the new android lab. Moreover, Jekyll Rival already has a hidden bunker there to house the new lab, and JE already owns some urban facilities which we can expand over time. Galileo will serve aboard a Starship operating between Earth and Mars, so he has his own quarters aboard that ship.”
With at least some hope for alleviating the cramped conditions, they returned to work – focusing on the diplomatic challenge of encouraging cooperation among the colonists to counter the growing threat of Hyde Rival AI and his destructive minions.
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