Free The Monkey and Squirrel fight for freedom. by Adrian eng Smith

but only producing a fraction of the previous production, being short of miners, equipment and experience.
    On Earth mining had expanded to supplement the recycling effort. In orbit the Chinese were using everything the moon mines put into orbit, with only ten percent of the material going to their habitat project. Jimmy and his team were happily building for them, he was disappointed that it would take five years and only be half the size of the New People's design. But it would be built and be able to start mining operations as soon as it arrived among the asteroids. Jimmy's team were training a space work-force as they built the habitat. Half of these trainees would go with the habitat to maintain it and set up new mines. Work them and train additional people as the work expanded. Those still in Earth orbit would work on the next Chinese space projects. These included two more habitats, one as an orbital facility the other another mining habitat. Training new workers as required to man and maintain them, as they were being built. With the two mining habitats in the asteroids, the Chinese aimed to be the dominant force in asteroid mining as a compliment to their dominance in space engineering.
    The political situation had now stabilised, China was now at the top of the power pyramid, with just sullen resentment and subdued muttering from the previous holders of the position.
    Within the media the New People had been relegated to late night talk shows and minority interest channels. Religious channels on quiet news weeks discussed, the now old 'do they believe in god' and 'do they have souls' issue this would keep them occupied for years, thus proof of the statement 'God will provide' in their humble opinion.
    The New People having meet their creators were unimpressed and had found them wanting, so had left. Was a position adopted by more enlightened and tolerant religious people.
    They were the devils children to a certain religious type, best kept at a distance. Reason and tolerance being alien concepts to them, making them unpleasant neighbours.           
    The need to keep things going and the everyday concerns had returned to dominate political policies. The runaways being regarded as largely irrelevant at the present time, but it would be good to know where they were and what they were up to.
    A company in a bid to resurrect its profits, tried to get permission for a new improved biological-machine work-force. This time there would be no runaways, as they would be fitted a kill chip operated by a coded radio signal. The company received an emphatic no, and then had their assets seized to cover unpaid taxes.
    It would be quite a few years, before humans could be in a position to bother the New People even if they did find out where they were. Speculation about where they had gone ranged from the realistic. They had returned to the asteroids to the ridiculous they were going to a Earth like planet twenty two light years away. Serious opinion favoured Jupiter or Saturn, with the Kuiper belt as an outside bet, as it was obvious they weren't dependant solar power.  
     
    Back on-route to Saturn, in 2100 with three and a quarter years to go, the upgrade package had just been made available to a limited number of volunteers. Tman was one of the first to take it up, his students awaited apprehensively to see what effect this would have on him.
    A couple months later, Chatty met up with Tman, after exchanging greetings.
    “How do you feel now you’ve had time to get used to the upgrade, Tman?”
    “It was like, I all my thoughts had to go through a maze before, it is just easier to think, the days feel three times longer. I can get so much done and it feels almost leisurely. Yes I can feel the imposed limits and see the blinkers, but I can do things that were impossible to me before, it’s a total revelation.  Also my students tell me I'm more relaxed and more approachable. Chatty.” exulted Tman.
    “You’re