by Russell Fine
“Okay, I’m sure Max can find us a big room at NASA and I’ll bet the hotel manager can find someone to cater it. Then all we need is someone to perform the ceremony. Let’s order dinner from room service and when we’re finished, I’ll call Max.”
When Max answered the phone later, Jeffery asked, “Can we talk about the wedding now?”
“Why not? Tell me what you two have in mind.”
“We have a guest list of twenty-eight people. We’d like to have the ceremony at NASA since we’re inviting the crew from the Star Rover. I’ll find someone to cater it. But I would like you to find the room and someone to perform the ceremony.”
Max laughed for a moment and said, “I think you need to think bigger; actually, much bigger. I spoke to Heather a few hours ago and told her that you and Debbie were getting married. She asked me when and I told her it would be soon but there was no date set yet. Then she asked me to hold for a minute or two. When she came back on the line she told me that all the members of the World Council would be attending with their families. That means at least fifty more people. There will be a lot of people from the NASA high command there too. That will probably add another thirty-five people. There will also be security guards, videographers, and reporters. You must understand that you and Debbie are celebrities now and you have all the baggage that goes with that status. This is great publicity for NASA and if your alien friends attend, it will be a big help in getting public approval for the trade agreement.”
“All we wanted was a small wedding with just a few friends and relatives. You aren’t going to let that happen, are you?”
“Do you really want to upset President Winters?”
“No, I suppose not,” Jeffery admitted with a little groan.
“What day would you like?” Max asked.
“You know, Max, I never realized you were a wedding planner. I want to have it before Garlut leaves. How about next Friday?”
“Just so you know, my talents are unending. Actually, I’m going to give the date to Heather and she’ll do the rest. All you and Debbie have to do is show up.”
“I think we can handle that. Thanks, Max . . . I think.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to call Heather now. I’m sure she’ll be contacting you.”
After Jeffery disconnected the call, he looked at Debbie. She had a worried look on her face. Then he asked, “Is there a problem?”
“I heard what Max said. Do you really want all those people at our wedding?”
“No, but I don’t think we have a choice. If we do this for NASA, they’ll probably do almost anything we ask in the future. I’ve been thinking about the next mission. I’m going to ask Garlut where the closest uninhabited Earthlike planet is. Then I’m going to insist it be our next mission and I’m sure they’ll agree. Don’t you think it would be exciting to study a planet like Earth minus the people?”
“Of course, I do, but I just can’t imagine my family or the Star Rover crew at a party with the World Council.”
“I don’t know your family, but the crew is probably a little crude for the World Council. But that’s not our problem. As Max pointed out, all we have to do is show up.”
They were both deep in thought when they were somewhat startled by the phone. Jeffery answered it.
It was Heather. After saying hello, she continued, “I’m really excited. I love big weddings and this one is going to be bigger than most.”
“Great, that’s exactly what we didn’t want. But I know we have to do this.”
“Hey, you should be happy. It’s a big honor to have every world leader at your wedding.”
“I suppose so. But it was a real shock. We only wanted twenty-eight people and most of those are the crew from the Star Rover.”
“There will be a few more than twenty-eight. The wedding will be in the grand ballroom at the World Council Headquarters. It’ll be scheduled for Friday at 8:00 PM. I’ll take care of all the invitations, but I need names and addresses. Please send that to Max tomorrow. We’re working on this together. Since you want to invite the Star Rover crew, you don’t need to send that information. I also know where Garlut and Brealak are. It’s the information on other friends and relatives we need. Once the guest list is complete, I’ll send it to you so you’ll know who will be there.”
“Okay. I have to admit, I’m a little overwhelmed by all this.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll all be taken care of. Okay?”
“Yes, it’s okay. Thank you, Heather.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow at 5:00.”
Jeffery and Debbie spent fifteen minutes compiling the list of people they wanted to invite to their wedding and sent it to Max. Despite everyone telling them to be calm, it simply was not working. Both he and Debbie were nervous. They both had trouble sleeping. At 8:30 the following morning, they received a call from Garlut asking them to go to breakfast with him. They said they would be at his room by 9:00. When they arrived, they found the door open so they walked in. Garlut and Brealak were sitting in their living room waiting for them.
Garlut looked at them and said, “You do not look happy. Is something wrong?”
Jeffery tried to smile and said, “Yes and no. The World Council has hijacked our wedding.”
Garlut looked confused and said, “I am sorry, I did not know how the word ‘hijacked’ could be applied to a wedding.”
“Okay, that was a bad choice of words. The World Council has taken over our plans for our wedding. It was going to be small, with only the crew of the Star Rover, our families, our boss, and you two. Now the wedding is big; every member of the World Council and their families will be there as well as the top managers at NASA. There will be security guards, videographers, and more. We’ve been told it’s in the best interest of NASA and the World Council so we should just try to make the best of it.”
“Now I understand. Perhaps if you do what they want, they will reciprocate in some way.”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re hoping for. We’d like to set the parameters for our next mission. Actually, we want your help with that. We’d like to know where the closest uninhabited Earthlike planet is located.”
“I can help you with that, but I need the charts that are on my ship. I am sure we can do that tomorrow.”
“Okay, tomorrow will be fine.”
As they were about to leave for breakfast, Jeffery received a message from the Star Rover: “NASA engineer and Quat are onboard to start the installation of the artificial gravity system.—Mike.”
Jeffery said, “They’re starting the artificial gravity installation.”
Garlut said, “Good,” and they left the room.
At breakfast, they talked about the broadcast that evening. Since none of them were scheduled to say anything, there was nothing to be concerned about. Jeffery did mention they should either have an early dinner or a late one after the broadcast. They decided on an early dinner and they would meet again in the restaurant at 3:30.
Garlut said he wanted to go to the Star Rover so he could keep watch on the installation. Jeffery called Mike and told him to send the shuttle to the station to pick up Garlut. Jeffery and Debbie went to their room after taking Garlut and Brealak to the shuttle bay.
At 3:30 Jeffery and Debbie, dressed appropriately in their uniforms, arrived at not there yet the Hotel Restaurant. Garlut and Brealak arrived several minutes later dressed in what appeared to be more formally. After eating dinner and small talk they left the restaurant and walked to the shuttle bay. Just as before the shuttle was waiting for them when they arrived. All four were greeted by Heather, who seemed very happy. She asked if everyone was okay, and they all responded with a “yes.”
After the shuttle departed, Heather walked over to Jeffery and Debbie and said, “The wedding plans are going well. All the invitations will be delivered tomorrow. Music will be provided by twenty members of the New York Symphony Orchestra, the catering is all set, and a New York Supreme
Court judge will perform the ceremony. Included with the invitations to your family members are first-class air tickets and airport transfers. Rooms have been reserved at the Hilton hotel next to the World Council building.
Debbie said, “Thank you very much. We really do appreciate what you’re doing for us.”
“You’re welcome. It’s going to be a wonderful experience.”
The trip to the World Council building was identical to the last one; even the security guards were the same. Once inside the building, they went to a room that was set up as a studio. There was a podium where President Winters would speak. On the left of the podium was a table with chairs for the seven members of the World Council. On the right was a table with four chairs for Jeffery, Debbie, Garlut, and Brealak. Apparently, Heather would not be seated with them.
Jeffery and his group were the first to arrive. When President Winters walked into the room, he immediately walked over to Jeffery’s table and said, “This is a very important day for us and all the members of the council appreciate your being here this evening. I want to extend my personal congratulations to you and Debbie on your upcoming wedding. I realize it wasn’t what you wanted, but sometimes we have to give up some things for the greater good. I can promise you it will be a memorable event and there will be some personal benefits too. Garlut, we’re looking forward to developing a great relationship with the people of your planet and our other new trading partners. I hope we’ll see you often. Thank you all again.”
President Winters walked to the podium and the rest of the World Council took their seats. At exactly 8:00 PM, he began his speech.
“Good evening. As all of you are probably aware, two days ago the World Council listened to a presentation by Garlut. He’s from the planet Coplent. Their ship is currently in orbit two miles from our space station. Coplent is twenty-five light years from Earth. Not close by in normal terms, but in interstellar terms, it’s one of our closest neighbors. Scientifically, their civilization is far more advanced than ours. In fact, they’ve been studying Earth for over a thousand years. Coplent is a member of an interstellar trading association. That association currently has four hundred and seven-member planets. Garlut gave us a compelling presentation about why we should become the next member. After an extensive discussion, the World Council has agreed to join.
“We believe the benefits Earth will receive will be good for all of us. In fact, we don’t see any reason not to join. Being a member of their association means we’ll be trading our goods and services with other planets. In the short time Garlut has been our guest, he has found three things we have on Earth that aren’t available anywhere else. Two of them are very common food items: cinnamon and chocolate. His people are also interested in our power modules. Sometime in the next few months, the first permanent delegation of aliens will arrive on Earth. They will be setting up a bank to handle our interplanetary trades. They will also be looking at other goods or services we could offer to our new trading partners. In exchange for these items, we will receive marvels of engineering that would probably take us hundreds of years to develop on our own. For example, our first starship, the Star Rover, is currently being fitted with an artificial gravity system that will make space travel far more comfortable. But there are other advances that will be available to us as well. One of our new trading partners specializes in medicine. On Coplent, these medical advances have led to a fifty percent increase in life expectancy. There’s reason to believe the same can be done for the people of Earth.
“This means aliens will be living among us. You should know all of the inhabitants of these planets are humanoid. There will be some differences, of course, just as there are among humans. We’ve finally learned those differences are unimportant. So too are the differences between humanoid species.
“Some of the member planets will have embassies on Earth just as we will have embassies on other planets. As we continue to build more starships and interstellar travel becomes more common, there will likely come a time when some people may decide to leave Earth and live on alien worlds. We think that’s a good thing because the intermingling of species will benefit everyone.
“I want to take a moment to thank two people who played a very substantial role in making this great leap forward for Earth. They are the captain of the Star Rover, Jeffery Whitestone, and his executive officer, Commander Debbie Murphy. They are seated on my left with our alien visitors, Garlut and his daughter Brealak. I hope I’m not telling any secrets, but Captain Whitestone and Commander Murphy are going to be married next Friday.
President Winters paused for a few moments as the people in attendance at the meeting applauded. Then he continued, “From this day forward, Earth will never be the same. We’re sure it will be better. Thank you for your time this evening. Goodnight.”
After the speech, Jeffery looked at Debbie and said, “I told you we’re famous now. I’m not sure it’s a good thing, but I suppose we’ll know in a few months.”
At that moment, President Winters walked over to their table again and said to Jeffery and Debbie, “As a way of saying thank you for a job well done, you’re both being promoted. Although you’ll remain in your positions as captain and executive officer, Jeffery, you now have the rank of admiral, and Debbie, you have the rank of captain. Thank you again. I’m looking forward to seeing you at your wedding.”
Jeffery and Debbie were more than a little surprised. The both smiled broadly and said, “Thank you, sir,” at the same time.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m not going to call you Admiral,” Debbie said with a smile.
“Congratulations on your promotions,” Garlut said.
“Thank you. Now let’s get out of here and go back to the space station,” Jeffery said.
The four of them got up to leave, but Heather stopped them. “Before you make your escape, we’d like you to pose for a few pictures with the council members. Please follow me.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes posing for pictures. They followed Heather out of the room back to the car. A few minutes later, they were on their way back to the station. While walking back to their rooms, Jeffery said, “Garlut, tomorrow morning are we still going to your ship so you can show me where that uninhabited earthlike planet is located?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll have Mike pick us up at 9:30. Okay?”
“Yes, that will be fine. Since Mike is your navigator he should probably be there as well.”
They were now at the door to Garlut’s room. Jeffery said, smiling, “I agree. I wanted Mike there also. That way if he takes us a few light years off course I’ll have somebody to blame. Have a good evening.”
“We will see you at the shuttle bay. Goodnight.”
When Jeffery and Debbie got to their room, Jeffery called Mike. Mike answered, “Good evening, Admiral. How may I be of service to you?”
“First, stop calling me Admiral. Second, I want you to be at the shuttle bay to pick us up at 9:30 tomorrow morning. We’re going to Garlut’s ship to look at his star charts. How did you know I was promoted? I didn’t think that had been made public yet.”
“An hour ago, everybody on the ship received an invitation to the wedding of Admiral Jeffery Whitestone and Captain Debbie Murphy. Thank you for inviting us. There’s a rumor that President Winters will be there. Is that true?”
“Not only President Winters, but the rest of the World Council as well. Anyway, I’m sure the food will be great, and the drinks will be free-flowing. What more could you ask for?”
“Everybody is looking forward to it. Why are we going to look at star charts?”
“Because I’m planning our next mission. I want to go to an uninhabited Earthlike planet. Garlut knows of one in a system that isn’t too far away. I want you to be there since you’re our navigator and it’s your job to make sure we don’t get lost.”
“Do you think NASA will let you plan your own mission?”
“Why not?” Jeffery
replied with a chuckle. “I’m an admiral now.”
“I’ll be there at 9:30.”
The following morning, the four of them were at the bay a few minutes early. At 9:30 they all went into the shuttle for the quick trip to Garlut’s ship.
As soon as they were onboard, they went to the bridge and Garlut gave some verbal commands to the computer in his native language. Instantly, a star map appeared on the screen. There was writing on the image, but nothing the humans could understand. Garlut pointed out the system and said, “This is a system we refer to as Procolt. The planet you want is Procolt 2. It is ten percent larger than Earth, has an oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere, and the surface temperature near its equator is about twenty-four degrees Celsius, which should be very comfortable for you. It is much colder at the poles, about negative sixty degrees Celsius. I have been there twice and I never saw any animal larger than a small dog. There are very few reptiles on the planet. It has mostly small mammals.
“There is an insect population and we found some of them are mildly annoying, but overall, it is a very nice place to visit. This system is twenty-seven light years from Earth and it is not visible from Earth because Procolt is a small star. There are much larger and brighter stars behind it as seen from Earth. I have some images I took on my last visit which was probably fifteen years ago. I will convert them to a format you can use and send them to you. I can also give you the coordinates for the system, but we will probably need to make some changes in your navigation system to allow input in our format. I will send one of my engineers to the Star Rover to make those changes.”
“Thank you,” Jeffery said. Then he asked, “How is communication handled between the members of the trading group? I contacted you using an old Earth emergency radio signal. But if we find ourselves in a position where it’s necessary to communicate with somebody else, I think we really need to know how to do it.”
Garlut blinked his eyes for a few moments, realizing he had forgotten something important, and said, “I should have thought of that before. While my engineers are on your ship working on the artificial gravity system, I will also have them add one of our communication systems. These systems already have the translator built in so you will not need one of the portable units for that. However, you should have one or two of them onboard for personal communication.”
