2120-2126

by Russell Fine

  The following morning, Jeffery and Debbie decided they would go with Frank today. They went down to the surface and walked into the shelter. Frank and Sheila were both in the dining room having breakfast. Sheila smiled when she saw Jeffery and said, “Thanks. Peter sent us more than a dozen textbooks. That will provide us with what we need to continue the

  education of the squirrels for at least two years.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. It’s one less thing to worry about. Maybe we could get them some books on architecture and they could design some buildings for us.”

  Debbie said, “I’m sure they could, but I would guess their designs wouldn’t be suitable for resort use. The designs would probably be based on a squirrel’s needs, not the needs of humans.”

  “You do realize I wasn’t being serious.”

  “Sure, you were,” Debbie said with a smile.

  “Frank, are you ready to go?” Jeffery suddenly felt the need to get moving.

  “Yep,” he answered as he picked up his breakfast dishes and put them into the recycler. “Let’s go.”

  For the next seven hours, they studied the radiation levels at more than sixty different spots. At every spot, the radiation level was identical. When they returned to the shelter, Frank said, “Let’s do this one more time. Tomorrow let’s go four thousand miles west and try this again. If the results are the same, we’ll have to assume the radiation level is identical everywhere on the surface of the planet.”

  “Okay, Debbie and I will see you tomorrow morning.”

  The following morning Jeffery and Debbie were having breakfast when Mike sat down at their table. He said, “I’d like to spend some time on the surface. I haven’t had an opportunity to do that very much since we got here.”

  Jeffery asked, “Would you like to take Dr. Weber on his radiation search today? You can do that. If you want, you can stay in the shelter overnight.”

  “That sounds great, sir. What time is Dr. Weber expecting to be picked up?”

  “Anytime you get there will be okay.”

  “I’ll leave shortly. Thank you.”

  After Mike left, Debbie said with a smile, “I guess we’re stuck with each other all day.”

  “Yeah, maybe we could spend some time in our cabin doing some interesting experiments.”

  “That sounds like it could be fun.”

  Frank gave up on his search for the source of the radiation by the end of the day. Nine days later, they were ready to leave for the ninety-day trip to Coplent. By that time, the squirrels had advanced to solving simultaneous equations with multiple unknowns.

  Coplent

  December 2122

  The trip to Coplent was routine as the crew was now accustomed to long trips through space. Jeffery decided the time spent would be used to cross-train his crew, so every member would be capable of handling multiple tasks. The crew members enjoyed making good use of the time instead of spending it playing games.

  By the time the Star Rover arrived at Coplent, the engineering crew was capable of handling security issues and the security members received training in advanced first-aid, communications, and hydroponics. There was now a backup for every staff member except Dr. Weber. Jeffery decided that during their stay on Coplent, every crew member would learn how to pilot the shuttle.

  When they were within range, they contacted the space station at Coplent. Jeffery discovered their timing was perfect. Garlut was scheduled to return to Earth in three days and he was on the space station to prepare for his mission. An hour after the Star Rover was moored near the space station, Debbie took the shuttle to the station to retrieve him.

  Jeffery went to the dining room. He found April in the kitchen and asked her to prepare a special meal for dinner that evening because Ambassador Garlut would be joining them. She replied that she knew what he preferred and would have it ready in time. Jeffery was sitting in the dining room when Garlut and Debbie walked in. They were both smiling when they sat down. He asked, “So why are you two so happy?”

  Garlut answered, “Because the Trade Council already approved your request to build the resort on Procolt 2. They approved it the day after I presented it to them. They were actually very excited about this possibility and approved a loan from the trade group bank to finance the construction, and additional funds will be available for working capital. The only requirement was that you submit the plans for their approval, at which time, they will be reviewed at their next meeting. If they approve them, and I am certain they will, the money for the construction will be available immediately after the meeting.”

  “That’s great news! We need to meet with an architect as soon as possible. Is there somebody on Coplent who could handle the design?”

  “Yes, I know somebody who will do an excellent job for you. I will arrange a meeting before I leave for Earth.”

  “Thanks. Did Debbie tell you about the squirrels?”

  “Yes, she did. I think they are amazing. She asked me to speak to Max about finding somebody to take over their education. I will do that as well, but I would also like to ask Marcet to go back to Procolt 2. She still wants to study the radiation. She has spent several months learning English and she may be able to assist Cathy and Sheila with their teaching.”

  Debbie said, “I think that’s a good idea.” Then turning toward Jeffery, she asked, “Are you ready to retire from NASA when we get back to Earth?”

  “Yes, I think I am. It will be at least eight months before we get there. The next problem is, once we retire, we’ll have to find a way to get back to Procolt 2. I don’t think NASA will just give us a ship to use.”

  “I am sure they will not, since they do not have any extra ships, but I do,” Garlut said. “I have two ships like the one you and Brealak took to Procolt before. I really do not need both of them, so I can give one to you. I will arrange to have it refurbished before I leave. When it is ready, I will have it shipped to Earth on one of our cargo transport ships. It will be there, ready for you, when you need it.”

  Debbie and Jeffery looked at each other and smiled. Then Jeffery replied, “That’s very generous. I don’t know how we could repay you, but I’ll think of something.”

  “You are welcome. No repayment is necessary, but I will expect a free room and meals at your resort when it is done.”

  “Whenever you or any member of your family wants to visit the resort, everything will be free. Do you think we should use the trade group bank for financing? I thought you were suggesting we use private investors when we discussed this before.”

  “I was, but if the Trade Council wants you to use the trade group bank, you should do it. You will get better terms, and in the unlikely event the resort fails, they will not pressure you for repayment. They already know the risks and have accepted them.”

  There was a brief lull in the conversation. Before anyone started to speak, April came to the table with a big dish of cinnamon rolls.

  Garlut said with a smile, “You know what I like.”

  After dinner, Garlut used his communicator to set up a meeting with the architect for the following afternoon. He told Jeffery and Debbie to be at the space station by 9:00 the following morning. He would have a shuttle there to take them to the meeting. He thanked them for an excellent dinner and asked to be taken back to the space station. Jeffery and Debbie both escorted him back.

  When they returned to the ship and were in their cabin, Jeffery called Frank and asked him to join them. When Frank arrived, Jeffery said, “The Trade Council not only approved the resort, but they also agreed to finance the construction. We’re meeting with an architect tomorrow afternoon and with any luck, we will be able to start construction in a year.”

  “Wow! That was fast. That means you two will have to resign when you get back to Earth.”

  “We know. What about you? Are you ready to resign or are you going to continue working for a while?” Jeffery asked.

  “I’ll have to think about it. We won’t return t
o Earth for at least eight months, so I have some time.”

  “Yes, you do. By the way, Garlut is lending us a ship so we can get back to Procolt 2 after we leave NASA. I think we should spend the next few hours putting together a basic design for the resort so we have something to show the architect tomorrow.”

  In five hours, they had a basic design completed. There would be two buildings for guest rooms. Each building would have two hundred and fifty rooms. There would also be a building between the guest room buildings that would have several restaurants, offices, a check-in area, and an indoor/outdoor swimming pool. Around the outdoor part of the pool, there would be a place to get snacks and drinks as well as a shuttle port and a marina.

  There was some concern about how to design the rooms because they were not sure if special rooms would be needed for people from different planets. They all agreed that would be something they would have to discuss with the architect since they were sure he would know far more about the other humanoid species than they did.

  Debbie, who liked drawing, agreed to make some preliminary designs for the meeting the following day. After Frank left, she started to work and didn’t finish until the middle of the night.

  After breakfast, Mike took Jeffery and Debbie to the space station. Since Mike was going to spend the day training other crew members to pilot the shuttle, he went back to the Star Rover immediately after dropping them off.

  When Jeffery and Debbie walked out of the shuttle bay, they were surprised to see Brealak waiting for them.

  Brealak greeted them with a smile and asked them to follow her. They boarded another shuttle and began the trip to the architect’s office. During the flight, they discussed the plans for the resort. Brealak was impressed and remarked that she expected the resort would be a fantastic success. During the conversation, Jeffery and Debbie learned the architect they were going to see was named Nandor and had designed many of the parks and the park buildings on Coplent.

  When they arrived at Nandor’s office, they found Garlut was already there. He had briefed Nandor on the project and he and Garlut were discussing it when the others arrived. After introductions were made, Debbie gave Nandor the plans she had drawn. He studied them for a while. Then he said, “This is a reasonable start. I think I have a good idea of what you want to do.” Looking at Jeffery, he asked, “Are there any budget restrictions?”

  Jeffery said, “I don’t know. Garlut made the presentation to the Trade Council and they arranged the financing.”

  Garlut replied, “The council felt seven hundred hirodim would be more than sufficient for the construction. They also arranged another one hundred hirodim for working capital.”

  Nandor replied, “That basically means there are no budget restrictions.”

  Jeffery said, “I’m very happy the allocated funds are more than adequate. When we were discussing this last night, we wondered if special requirements will be needed to accommodate guests from some of the planets. We’ve had very little contact with other civilizations, so we really don’t know if that will be a necessity.”

  Garlut responded, “As I told you, all of the advanced civilizations are humanoid, and our needs and desires are similar with regard to room requirements. There will be definite differences in food preferences, so you will have to learn how to prepare some native foods. To minimize potential problems, you should probably limit the resort to people from only five or ten planets when you open. When you become more experienced, you can open the resort to people from other planets whose food requirements may be somewhat unusual.”

  “What makes the food unusual?”

  Garlut explained, “Well, for example, the people from Morplad only eat live food, usually small animals like the mice on Earth. On the positive side, the people are small, about four Earth feet tall, and they only eat two or three times per week. I think the bigger problem will be drinks. All of them drink water, as we do on Coplent, but on many of the planets there are unique alcoholic drinks. You will have to have the ingredients to make the drinks and you will have to know how to make them. I am sure I can find somebody to help you with that.”

  “I do not think room design will be of any concern,” Nandor said. “I will send the plans to Garlut when they are completed. I am sure the plans will be waiting for you when you get back to Earth.”

  “Thank you, Nandor.”

  “You are most welcome. If I have any questions, I will relay them to Garlut.”

  After they left the office, Garlut said, “We should go back to my home. Koltep has been experimenting with some recipes William gave her and I think they are good. However, I would like to get your opinions.”

  “Sounds great,” Jeffery said, “We’re happy to help.”

  “I have to go to the university to discuss something with Marcet,” Brealak said. “I will be home in three hours.”

  “That is fine, we will wait for you before we have dinner,” Garlut responded.

  When the three of them were on their way to Garlut’s apartment, Debbie said, “I think we have a problem we should resolve before we build the resort.”

  “And that is?” Jeffery asked.

  “Have you considered how our customers would make reservations? They can’t just pick up a phone and call us or send us a message,” Debbie said with a note of concern in her voice.

  Garlut laughed and said, “That is not the way we make reservations unless the resort is local. We do send messages, but typically reservations for off-world locations are made at least a year in advance, and often two years. Unless you own a starship, and most people do not, you have to depend on traders to take you where you want to go and pick you up to get back home. The resorts usually make those arrangements. Remember, if you are going to vacation at an off- world resort, you will probably spend thirty to sixty days traveling in each direction. You will want to spend at least thirty days at the resort. So, you will need to arrange to be gone for at least half a year. For most people, that has to be planned; and part of that plan is communicating with the resort. You send them a message telling them how long you want to stay, and you give them a time frame of at least one hundred and fifty days for your arrival. The resort will make the arrangements and send a message back. Depending on the location of the resort, it could take up to ninety days for them to receive your request. If the resort is popular there will be trade ships at the resort frequently, so the plans could be completed in a few days, otherwise it could take up to ninety days to make the travel arrangements. After the travel arrangements are completed, the resort sends a confirmation to you.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot more complex than calling to make a reservation. I knew we needed an interstellar communication system and this process is just another reason why,” Jeffery said.

  “I told you before, we are counting on Earth to invent it. Remember, to begin with you are going to limit your customers to only a few planets. I suspect most of your customers will come from Earth or Coplent for the first year or two. That will make things simpler. We already have a regular flight schedule between Earth and Coplent. Once the construction starts, there will be regular flights between Coplent and Procolt 2 as well. After the construction is completed, those flights will continue. That will make travel arrangements easier. We will set up offices on each planet and people will be able to go there to make reservations on the spot.”

  “That sounds okay. I hadn’t really thought about the time it takes to travel to vacation spots on other planets. That will certainly be something new to the people who live on Earth. Probably less than five thousand of the people on Earth have traveled off the planet. Giving people the opportunity to travel to another solar system will generate a lot of interest, especially if we can keep the price reasonable.”

  Debbie asked, “So what would you consider reasonable?”

  “That’s a good question. I suppose about $250,000 per person for transportation and a thirty-day stay at the resort is reasonable. People pay that for a six-month
cruise and what we’re offering is far more adventurous,” Jeffery offered.

  “And far more dangerous as well. Garlut, what do you think would be reasonable?” Debbie responded.

  “Coplent is richer than Earth, so the people can afford to spend more. The typical cost for a thirty-day, off-world vacation for two people is about .015 hirodim, or about $1,500,000. I think the price for travel for a couple from Earth should probably be around half that amount. However, we do not know what the construction costs will be yet. The bank will probably expect to be paid twenty percent of the gross profits to repay the loan. When we know what the loan repayment will cost, we will probably be able to estimate how much to charge the guests. I already know what the costs for transportation are, but we will probably have to estimate the cost per day to service each guest.”

  Jeffery and Debbie did not say anything, but they were both wondering how many people on Earth would be able to afford a vacation on Procolt 2.

  When they arrived at Garlut’s apartment, Jeffery was not expecting the odors that greeted him. Koltep was preparing something that smelled really good and he was pleasantly surprised.

  Debbie looked at him and smiled. “That smells wonderful! I wonder what it is.”

  Garlut explained, “Koltep said she was going to try a few of the things William taught her how to make. I hope you like them. But even if you do not, please tell her how good everything is because she has been working on this all day.”

  “Of course, but I’m sure everything will be good,” Jeffery said.

  They were going to wait for Brealak, but she called Garlut to tell him she would be late and not to wait for her. So, they started as soon as dinner was ready. Both Jeffery and Debbie thought everything was very good. They were not sure what they were eating, but they decided not to ask. It was, without a doubt, the best meal they had eaten on Coplent. About midway through the meal, Brealak came home. Almost immediately after she sat down, she said, “Marcet and I want to go back to Procolt 2 for a while. Is that okay?”