by Russell Fine
Brandon studied the material in the folder for about a minute and said, “This is amazing! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this. Whose idea was this?”
Max said, “It came from an advanced non-human civilization. Do you think we can make those proposals into real systems?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Then turning to Toby, he asked, “Did you review this?”
“Yes, and I came to the same conclusion.”
“Max, I’d like to get started on this as soon as possible. But I would like to meet whoever came up with the idea first.”
“I was hoping you’d say that because they want to meet with you too,” Jeffery said.
“Where are they?”
“They’re on Procolt 2.”
Brandon had a confused look on his face and said, “I read the reports on Procolt 2. There was no mention of an intelligent race living there. There was some mention about some large rodents that displayed some intelligence, but that was all.”
Brandon looked at Jeffery, who just smiled and nodded his head.
“Are you telling me this came from a bunch of rodents?”
“Actually, they look like large squirrels. But that’s where the resemblance ends. They are extremely intelligent,” Debbie offered.
“Okay, I can’t argue with their ideas. I’d like to meet them. But the trip there and back would take the better part of a year. I know the Star Explorer could reduce that time significantly, but it will be a month before we can even begin testing.”
“I have access to a ship from Coplent that can make the trip in less than a month. I’ll take you there . . . that is . . . if Max agrees.”
“Max, you have to let me go,” Brandon pleaded.
“I’ll make you a deal, Jeffery. I’ll let you take Brandon to Procolt 2 if you promise to do the testing on the Star Explorer.”
Jeffery looked at Debbie, who sighed before saying, “Okay Max, we’ll do it. We’ll give you another six months. Have you thought about the fact the Star Explorer may already be obsolete?”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking about that since our meeting yesterday. But this new propulsion system isn’t going to be ready for years. I think it will be quite a while until the Star Explorer is obsolete.”
Brandon said, “It may happen a lot faster than you think. It may be possible to retrofit the Star Rover with the new system in less than three years, possibly a lot less. I’ll have a better idea after I’ve had an opportunity to study this material in greater depth.”
Jeffery said, “Max, we can leave tomorrow if that’s okay with you and Brandon’s demanding schedule.”
“Yes, I guess that’s okay. Can you be ready to leave that fast, Brandon?”
“Absolutely. Just let me know what time and I’ll meet you at the space station. What do I need to bring?”
“All you need is a couple of days’ worth of clothes and toiletries. Everything else will be available on the ship. Meet us at 8:00. I must warn you there’s no privacy aboard the ship.”
“I really don’t care about that at all.”
“Okay, we’ll meet you at the shuttle bay tomorrow morning at 8:00. Debbie and I are going to leave now so we can make sure the ship’s ready.”
Jeffery and Debbie went back to the space station and had to ask where the ship Garlut left for them was. They got the information and a small device that would remotely open the shuttle bay door on the ship. Jeffery called the Star Rover and asked them to send the shuttle to pick them up. They went back to the Star Rover, packed what they needed, and then Dean took them to their ship. Jeffery opened the shuttle bay door and Dean flew the shuttle in. Dean wanted to look at the ship, so after the shuttle bay was pressurized, they all got out of the shuttle and went inside the small ship.
The ship was identical to the one Jeffery, Brealak, and Marcet used to travel to the Procolt System.
Debbie’s only comment was, “You weren’t kidding when you said there was no privacy. It must have been interesting for you on your trip with Brealak and Marcet.”
“Interesting isn’t the right word. I think frustrating would be better..”
Dean said, “Thanks for the tour, Admiral. I know this ship is faster, but I think I’d rather be on the Star Rover. Have a good trip, sir.”
“Thanks for bringing us over. We should be back in three months.” Jeffery said.
After Dean left, Jeffery checked out the systems on the ship and everything appeared to be functioning normally and within parameters.
Now that Jeffery was finished with the systems testing, they went into the kitchen and ate dinner with food from the food generator. After dinner, Debbie said, “Since this will be our last night alone for a while, I think we should make the most of it.”
“Mrs. Whitestone, you certainly do not have to tell me twice,” Jeffery said with a sly smile.
The following morning, Jeffery contacted the station and asked them to send a shuttle to pick him up. Debbie was going to stay aboard. The shuttle arrived twenty minutes later. He arrived at the space station at 7:45 and found Brandon was already there.
Brandon got on the shuttle and a few minutes later, they were aboard the ship. Jeffery gave Brandon a quick tour.
“I never dreamed a starship could be so small,” Brandon stated looking around the close quarters. “I’m glad I have stuff to read. Is the food from that thing in the kitchen any good?”
“Yes, the food is actually pretty good, but there aren’t very many choices. Still, it’s much better than the food they eat on Coplent.”
Jeffery contacted the station to tell them they were leaving. He started the engine and moved away from the station. When they were fifty units from the station, Jeffery told Debbie and Brandon to make themselves comfortable because they would be asleep for the next six days. Jeffery set the course and activated the stasis field timer. They all got comfortable and then, in what seemed no time at all, six days passed and the ship was traveling at slightly more than half the speed of light. Moments later, the wormhole system turned on and they entered the wormhole. They had nothing to do now for twenty days.
Brandon had never been on a long space flight and the lack of privacy was a minor issue for the first couple of days. After dinner on the third day of the flight, he said, “If you two would like some privacy I’ll stay in the kitchen for the next hour. I don’t mind at all.”
Before Jeffery could answer, Debbie said, “Thanks Brandon, we really appreciate it.” Then she grabbed Jeffery’s hand and they went into the sleeping quarters. They came out some time later and Debbie thanked him again.
Six days prior to their arrival at Procolt 2, the deceleration phase of the trip began. Again, the time passed instantly and when they woke up, they were one hundred thousand units from Procolt 2. Jeffery put the ship into a low orbit above the equator. When they were over the shelter, he contacted Cathy to let her know they would be landing shortly. Cathy was surprised they had returned so soon, but was very happy about it. Jeffery also told her to let S1 know Brandon Simpson was with them.
Jeffery landed the ship near the shelter. By the time they disembarked the ship, there was a crowd waiting. Cathy, Marcet, and Brealak were there, and there were several squirrels as well.
“It is nice to see you still know how to fly our ships, Jeffery,” Brealak said playfully. “Did you have a pleasant journey?”
“I really enjoyed the fact the trip took one third the time it took in the Star Rover. Pointing at Brandon he continued, “This is Dr. Brandon Simpson. He’s the most knowledgeable engineer at NASA.”
Brandon had a confused look on his face as he gazed at the squirrels before him. Then S1 said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brandon. I’m S1, the leader of the squirrels. Next to me is S12. She wrote the proposal for the new propulsion and communication systems. Did you find her proposal satisfactory?”
Brandon said nothing for a few seconds. He knew the squirrels were intelligent and could speak English, but knowing it an
d experiencing it were two different things. When he regained his composure, he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. However, I must tell you that S12’s proposal is far more than just interesting. It has the potential to simplify space travel in a way we never thought possible. Once it’s implemented, it will reduce the time required and the cost for interstellar travel by more than ninety percent. If I had to pick a word to describe S12’s proposal, it would be ‘astounding.’”
“Thank you,” S12 said. “We have heard a lot about you and your opinion is very important to us. We would like to meet with you as soon as possible so we can discuss how we can implement the new systems. We understand the theory, but we don’t have any practical knowledge about building anything.”
“We can meet right now, if that’s convenient for you.”
“Right now, is excellent. I would like to meet where there will be minimal interruptions. Do you have any suggestions?”
Brandon responded, “How about in the dining room on our ship?”
“That would be perfect,” S1 said.
The two squirrels and Brandon walked back to the ship. Jeffery watched them go and once they were aboard, he asked, “Marcet, did you learn anything new about exposure to the radiation here?”
“I cannot be certain about this, but it appears that long term exposure to the radiation affects male potency in creatures with Earth-type DNA. The squirrels told me ‘a long time ago,’ whatever that means to a squirrel, there were many more births. In the last year there have been only a few. They also said previously most of the newborn squirrels died shortly after birth. Now there are fewer births, but all the newborns are healthy.”
“Maybe they’re having sex less.”
“Based on my observations, that is certainly not the case.”
“You watched them?”
“Jeffery, you do realize that while they have amazing intellect, socially, they are still animals. They cannot be embarrassed and have absolutely no modesty. Regardless of what they are doing, if they feel like having sex, they do it.”
“Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
“Yes, the lifespan of the squirrels would appear to be increasing. I do not have any accurate records, but it appears as the birthrate has declined, the lifespan for the squirrels has increased. I do not know how long squirrels live on Earth, but similar animals on Coplent live about ten years. S1 has told me he remembers living through at least twenty winter seasons.”
“I didn’t notice a change in seasons here. The weather seems to be the same all the time.”
“The temperature doesn’t change much, but many of the trees lose their leaves in the winter and more flowering plants bloom in the spring. That’s what S1 remembers. So, the squirrels are experiencing the same things humans from Earth experience in regard to sexual potency and lifespan.”
“I guess that makes sense if our DNA is so similar.”
Four hours later, the meeting between Brandon and the squirrels broke up. They walked into the dining room in the shelter and sat down at the table with Jeffery and Debbie. Jeffery asked Brandon, “Did you have a productive meeting?”
“Absolutely,” Brandon said. “I’m certain this will work and I’m fairly certain how to build it. I suspect we could retrofit either the Star Rover or the Star Explorer in one hundred and fifty days. The only major modification required for the existing hardware would be to the wormhole generator. However, the navigation systems will have to be completely redesigned. You see, the navigation systems perform two functions. They tell the ship where to go, but they also make sure the ship doesn’t fly into any solid objects. The systems are based on the speed the ship is traveling so the systems we have now aren’t fast enough to guide a ship safely when it’s traveling at ten thousand times the speed of light. We’ll need significantly faster computers.”
“I thought the computers we have now can’t run any faster.”
“You’re right, the computers we have now can’t run any faster. So, we need to redesign them to handle the new navigation system requirements. However, S12 and I have a plan to do that too.”
“That’s very impressive. What kind of time-frame are we looking at for everything?”
“I believe the projects can be done simultaneously, but the computer design will take longer, and the software design can’t begin until the computer design is finished and working. I’d estimate it will take two years to make the systems fully functional. I think we should return to Earth as soon as possible so this project can be started. Also, I want to take S12 and her mate, S31, with us. I need her help with these projects.”
Jeffery looked at S12 and asked, “Are you sure you want go to back to Earth with us? You’ll be gone for a long time. You should realize that Earth is not like Procolt 2. It’s much warmer, and there are millions of people that live in the area where you would be working with Brandon. Even the food is different.”
Brandon said, “I’ve already discussed this with her. I have a five thousand-square-foot house with two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. The house is in the middle of a walled, five-acre lot filled with fruit trees. I think S12 and S31 will be very comfortable there.”
“Okay, it does sound wonderful. I just hope the press doesn’t find out about them.”
Brandon thought for a few seconds and replied. “I think it would be best if we find a way to get S12 and S31 to my house in total secrecy. I’m sure Max can make that happen. But, at some point in the future the public will have to be told about them. I think it would healthy for people to learn there are other intelligent species that aren’t humanoid. Sometimes humility is good thing.”
Debbie said, “I was thinking the average person on Earth would feel threatened, not humbled.”
S12 said, “I do not understand the situation. Do you really think people on Earth will feel threatened by a big squirrel?”
“Yes, I do,” Jeffery answered. “I think the best plan is to keep your visit a secret. I would love to have a news briefing with you and S31 there, but this is not the time. Perhaps, after the new systems are functional would be a better time. Anyway, since the squirrels will be traveling with us we probably need to reprogram the food generator on the ship to produce vegetables. I think Brealak knows how to do that.”
Brandon said, “I’d like to wait here for a few days. I’m not that anxious to spend another twenty days on the ship. A few days with some open space and fresh air will be very nice.”
Brandon and the squirrels walked away, and Jeffery looked at Debbie and said, “You were fairly quiet. Are you okay with my decision?”
“I don’t think you could have done anything else. The squirrels will be fine, as long as nobody knows they’re there. If the press finds out, NASA will have to post armed guards around Brandon’s house.”
“Yes, but I am confident Max can handle it. I was also thinking that we should have Frank do a complete scan on the squirrels before we leave to make sure they’re not carrying some weird disease that’s going to decimate Earth’s population.”
“I’m not sure that’s needed. We have been with them for a long time and there haven’t been any problems, but I suppose it’s better to safe than sorry. I’ll talk to Frank about it.”
The following morning, Jeffery and Debbie were sound asleep on the ship when Brealak came in to wake them up. She shook Jeffery gently and a few moments later Jeffery opened his eyes. “Good morning Brealak, is something wrong?”
“No, but I wanted you to know Garlut will be here in a half hour. He is here with Nandor to look for areas to build the resort. I did not know he was coming and he did not know you were here, but he would like you and Debbie to go with him while they search for potential building sites.”
“Okay, give us a few minutes to shower and get dressed. We’ll go over to the shelter as soon as we can.”
Jeffery and Debbie arrived at the dining room where Brealak and Marcet were waiting for them. Jeffery and Debbie each got a cu
p of coffee. Jeffery asked, “Where are the others this morning?”
Brealak responded, “Cathy and Sheila are out walking. They do that almost every morning, but usually after the morning rain. This morning they left early instead. Brandon went to the squirrel cave this morning with S1 and S12. I think Brandon really wants to learn as much as he can about the squirrels while he is here.”
“I can understand that; they’re very interesting. Since he’s planning on living with two of them for a couple of years, I think he wants to convince himself there won’t be a problem.”
“I was listening to Brandon describe his home on Earth. He must be very wealthy.”
“Brandon’s grandfather was Albert Simpson. He invented the power module. As far as I know, Brandon is his closest living descendent. He still collects a small royalty for every power module sold. Those small royalties’ amount to a substantial amount of money. I would guess Brandon is one of the wealthiest people on Earth. I’m sure he can afford anything he wants.”
“Why does he work if he does not need money?”
“Because he likes what he’s doing. I think he considers his job at NASA a hobby. It isn’t something he has to do. It’s something he wants to do.”
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a shuttle landing. The four of them went outside to meet Garlut. When Garlut and Nandor got off the shuttle, Garlut looked around and said, “It is nice to see all of you.” Looking at Jeffery and Debbie, he continued, “I am especially pleased you two are here. It is a very pleasant surprise. Did you resign from NASA?”
“No, we did tell them we wanted to resign, but we agreed to work for another half year so we could test a new starship once it’s completed. This trip was unexpected. We’re here with one of NASA’s chief engineers. I think you’ll be fascinated when you find out why. Hello, Nandor.”
“Hello, Jeffery. Like Garlut, I am surprised but very pleased that you and Debbie are here.”
“We should go inside and you can enlighten me as to why I will be fascinated,” Garlut said happily.
