2120-2126

by Russell Fine

  “Probably thirty days, but neither Garlut nor I are in a hurry to leave.”

  Brealak said, “Please come with me and I will show you around the area.”

  The four people from Coplent left the shelter and walked to the lake. When they arrived, there were several squirrels playing in the sand. One of the squirrels walked up to the group and said, “Hi Brealak, who are these people?”

  “This is my father, Garlut, and the man who is designing the resort. His name is Nandor.”

  “Hello Garlut and Nandor. I’m S42. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  “Hello S42, it is nice to meet you as well,” Garlut said. “Nandor does not speak English so he did not understand what you said.”

  S42 repeated his introductions in perfect Coplent.

  Looking pleasantly surprised, Nandor responded, “It is nice to meet you as well. Do all the squirrels speak Coplent?”

  “Yes, we learned it from Brealak and Marcet. We all speak English too.”

  “That is truly amazing. Most of the humanoid species in the trade group cannot speak Coplent.”

  There were some chairs near the lake shore and the people from Coplent sat down. After a minute or so of relaxing, Nandor said, “I can see why you girls like it here. This is wonderful, no noise, except for the sound of the breeze wafting through the trees and the waves lapping at the shore. No crowds of people rushing to get somewhere. Just peace and relaxation.”

  After relaxing by the lake for an hour or so, they strolled back to the shelter. Nandor said he wanted to go to the construction site. Jeffery said he would take them so Garlut, Nandor, and S1 all went to Jeffery’s ship for the trip. Upon arrival, everybody seemed to be busy and ignored the landing. They left the ship and started to look around. Each of the tower buildings was six hundred and fifty feet tall. Between the two towers was a smaller building that would have offices, restaurants, medical facilities, and the school. There was also a large apartment where Jeffery, Debbie, and Mystic would live.

  Nandor went to look for the construction manager while Garlut, Jeffery, and S1 continued to wander around. Behind the center building, a crew was working to build the two large swimming pools. Inside the center building, several groups of workers were installing interior walls. As Jeffery walked around, he noticed that everywhere he looked the workers were using electric tools powered by modules from Earth. He wondered if they would have been able to do this job so quickly without them.

  NASA Headquarters

  September 2124

  Brandon and Max were sitting in Max’s office when Max said, “I’m very pleased with the progress on the new systems. The new computer is several hundred times faster than the ones we’re currently using, and the new communication system is almost completed.”

  “It actually is completed. S12 and I finished the lab tests yesterday,” Brandon reported. “I’m having a unit installed in one of the cargo ships now. The installation should be completed in two days. I’ve already programmed the ship to go fifty thousand miles beyond the orbit of Pluto. When it gets there, it will begin sending a series of time-coded messages with the new system. When it receives a response, it will indicate the time the response was received and return to Earth. It will take the ship eight days to arrive at its destination. We should be able to launch it as soon as the system is installed.”

  “Where do we stand on the propulsion system?” Max asked.

  “We have a problem there. The tachyon generator we designed isn’t strong enough. We either have to make it bigger or more efficient. S12 is working on that today.”

  “Good. You know I still can’t imagine you working with a squirrel. The whole idea strikes me as . . . well . . . nuts!”

  “I know, but when you work with S12 you don’t think about her appearance. She is, without a doubt, the most intelligent partner I’ve ever worked with. I couldn’t have done this without her,” Brandon said emphatically.

  “When all these projects are completed, I’m going to hold a news conference and let everybody on Earth know about her,” Max said.

  “I think that’s a wonderful idea. However, to answer your question regarding the propulsion system; it will probably take thirty days to get a usable tachyon generator. As you know, the principle is the same as the communicator system. It’s only a matter of scale. Once we have the generator working, we can probably get it installed in a ship in forty-five days.” Brandon hesitated, then asked, “Did you find a ship to use?”

  “Not yet, Brandon. I’ll get one of the Ganymede crew ships we no longer use.”

  “That will work. You should make sure to test the ship in the next two weeks in case my thirty-day estimate is off. Once the propulsion system is ready, we’ll need the new navigation system to make it usable. I think that project will take more time than all the others combined. I believe we’ll need a year to make it fully operational. That includes designing new long-range scanners.”

  “I do understand and I’ll arrange to test the ship tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Max.”

  The installation of the new communication system was completed without any problems and the computer-controlled cargo ship left Earth orbit on schedule. It arrived at the test location, over two and a half billion miles from Earth, and began transmitting messages every ten seconds. A message sent by radio would have taken 3.9 hours to reach Earth. With the new communication system, the messages reached Earth in less than two seconds.

  Brandon sent a message to the ship. If the message was received, the ship would cease transmitting and begin the return trip to Earth. The message was obviously received because the ship stopped transmitting. The system had performed flawlessly.

  Brandon went back home to tell S12 about the success of the communication system. Max went to his office to call the representative from the Trade Council and let him know about the success of the test. By the end of the day, the news was known all over Earth.

  Within a few days, a meeting was held between the Trade Council representative and the World Council. The Trade Council wanted Earth to install the communication systems on every planet in the trade group. The task was far more complicated than simply installing transmitting and receiving systems on each of the member planets. The signals were directional and traveled in straight lines, so in order for the system to be functional, an unknown number of relay stations would be required. Two decisions were made by the end of the meeting; the first being that Earth would have thirty standard years to have the system operational and the second, Earth would be paid ten thousand hirodim for each member planet. Each of the planets would pay half of the cost within one standard year and the balance when the system was installed and operational on their planet. They agreed to meet again in ninety days to discuss the status of the communications installation program and a schedule to begin installations on starships.

  The result of this agreement was that Earth would soon become the wealthiest planet in the trade group and consequentially, Jeffery and Debbie would as well.

  Brandon’s estimate of the time required to build the new tachyon generator for the propulsion systems was under-estimated. It actually took one hundred and twenty days to get the new generator operational, but the extra time proved to be a benefit because the generator they created was able to produce a field large enough to encompass ships ten times the size of the Star Explorer.

  Now that the tachyon generator was ready, the installation of the new propulsion system was started on a thirty-year-old ship which had been removed from service more than five years ago. The installation took almost six months. Virtually every part of the control system was replaced. The NASA construction crew also installed the new communication system. By the time they were ready to test the modified ship everything was ready, except the new navigation system. At a meeting with the NASA directors which included Brandon and S12, the decision was made to postpone the test until the new system was ready. The directors were anxious to test, but both Brandon and S12
explained that without the navigation system operational, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to control a ship that traveled that fast without accurate computer control.

  The installation of the communication system was progressing better than expected. The meeting held ninety days after the first communication system meeting went well. It was agreed Earth would supply the systems for starship installations and the technical assistance required in exchange for a payment of one thousand hirodim. If no technical assistance was requested, the cost would be reduced to five hundred hirodim. They decided to continue to meet every ninety days until the installations became routine.

  By the time the following communication system meeting occurred, the systems had been installed on Coplent and on two of Coplent’s starships. Before communication between Coplent and Earth could be established, three relays stations needed to be placed. That task was given to the Star Rover and was expected to take one hundred and twenty days. They decided to postpone the next meeting until after the relay stations were in place and the systems were tested between Coplent and Earth.

  At the same time, progress was being made on the new navigation system. It was currently being installed on the test ship which was now named the Star Racer. The installation was expected to take sixty days. Max wanted Jeffery to test the Star Racer but that was impossible, so command of the ship was given to Captain Ron Rice, who recently completed a new ship training module with NASA. Brandon would act as the ship’s navigator, and S12 was now the chief engineer.

  The first test for the Star Racer would be very simple. The ship would energize the tachyon field and travel for ten seconds. If the ship functioned as expected, it would be eighteen and one half trillion miles from Earth. If that test went well, the next trip would be to Procolt 2. The twenty-seven light year trip would take one day. The Star Racer will spend some time on Procolt 2 and then proceed to Coplent. It will stay at Coplent for thirty days before returning to Earth.

  The installation of the new propulsion and navigation systems was ahead of schedule. It was completed within fifty-two days. The diagnostic tests of the new systems indicated there were no problems, so the first test was scheduled the following day. Aboard would be Ron, Brandon, and S12. There was a safety concern for the crew, so it was decided they would wear space suits during the test. The suits for Brandon and Ron were not a problem. However, they had never made a suit for a non-human. It took more than a week to produce the suit for S12 conversely, it took less than a day to make the suits for Brandon and Ron.

  There was no way to hide S12 any longer. When she boarded the shuttle with Brandon for the trip to the space station, the other passengers on the shuttle could not prevent themselves from gawking which made her feel a little uncomfortable, so she decided to talk to them. She said, “Hello, my name is S12. This is my friend Brandon. He and I designed and developed the systems that we’ll test on the Star Racer tomorrow.”

  Suddenly all of the passengers stopped talking. Brandon took the opportunity to speak. “I’m Dr. Brandon Simpson and I’m Chief Engineer in charge of systems development at NASA. I want you to know the designs for the new systems we’ve developed over the past few years are the direct result of the theories S12 presented to us. The development of these systems would not have been possible without her assistance.”

  Somebody asked, “S12, what planet are you from?”

  “I’m from Procolt 2.”

  After some murmuring among the other passengers one of them began applaud, and the applause grew until every passenger was clapping their hands loudly. Bandon stood up, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”

  The rest of the trip was without incident. When they arrived at the station, another shuttle was waiting to take them to the Star Racer. Although the ship was capable of recycling air and water, it was stocked with enough for six months to prevent problems if the recycling systems failed. There was also enough food for six months.

  They ran diagnostics on all of the systems again, then retired to their quarters for the night. They tried to sleep, but were too excited. The next morning, Ron contacted the space station to tell them they were ready to embark. He moved the ship to a position twenty thousand miles from the station and contacted NASA. The flight control crew verified that everything looked normal. Ron, Brandon, and S12, already wearing their suits, sealed their helmets. Each of them took their positions. Ron simply said, “Let’s do this.”

  S12 energized the tachyon generator. Fifteen seconds later, the ship moved into the tachyon field, but in a fraction of a second the field collapsed. The navigation system indicated the Star Racer had moved over a million miles.

  Ron said, “What happened?”

  S12 said, “The tachyon field collapsed. I don’t know why, but I’ll find out.”

  Once verifying nothing was wrong with atmospheric levels, they unsealed their helmets. Ron contacted NASA to let them know about the problem while Brandon and S12 began working on a resolution. Two hours later, they traced the problem to a faulty control board. They had spare parts, so they replaced the board and ran the diagnostics again. Everything checked out, so they all donned their helmets and once again, took their positions at the controls. S12 energized the tachyon field. Brandon moved the ship into it. Ten seconds later, the field collapsed. Brandon checked their position. They were now more than eighteen trillion miles from Earth. Ron, utilizing the new communication system, contacted Earth. He said, “Star Racer to Earth. The Star Racer functioned normally. We’ll be returning to Earth in a few minutes.”

  Twenty-five seconds later, the Star Racer received a message.

  “Congratulations, Star Racer. Be prepared for a big party tomorrow with the World Council. Max out.”

  Brandon programmed the navigation system to return to the space station and ten seconds later they were in the exact same position they were in when they first tried the system. Two hours later, they were on a shuttle going back to Earth. This time they were the only passengers.

  The Star Racer

  August 2126

  Several people were added to the Star Racer crew for its first interstellar voyage. In addition to Ron, Brandon, and S12, there were two other engineers who had worked with them on the project. Both Ron and Brandon had fully trained assistants and Frank Weber was assigned as the ship’s doctor. S31 was aboard as well.

  The ship left orbit and was positioned five hundred miles from the space station. Brandon programmed the navigation system to take them to Procolt 2. A few moments later he said, “Because we’ll have to stop and make course adjustments, the trip will take about twenty-seven hours.”

  Frank added, “The last time I made this trip, it took seventy-three days.”

  The navigation system did everything automatically. They arrived on schedule at Procolt 2. An hour later, the ship was in a stationary orbit two thousand units above the shelter. They decided to surprise Jeffery and Debbie. The crew of the Star Racer with guests in tow got aboard the shuttle, which now had seats designed for squirrels, and went down to the surface. It was early afternoon when they approached the shelter area. Jeffery, Debbie, and S1 were sitting in the dining room when they heard the unmistakable sound of a shuttle on approach. They walked out and watched as the unfamiliar shuttle landed.

  When the hatch opened and the occupants stepped out, Jeffery smiled and said, “It’s wonderful to see all of you again. Does this visit mean the new systems are working?”

  Brandon said, “Yes, everything S12 proposed is working. We made the trip from Earth in twenty-seven hours.”

  “That’s great news! I want you all to know Debbie and I have an addition to our family. We have a two-year-old daughter named Mystic. We’ll introduce you when she wakes up from her nap.”

  “Congratulations,” Frank said. “That’s terrific. How’s the construction on the resort going?”

  “The resort, which is named Procolt Paradise, will be ready to open in ninety days. The first group of guests will be the con
struction crews and their families. We’re already taking reservations on Coplent. We hired one hundred and six people to help staff it and they’ll be here in sixty days. I think now is a good time to start advertising on Earth and we still need another one hundred or so employees. I’d like them to be people from Earth.”

  “I can take care of those things when I get back,” Frank said enthusiastically. “We’re going from here to Coplent and then back to Earth. We should be there in less than thirty days.”

  “Good, I’ll go over our advertising and personnel needs with you before you leave. Would you like to see Procolt Paradise?”

  “Yeah, that would be great,” Brandon said.

  S1 said, “S12 and S31, I’m very happy to see you again. Obviously, your mission was a success, but I suspect you’re glad to be home.”

  “Brandon’s home was wonderful. We really liked it there, but we missed you and the other squirrels. It’s nice to be here again.”

  “You’ll be happy to know Jeffery had a place built for us, so we don’t have to live in caves anymore. It’s near Procolt Paradise and was designed to hold two hundred and fifty squirrels. While you were gone, we had two new births, so now there are seventy-seven of us.”

  They spent an hour or so telling each other about what happened in the previous two years. While they were talking, Mystic woke up from her nap and Debbie introduced her to everyone. Mystic had been talking for six months and she was able to talk to them a little bit.

  Frank and Brandon really wanted to see the resort, so everyone boarded Jeffery’s ship and they flew to Procolt Paradise. The buildings were almost finished. The center building was complete except for some of the medical equipment that had just been shipped from Coplent. They were installing power modules in each guests’ room. All of the staff apartments were completed.

  The pool area was finished, except for the fill water. All of the restaurants and bars were ready for guests. They had installed a moving walkway that led from the pool area to the lake like those on Coplent. At the lake they built a marina with dock space for thirty boats and another restaurant. Twelve boats were already docked, and the others were on a shipment scheduled to arrive in a few days.