2120-2126

by Russell Fine

  Jeffery took them on a tour of several of the guest rooms and one of the staff apartments.

  Everyone was impressed. S1 said he wanted to show them Squirrel Haven. It was near the pool area, but hidden by some trees. When they arrived, S1 showed them through the new home for the squirrels. There were seventy-five family units and each unit had two areas. One area contained a large bed for the family to sleep on. The other area was a bathroom that had a toilet and a squirrel-sized bath tub and shower combination. There were also three rooms set up as class rooms, and several large meeting rooms. S1 explained this was more space than he thought they would ever need, but he really liked it.

  They spent two hours touring the resort. When they were done, Frank said, “I don’t want to go back to Earth. I want to stay here. This place is wonderful.”

  “I already told Marcet you were going to be half of the medical staff. But now I need you to go back to Earth and find some people to work here and start an advertising campaign.”

  “I know that, but I have no idea when I can get back here, and I have no way of contacting you either.”

  “Brandon, how long would it take to install the new systems on my ship?”

  “Probably sixty days, but I have no idea when I could get it on the schedule. Right now, all efforts are on completing the Star Explorer.”

  “Does Max still want Debbie and me to test it?”

  “I think he’d jump at the opportunity to have you two at the controls for the maiden voyage.”

  “Okay, I have an idea. Debbie and I will go back to Earth and offer our services to NASA in exchange for making my ship the next one to be converted. By the time you return to Earth, we’ll already be there. We can get the advertising and the search for employees started. You’ll be back before we leave on the Star Explorer. We’ll make Procolt 2 our first stop with the Star Explorer and you can stay here. By the time Debbie and I get back to Earth, the work on my ship should be nearly completed. When it is, we’ll return here with our first group of employees.”

  Debbie said, “I assume we’ll be taking Mystic with us.”

  “Yes, of course we’ll be taking her with us. I’m sure Marcet and Brealak can handle the operations at Procolt Paradise until we get back here again. I think we can get back permanently in one hundred twenty days. Brandon, can you teach us how to use the new systems?”

  “Sure, we can start tomorrow. I’m certain you’ll be able to learn how to use the new systems in a few hours.”

  At dinner, Jeffery told Marcet and Brealak about his plans to go back to Earth to get his ship retrofitted with the new systems. They assured Jeffery they could handle the operations at the resort in his absence. Additionally, they expected Garlut to be here when Procolt Paradise opened and he would be able to help too.

  The following day, Jeffery and Debbie spent the morning with Brandon and S12 learning the new systems. They were designed to be very simple to use. The only potential problem would be if one of the systems failed. They would have no idea how to fix it since the maintenance documentation had not been completed. Jeffery was concerned because there had been a failure on the maiden voyage of the Star Racer. If it happened on his ship, he would have a bigger problem. When he mentioned this at dinner that evening, S12 said she had the solution.

  “S31 and I are were thinking about staying here, but we decided to stay on the Star Racer until the mission is completed. We’ll stay with you on both the Star Explorer mission and your return trip here. I’m fully capable of handling any problem with the new systems as long as I have spare parts available.”

  “That’s perfect. There’s nothing stopping us now. Thank you. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

  Debbie said, “I’m really glad Mystic is already toilet-trained. That’s going to make this trip a lot easier. Brandon, can we stay at your home again?”

  “Of course, you can. I’m sure Bess and Tom will be happy to see you. You should call them and let them know you’re coming as soon as you land.”

  “Okay.”

  The following day Jeffery, Debbie, and Mystic began their trip to Earth. After they secured their ship, Jeffery contacted Max. He told Max why they had come back to Earth and what his plans were.

  Max agreed to Jeffery’s requests. He was anxious to meet Mystic and suggested they take the next shuttle back to NASA headquarters. He would meet them at the shuttle station.

  Their shuttle landed four hours later, and as promised, Max was waiting for them. He shook hands with Jeffery, hugged Debbie, and then said, “Hi” to Mystic.

  She smiled at him and said, “Hi” back.

  They went to a nearby restaurant for dinner and then Max drove them to Brandon’s house. Debbie had called so they were expected. Bess made a big fuss over Mystic and took her into the kitchen to give her some ice cream. It was something she had never eaten before, and as expected, she loved it. Max, Jeffery, and Debbie went outside and sat by the pool.

  Max said, “We’re expecting the Star Racer to return to Earth in ten days. The Star Explorer will be ready for testing in twenty. As soon as the testing starts, I’ll have the team begin modifications on your ship. The first Star Explorer mission is going to go to Procolt 2, as you requested, to Torblit, and to Coplent before returning to Earth. We have communication systems that will be installed at each location. I expect the mission to take forty-five days. Your ship should be ready by the time you return.”

  “That’s perfect. I really appreciate this, Max. I want you to know, anytime you want to come to Procolt Paradise everything will be on us.”

  “I have every intention of taking you up on that.”

  “I’d expect you to. One of the things we’d like to accomplish while we’re here is starting an advertising campaign and hiring some people to work at Procolt Paradise. Could you ask somebody from the PR department to contact us? I’m just looking for some advice. I’m sure they have other tasks and I don’t want to take up much of their time.”

  “No problem, I’ll ask Josh Rawlins to call you tomorrow. He’s in charge of that department.”

  Jeffery and Debbie were feeling the effects of travel and neither of them slept well on the trip to Earth, so they were looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Mystic was already asleep with a full belly of ice-cream. After saying their good nights to the others in Brandon’s home, all three of them were asleep within minutes.

  Josh Rawlins called the following morning. Jeffery told him what they needed. Josh said he would arrange a news conference for the following day. He also gave Jeffery the name of somebody they could use to set up an online job application and reservation system. He was sure they could have it running by the time the news conference was over.

  Jeffery asked Debbie to take care of the online tasks while he prepared something for the news conference. Josh called back two hours later to let him know the news conference would be at a hotel near NASA headquarters at 3:00 p.m. the following day.

  Shortly after Jeffery finished his call with Josh, Debbie told him both online applications would be ready by tomorrow morning.

  Jeffery and Debbie were celebrities, so there were lots of people at the news conference from different media outlets. Jeffery started the conference by telling them about Procolt Paradise. It was the first off-world vacation destination offered to people on Earth. He told them when it would open and how to make a reservation. He also announced that people were needed to work at the resort and if they were interested how to apply for the jobs.

  The question he knew would be coming, but he really didn’t want to answer yet, was how much it would cost.

  He said the cost would be the same if all the guests were staying in the same suite. Each suite was designed for up to six guests. For a thirty-day stay at Procolt Paradise, the cost was $350,000 per suite. This included transportation, meals, drinks, and activities.

  He said at the present time the trip to and from Procolt 2 took thirty days, but within two years that time would drop
to less than two days.

  The news spread quickly and by the next day, they had over four thousand reservation requests. They also had over three thousand people who applied for jobs.

  That evening, Jeffery and Debbie realized they now had two new problems. First, the number of reservations far exceeded what he thought they would receive. They had expected only fifty or so. Although Procolt Paradise could handle the people, there was no way to get them there yet. He needed a ship at least the size of the Star Rover and he didn’t have one. Second, he had no idea how to review three thousand job applications.

  They decided to hire a company to take care of the reservations and another one to screen the job applicants. They spent the next morning interviewing potential companies to handle the jobs and by the end of the day, they were satisfied they found what they needed.

  The company handling the reservations would contact everyone who requested a reservation and tell them they would be contacted again within ninety days to confirm the departure date. They were also told the departure date could be up to two years from now.

  The company screening the job applications said they would be able to narrow down the number of applicants to one hundred and fifty within twenty days.

  Jeffery had to find a ship, and he didn’t have much time. He contacted the Trade Council representative on Earth and explained his dilemma. The representative said he could arrange the purchase a used ship that would accommodate three hundred passengers with a wormhole drive and a time stasis generator for four thousand hirodim. Jeffery asked if there were pictures or drawings of the ship. The representative said he had both and would send them immediately.

  An hour later, Jeffery had the images. He reviewed them with Debbie and they were impressed with what they saw. He contacted the Trade Council representative and told him he would purchase the ship. That didn’t resolve the problem, but it was a step in the right direction. After he had possession of the ship, he would have to make arrangements for NASA to retrofit it with the new systems.

  They decided they needed somebody to manage the Procolt Paradise operation on Earth, but they didn’t even have an idea where to start. While they were discussing it, Bess was listening to their conversation and suggested they should try contacting somebody who was already in the resort business and set up a partnership with them. Thinking that was a good idea, Jeffery did some research and found the ten largest vacation resort companies. He started contacting them but was unable to reach any of the company managers until he tried Vacations Everywhere. The person who answered the phone had seen the news conference and knew immediately who Jeffery was. She asked him to hold on for a moment and less than a minute later, Jeffery was speaking to the owner of the company.

  “Hello Mr. Whitestone, my name is Martin Dressler. How may I help you?”

  “I’m looking for someone who can manage the operation of Procolt Paradise on Earth. I need a company that can handle the reservations, personnel requirements, and supply shipments. Do you think Vacations Everywhere can do that for me?”

  “We’re doing that now for more than one hundred resorts. I’m sure we’re capable of handling your needs for Procolt Paradise. Obviously, there will be some differences since travel to your resort is substantially more complicated, but all we need is a plan to solve the transportation problem.”

  “Mr. Dressler, I would like to meet with you to discuss this in person. When would it be convenient to do that?”

  “Please call me Martin. Our office is in New York, but I know you’re in Florida. I could come there the day after tomorrow with my director of operations. Would that work for you?”

  “That would be perfect. If you fly into Orlando, I’ll pick you up.”

  “I have my own transportation. If you can get me permission, I can fly to NASA headquarters.”

  “I’m certain I can arrange that. I’ll call you again in a half hour.”

  “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  Jeffery called Max and made the arrangements for Martin to land at NASA headquarters. He set it up for 1:00 p.m. and called Martin to give him the information. Two days later, Jeffery and Debbie met Martin and Valarie, his operations director, as they stepped off their shuttle. Jeffery took them to Brandon’s house. They spent the next several hours discussing what was needed on Earth for Procolt Paradise. The key part of the operation was the retrofit of Jeffery’s ship to utilize the new systems. Once that was completed, they would begin regular weekly service between Procolt Paradise and Earth. They agreed to a commission plan to compensate Vacations Everywhere for the work they were going to do. Jeffery and Debbie took Martin and Valarie back to their shuttle.

  Once they were back at Brandon’s house, they felt a sense of relief. Now all they had to do was wait until the work on the Star Explorer was completed. Three weeks later, the Star Explorer was ready. During that time, Vacations Everywhere had selected one hundred and six people for the available positions on Procolt Paradise. Jeffery had asked that preference be given to families where both the husband and wife could work. Ninety-two of the positions were filled that way. The remaining fourteen positions were filled by single people who would share apartments.

  Jeffery wanted to get his employees to Procolt 2 as soon as possible. He knew the Star Explorer would be going to Procolt 2 as part of the test and he wondered if Max would allow him to take his employees on the maiden voyage. If he didn’t approve this plan, it would mean they would have to wait until his current ship was ready and then he could only take five at a time.

  The other possibility was to wait for his new ship, take the employees to Procolt 2, and then bring the ship back to Earth for the retrofit. That trip alone would take two months. He called Max and made his request. Max told him he would have to discuss it with the board. If they approved, everyone would have to sign agreements releasing NASA from any liability if there was a problem.

  Two days later, Jeffery and Debbie were scheduled for the initial test of the Star Explorer. They went to the space station the night before and a shuttle took them to the new ship early that morning. The design of the Star Explorer was similar to the Star Rover. It was thirty percent larger, but once aboard everything looked familiar. Jeffery and Debbie had spent some time studying the new systems and they were anxious to try out what they learned. That would happen today. NASA assigned a navigator for the test flights. She was already on the bridge when Jeffery and Debbie came in.

  “Good morning, Admiral and Captain Whitestone. I’m Lieutenant Harris, your navigations specialist for the test flights.”

  “Good morning, Lieutenant Harris. I’m no longer an admiral and Debbie is no longer a captain since we resigned from NASA. Please call us Jeffery and Debbie.”

  “Actually, that’s not correct, sir. You were both reinstated at midnight.”

  Jeffery was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t even thought about that. Then he smiled and replied, “Okay, Lieutenant. But you can still call us Jeffery and Debbie. I assume you’ve been thoroughly trained on the new systems?”

  “I received personal training from S12, sir. She’s really quite remarkable.”

  “I know that. I was expecting her to be here for the test flight to Procolt 2. Do you know when they are expected to be back?”

  “Yes, sir. They’re scheduled to leave Coplent in two days, so they should be back here in four days. To be honest, I’d be more comfortable with her aboard. She knows the systems far better than anyone else.”

  “I think we can delay the long test until S12 is available. I’ll speak to Max about it.”

  An hour later, they were ready to begin the short test. Jeffery manually moved the Star Explorer away from the space station and pointed it toward empty space. Lieutenant Harris programmed the navigation system for a fifteen-second flight.

  “All systems go, sir,” Lieutenant Harris said.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  The external screens blurred for a few seconds and then showed
the stars moving rapidly across them. There was no sense of movement at all. When the tachyon field collapsed the Star Explorer stopped, but again there was no sense of movement. The only way to tell if the ship was moving was to look at the external monitors.

  Lieutenant Harris checked the location the ship with the navigation system. The Star Explorer was now twenty-eight billion miles from Earth. In the monitors, the sun was the brightest object that could be seen, but it was little more than a dot.

  Jeffery contacted NASA. “NASA Command. This is the Star Explorer. After a fifteen-second trip, we’re twenty-eight billion miles from Earth. The propulsion and navigation systems functioned as expected. Over.”

  A few seconds later, a surprising response was received. “Star Explorer, please run another test. This time allow the propulsion system to run for one hour. Note your position relative to Earth and return to the space station.”

  “Okay NASA. We’ll contact you when we get back to the solar system.”

  “Good luck and Godspeed, Star Explorer.”

  “That was unexpected. Lieutenant Harris, please find a nice empty spot in space and punch it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  An hour later, they found themselves more than a light year from Earth. Lieutenant Harris took some readings from the navigation system and programmed it to bring them back to Earth.

  After another hour, they were a few thousand miles from the space station.

  Jeffery contacted NASA again. “NASA Command. Just wanted to say, hi everyone. We have returned. No problems at all.”

  “Hi Jeffery, it’s Max. After you get back to the station please take the first shuttle back. I want to meet with you and Debbie.”