Travels of the Orphan (The Space Orphan Book 3)

by Laer Carroll

  City center with its Earth and Cat hotels across Main Street from each other was a little over a mile away, so the trip took just a few minutes. Everyone was silent, the Cat's focused on the city and the humans on the Cats, though they tried to watch the aliens discreetly.

  At the Cat hotel everyone exited the bus and walked into the tall building.

  Jane noticed that the temperature of the air inside was about halfway between the comfortable temp of humans and of Cats. She commented on this.

  Elizabeth said, "That's standard for the public spaces of establishments catering to both species. Our individual rooms will tailor themselves to whatever their occupants feel most comfortable.

  "I suggest we get our first joint meeting out of the way before my party settles in."

  Jane said, "Agreed."

  Everyone followed Elizabeth to a large conference room. Inside it was a long oval table with bench seats for Cats on one side and human seats on the other. Elizabeth chose a Cat seat at the end closest to the entrance. Jane took the human seat opposite her.

  Elizabeth said, "I'm here only to introduce the leader of those who will take up residence on this planet. Then I, and if she agrees, Colonel Kuznetsov will take our leave of you."

  Jane said, "Makes sense to me. You and I are just bus drivers. Our job is done and we have other matters to attend to."

  "Good. Here beside me--" She nodded at the Cat to her left, a female in a gleaming blue spacesuit. "--is Vita. She has a distinguished career as a manager going back well over a century. The city's web site has been updated with her resumé and that of the other members of the Cat managerial team. You may want to read it when you can find the time."

  "And beside me--" Jane said, nodding to her right. "--is Dr. Victoria Haskell. She is the head of the Martian Explorations Group, so she and her people are the ones you need to go to for any concerns with cooperation with the human inhabitants of Cat City on Mars."

  The blue-suited Cat said, "Thank you, Elizabeth, Jane. Dr. Haskell, it's a pleasure to meet you and your colleagues. I hope we can have a long and happy relationship."

  Haskell said, "I and mine will certainly work toward that. My office is right across the street next to the human hotel. You and yours are welcome to come visit any time, though of course the communications net of the city is very efficient."

  "That sounds like a sensible arrangement. I'll set up shop in the office building next to the hotel as you have done, and I extend the same invitation to visit as you have done.

  "Now perhaps we could let our good 'bus drivers' get back to their duties while we set up some initial guidelines for cooperation."

  Haskell agreed with the Cat and Jane and Elizabeth made their courtesies and left the room.

  Jane said, "That seemed to go well. How long do you think it will take to get your passengers off-loaded?"

  "When your managers give the go-ahead we could do it in a few hours in an emergency. However, the schedule I've worked up with Vita and her staff calls for a week to make an orderly transfer."

  "Then we'll be on the way to the Moon?"

  The Cat agreed and they left the hotel for the still-waiting bus.

  <>

  What with preliminaries and after-action business it was three weeks before the two spacecraft lifted from Mars.

  In that time much took place. The 2000 or so Cat adults and 200 or so Cat youngsters settled in. Elizabeth and her business staff, with Haskell's approval, began long-distance discussions and negotiations with several Earth corporations to form partnerships. Among them was a big Earth communication corporation which wanted to establish a network of communications satellites around Mars.

  After agreements the first part of the job took only a few hours. S-347 chewed up a few tons of Martian sand and transmuted it into several dozen satellites. One of its shuttles launched them and a Cat arm of the MarsSat Division of the corporation took over management of them.

  When the network went live there came Elizabeth's "threat" to unleash Cat children on Earth's social networks. The "kits" were eager to explore Mars and had already begun to go out in groups of a dozen accompanied by a couple of adults to roam the surface of the planet. This included the big crater beside Mars Cat City.

  They carried virtual-reality / augmented-reality cameras and set up study groups with Earth educational institutions to share their experiences. Thousands of human children joined the exploration program. It was one of the biggest social trends among younger and soon older humans.

  With the establishment of an ultra-high-bandwidth comm system around Mars with connections to Earth Jane took advantage of it to talk to Phil through their vears. It was a comfort to do so, but also frustrating. They could seem to be sitting across from or beside each other but could not touch.

  Finally S-347 was empty of Mars colonists and it could embark on it next stop: Earth's Moon.

  <>

  Earth was on the opposite side of the Sun so the two spacecraft dove down toward that stellar furnace, passing across Mercury's orbit. Constellation unfurled heat radiator panels to get rid of heat from the solar glare and tumbled slowly to even out the absorption of light from the Sun.

  Elizabeth offered to interpose S-347 between Constellation and the Sun. Jane told her she would accept the offer at the slightest sign her ship was not handling the heating situation as it should. However she wanted to test Constellation's design when she did have help near at hand. Better to find out now if there were problems in the design or the implementation of that design.

  There were none. Constellation's heat management system worked perfectly. This was no surprise to Jane; she had designed it while a superhuman cyborg. SHE almost never made the tiniest mistake.

  The transit to Earth took two days. In the middle of the day watch Earth and the Moon swam out of the blackness of space to greet Constellation. Jane had Constellation land near Space City. S-347 accompanied her down but stayed floating a hundred yards above the surface. One of its shuttles grounded nearby.

  Jane and an entourage met Elizabeth with a like entourage at the nearest entrance to Space City. They were admitted to the city where they met a number of dignitaries eager to meet the Cats. They offered to conduct the meetings in chambers tailored to the chill and low air pressure Cats favored. Elizabeth, however, refused.

  "All of us, not just my crew but the hopeful Moon colonists, were gene-modified to feel at home in human environments as well as our own. And in any case our attire is easily able to protect unmodified Cats even in the hot atmosphere that Lizards prefer."

  The Lunar representative said, "Do you deal much with Lizards?"

  "Oh my yes. They are good customers for some of our products, and vice versa."

  As on Mars Elizabeth and Jane acted as "bus drivers" who got Cat colonists in contact with Earth officials and business representatives then butted out.

  Within a week the 1400 Cat colonists who wanted to found homes in Space City and moved into them.

  Before they did so Jane was happy to find that Phil had come to Space City specifically to talk with Cats who wanted to get closely involved with Quidditch games. While his days were spent conferring with the Cats his evenings and nights were free to spend time with Jane.

  Jane moved into his hotel suite for the two weeks that Constellation was on the Moon. She spent her days aboard her spaceship and her nights with him. She also allowed Constellation personnel to take leave in Space City.

  At the end of the two weeks she moved back into Constellation and regretfully accompanied S-347 to near-Earth orbit. The alien spaceship parked near the World Space Station, newly christened by PR people Space City. Soon business people, Cats and humans, were regularly commuting between the orbiting hotel and S-347.

  Jane kept Constellation near the alien spacecraft for three days. Then she said her farewells to Elizabeth and Thelonius and took Constellation down to Colorado Springs. Her escort service was done. She had other matters to deal with.

&
nbsp; Chapter 10 - FTL

  The day after Constellation returned to Earth Jane met with her boss in the Space Force, Brigadier General Hester Willoughby. After they'd exchanged military courtesies the general said, "Sit, Colonel. Tell me about the two matters you said you wanted to discuss in your meeting request."

  Jane sat in one of the three chairs in front of her boss's desk, lifted her briefcase onto her lap, and took out two folders. She stood briefly to place them onto the General's desk, then regained her seat.

  The woman picked up the two folders, glanced inside at the title page of each report, and set them back on her desk. She leaned back and waited for Jane to enlighten her about them.

  Jane said, "You'll recall from the periodic reports I sent you during Cat escort duty that at Bastet the Cat spaceship went into hyperspace-3 twice, to get into then out of the hollow space in the asteroid.

  "Each time Constellation's instruments took readings in several ways of the dive into hyperspace and resurfacing into normal space. I've been studying that information and I've concluded that I understand the process well enough to duplicate it. For H-1 at least. The faster H-3 or H-2 universes take too much energy to get into.

  "What I'd like to do now is to build some small-scale prototypes which we can use to test out my theories, then build a full-sized prototype able to transport people at faster-than-light speeds. The detailed proposal is in the first folder."

  "I saw the title page of that proposal. I'll have to study the material, of course, before I can give you my decision on the project. And the second proposal?"

  "I'll be unable to use Constellation on the FTL project. Even if I could, it's too capable a vehicle to devote exclusively to the project. It should be carrying out other duties.

  "Consequently I suggest you promote Major Lopez and assign her command of Constellation. She knows the craft inside and out, knows and has good relationships with its crew, and is a fine officer. The folder includes my formal evaluation of her."

  "I'll certainly give both proposals my full attention. Thank you for coming in, Colonel."

  The general stood, so Jane was forced to. As she left she wondered if the briefness of the meeting and the general's less-than-enthusiastic response to her presentation meant that her boss had lost faith in her. Or if there was too much competition for the limited budget of the research arm of the Space Force to approve Jane's proposals.

  Consequently she made alternate plans. These included resigning the Space Force and setting up her own corporation to do FTL research. She could afford it. By now she was a billionaire several times over.

  And if she resigned would Lopez lose her career momentum? It had happened to the woman before.

  Well, in that case, Lopez would be one of the first people hired by her corporation.

  <>

  As she waited, none too patiently, for a Yes/No on her proposals Jane put Constellation through a rigorous service and renovation program. Her latest evaluation while in cyborg mode had revealed several areas that needed fixing or improving, and she wanted Lopez (if she inherited command of Constellation) to start her tenure as captain with a practically new vehicle.

  Three weeks went by. Jane made time to spend with Phil and the Kuznetsovs and with Natalie and her family. Some of her time with Phil involved dressing up and going to parties which were as much business as routine networking. High on the topics discussed at these faux-leisure events was how Cats would change the infant Quidditch sports league. At these discussions Jane was very popular as she was the first human to meet and spend time with the aliens.

  As she was getting ready for bed Sunday back at Colorado Springs at the end of those three weeks she got a text from General Willoughby.

  Good news. Both proposals approved. Meet me with Major Lopez in my office at 10:00 this Monday morning. Dress is formal.

  Attached was a copy of a text message to Lopez to meet with her and Jane at that time.

  <>

  Jane and Marishka had quarters close to each other and so were picked up by the same vehicle. They arrived at the general's office a little early and, instead of waiting for the exact hour, were immediately shown in by their boss's receptionist.

  It was instantly obvious that something unusual was up. The general's executive officer, Colonel Kimberly Liu, was present. So was a photographer.

  Jane and Lopez made their military courtesies to the general and were asked to sit. They did so.

  "Colonel Kuznetsov, we have a research project that we need you to head up. Major Lopez, we're going to need someone to take the Colonel's place on Constellation. Think you'd be up to the job?"

  Lopez may have blinked at the question but had no problem answering it.

  "If you're asking me if I can replace the Colonel, my answer is no. No one can. But to command Constellation? Of course. If for no other reason than that the Colonel has made sure I'm trained up to it."

  The general smiled.

  "I'm glad to hear it. I'd hate to have to return these." She held up a little white box opened to reveal the silver oak leaves of a lieutenant colonel's insignia.

  She stood and pushed her chair a distance behind her. Liu moved out of the back corner of the general's office to stand behind the general's desk with Willoughby.

  "If you'll join us Colonel Lopez, we'll let this nice photographer take a few photos and get on with his next job."

  Lopez rose and looked at Jane who stood also and smiled and nodded to her. Then she walked around behind the desk to take up a place between the general and Liu.

  The general said a few words of congratulation and then she and her exec replaced the gold oak leaves with silver ones on the epaulettes on Lopez's suit coat.

  Lastly the general and her exec shook hands with Lopez and dismissed her and Jane.

  Outside the office Lopez stopped and turned to Jane.

  "Did you know about this?"

  "I got a text message last night that notified me of the meeting and included a remark that gave me a heads up."

  "And this research project? Did you by any chance conceive of it?"

  "Yes. I got the idea from observing the Cat spaceship and other clues. So I proposed a project and submitted a proposal. I was happy when I found out that I can work on it. But a bit sad that I'd have to give up Constellation. A silver lining is that there was available the perfect person to keep her safe."

  "Well, I'm glad that person was me. I owe you big for this."

  "I'll be ruthless in calling in a favor some day, so don't get too happy. Besides, I didn't get you to be my exec and successor to be nice. I needed the best person for the job, and I was lucky that the rest of the service was too short-sighted to see your potential. Now let's get back to work. There's a lot to do to before I can get my project up and running."

  "Aye, aye, captain," said Lopez with a grin.

  <>

  "Work" included conferring with Willoughby about the faster-than-light project, installing Lopez in command of Constellation, and moving from Colorado Springs back to Pasadena.

  As part of the move Jane bought a house in the hills overlooking NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the world famous Rose Bowl and its huge outdoor athletic stadium. The house was too big for one person, a little too ultramodern for her taste, but had a living room with a huge picture window with a great view of the Rose Bowl. It also had a great view of the full Moon each month, an image she loved.

  Phil insisted it was a great venue for entertaining and coaxed her to do so.

  "You're getting up in the stratosphere of celebrity. I know you just care for the work, but to get your projects OK'd and funded you need to use that celebrity. I know you hate to take time away from your projects but this IS part of making them real."

  Consequently every other weekend or so she hosted a party at her home, first just a few small ones with people from CalTech and JPL and her family and that of Natalie. Then they grew larger, often with some of Phil's entertainment and sports celebs an
d execs. When they became too large she had the parking lot enlarged and the tennis courts and swimming pool refurbished to handle the spillover crowd.

  When her neighbors complained she hired a party planner, off-duty Pasadena police as security, and (most importantly) invited all her neighbors to attend any of the parties. This silenced them; they became partisans. They got to see and even meet some of the famous people they'd only viewed on TV or read about in blogazines.

  One of the biggest attractions for her parties is that often two or more Cats attended. LA had acquired a small contingent of them. They bought an apartment building in Venice Beach just half a mile from the ocean and just south of Santa Monica. They renovated it for their comfort and on any day, especially weekends, they could be seen out and about at art galleries and curios shops buying arts and crafts. They frequented the Venice Beach Boardwalk and bought often. They claimed that their society's ability to transmute air and earth into anything made one-of-a-kind handmade items worth fortunes on Cat planets.

  The small pockets of Cat haters had threatened them the first few times they'd appeared in public. Cats viewed them with fascination and took videos of the haters, engaging them in conversation if possible. Their actions converted a few of them to friends, and any attempts to hurt them were watched with amusement. They had very smart and adaptable invisible personal force fields which protected them and anyone in their immediate company.

  <>

  The Economist - "Catanomics" at Year Two

  I met with Professor Dario Romano of Bocconi University, Milan, in Paris while he was attending the World Economic Forum. Over croissants and hot chocolate at a café near the Eiffel Tower we discussed his latest book, "Catanomics: A Study of the Effects of Cat Centaurs on the World."

  Economist - What is the central thesis of your book, Professor? Or is there one?

  Romano - There are several lessons to be learned from how the Cats, to use the popular term, have interacted in the two years since they appeared in this solar system.