“Back... stop,” he commanded his favorite reclining armchair. “Computer, any message today from Captain Mull on the Lydia.”
A soft female voice spoke from the nonspecific source that characterized the household computer message system. “Affirmative,” the computer replied.
“Replay message.”
“Mr. Young, the refit will be complete in two standard days. The Lydia will leave space dry dock at that time and will be in a fully operational condition. One last minute thing the contractor has to know is where you want the basketball hoop, on the recreation, or the observation deck. He said that you were still trying to decide when he last talked with you. End of message.”
“Message to Captain Mull on the Lydia. Basketball hoop to go on the observation deck.” It was the most difficult decision Jim had had to make all day. He finally concluded that a game of one on one with the boys would be nicer under the stars. “Any more messages?”
“Affirmative, two more messages.”
“Replay number one.”
“Mr... ah... Young,” said a hesitant male voice. “I... ah... may as well get straight to the point. I... ah... think that I am the reincarnation of one of your United States Presidents. I... ah... need someone to confirm this. As you lived at that time and probably heard him many times on the T.V., I thought that you may recognize the voice. I will give you a sample...” The speaker paused to clear his throat. “Ask not what your country can do for you but...”
“Stop,” Jim ordered while shaking his head. A recent fad of belief in reincarnation had brought many such calls. People had called him for confirmation that they had at one time been people ranging from Sadam Hussein to Jim’s own mother.
Jim very much doubted the sincerity of the latter. The caller ended the message by requesting that Jim comply with his sonly duties and send her a quantity of money so that she may more fully enjoy her latter years.
Even though the majority seemed to be genuine, it was still an annoyance.
“Computer,” Jim said. “From now on disconnect receipt of call if the sender mentions the word reincarnation or any close variation. Who sent message two?”
“Affirmative, sender Dr. Talin Redmond.”
“Play message,” Jim commanded with relief.
“Jim,” the voice of the Doctor said. “Earl’s now in the hospital undergoing the acclimatization procedure. They say it will take about four days. No problems are expected. Drop in here as soon as you can, there’s another matter I have to talk to you about which we can not discuss over the air. End message.”
“Message to Dr. Redmond, will come to the lab this evening. Chris asked me if I’d explain the social implications of an article in the magazine Levin found under the seat of the bulldozer. See you then. End message.”
Carol walked into the room and sat heavily on Jim’s lap. “What’s been going on since I left this morning, anything new?”
“I’ve been arguing with Karla.”
“That’s not new.”
“Sam’s been arguing with the household computer.”
“That’s not new.”
“You’re putting on weight.”
“That’s a lie!” she said, slapping him on the upper arm. “I haven’t put on a gram since we met.”
Then it must be a shift in the gravity on this planet,” Jim said, giving her a squeeze.
Carol lightly pushed him away. “I will forgive you for the insult as long as you never again call me what you did last night.”
“What, goochy cuddles kissy face, what’s wrong with that?” Jim asked sounding offended.
“It may have been a romantic affectation back on Old Earth but now it sounds quite nauseating.”
Jim simulated a hurt expression while trying not to smile. He loved to play a game based on the current lack of knowledge of details about twenty first century culture. He wasn’t going to tell her that the name made him slightly nauseous as well. “Doc Redmond called. He needs me at the lab this evening,” Jim rested his head on Carol’s shoulder. “ Doc’s trying to be mysterious.”
“It gives you a bit of extra interest. I can’t wait to get going on the Lydia; you’ve been acting rather bored lately.”
“Well, it was more exciting when Brother Anthony was chasing me around the galaxy with homicidal intent. Ducking laser beams everywhere I turned did put a little zip in my life.”
Carol pursed her lips and leaned back observing Jim down the length of her slender nose. “Instead of that why don’t you chase me around the house with lascivious intent?”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll try it anyway. Karla moves into her own place tomorrow and Sam’s moving the day after. All we have to do now is sell the boys and we can lascivate any time we like.”
“Oh, we can’t do that. I sort of like to have the boys around.”
Jim frowned. “Who do you want to marry, them or me?”
“I thought I was kind of marrying into the whole family.”
Months ago Jim’s fear that his two sons wouldn’t get along with Carol dissolved at their first meeting. It was a bilateral love at first sight. She had such a way with children that Jim wondered why she waited until she was thirty five to consider marriage. The average age of people getting married in this time was the late twenties.
She had moved into the house shortly after their return from the planet La Raza. Even though Jim insisted that he had sufficient money and that a second income was totally unnecessary, she had gotten a job as a communications engineer at a local 3V station. He tried to suppress it, but he couldn’t help a slight feeling of jealousy over the fact that she had a specific function in life. All he did was sit back while people threw money at him.
The quest for a profession or trade he’d like to learn frequently occupied his thoughts. For now, he was trying to satisfy his desires by taking the same school courses as his oldest son. Even though he was only a few credits short of a bachelors degree on Old Earth, that was roughly equivalent to the level the average twelve year old would have attained in this time. In the realm of physics he had reached the basic understandings of the theory of relativity. He now had to deal with the unified field theory, the gravitonics theory, and the latest, the inertial space theory with its promise of inter-dimensional travel still far in the future.
“Well,” Jim said, “it’s about time I started to get ready to go see Doc. I’ll have something to eat on the way.”
Chapter 2
It was nearing the end of another beautiful day as Pollux, Batalavia’s sun, approached the horizon. Jim climbed into his transit, a small personal vehicle that floated centimeters from the ground on a cushion of electrostatic force.
A household autoserve followed him carrying a tray containing his evening meal. The relaxed style of transportation was well suited for dining. In his former time, eating while on the way somewhere was reserved for the workaholic, stomach ulcer set. Now, it seemed a pleasant thing to do. It was sort of like old style train travel; sitting in a dining car while watching the countryside go by.
“University Lab,” Jim commanded and the transit rose then slowly accelerated down the driveway. He leaned back and relaxed, confidant that the city’s main computer system would guide the driverless vehicle to his destination. Its top speed was near four hundred kilometers per hour, but that could only be attained in the underground system of express tubes. It took about half an hour to travel the hundred and fifty kilometer distance to the university and the lab.
Jim no longer panicked over the fact that he was not in control of the speeding vehicle. The occasional vehicle that missed his by a few meters, and blind intersections crossed without slowing, no longer seemed hazardous. He had developed a trust in the city computer’s ability to keep him safe. He was now quite relaxed as he casually watched the passing scenery. He stretched out his legs, slowly eating his meal.
“Music,” he commanded as he entered the express tube, “random selection.”
&
nbsp; * * *
“Hey Levin, what’s doing?” was Jim’s greeting to Levin Simmons, the chief electronics engineer and technical historian on Dr. Redmond’s staff.
“Doing? Well, what I’m doing is a detailed trace of that bulldozer’s electrical system. It’s most interesting.”
Levin enthusiastic tone showed that he had found some fact or thing that enthralled him, so Jim stood politely listening.
“There was one object I found in the circuitry next to the carburetor. At first I thought it was a capacitor. But, then I remembered that capacitors were not widely used on machinery of that time. So I ran a small current through it and heard a click. You’ll never guess what it was.”
“I wouldn’t have a clue, Levin,” Jim said, trying not to sound aggravated.
“Ah, so you want another clue?” Levin asked, beaming with delight. Jim was still having trouble dealing with minor changes in the language over the past two thousand years. As a result, he was occasionally misunderstood.
“Is it bigger than a bread box?” Jim asked.
“Bread box? One moment, I have to look that up in your twentieth century encyclopedia.” He raised the data pad in his left hand and made an entry.
“Bread box, ah... early twentieth century kitchen receptacle. There’s a picture of one.” He paused for a moment examining the pad. “No,” Levin announced with conviction. “I can honestly say it is much smaller than a bread...”
“No Levin, just tell me what it was,” Jim said, trying not to sound too caustic. “The suspense is killing me.”
“It was a small solenoid switch,” announced Levin who grinned and waited for a reaction.
“Ah.. yes.. I’m very happy for you Levin. Where’s Doc at the moment?”
“He’s in the number two control room. I thought it was quite amusing that I thought that a solenoid was a capacitor. It’s not usual that I make such a drastic error.” The last sentence was spoken to Jim’s back as he walked down the hall.
“I’m sure you won’t make that mistake again,” Jim said over his shoulder.
At the end of a long hallway a door slid open as Jim approached. As he entered, Dr. Redmond looked up from a data pad he was reading. The room was esthetically pleasing as the numerous scientific monitors intentionally blended with the decorative pictures that complemented the wall colorings.
“Doc, have they got a class at this university in basic humor?”
“Ah.. yes, I believe so. Why? Do you want to take one?”
“No, it’s for Levin. His idea of humor’s about as funny as a rectal exam.”
Redmond chuckled gesturing toward two vacant seats at the other end of the room. “He’s the best electronics historian and restoration expert at the university. If you think it’ll help, I’ll suggest it to him, but I do not think that he’ll get the joke.”
Redmond spoke in the style of a city educated man. He, by habit, never made a contraction with the word ‘not’. Jim had never once heard him say ‘don’t’ or ‘isn’t’. He was told that the custom came from generations before, when people had to talk to early voice computers that had a limited vocabulary.
They both sat facing each other. Jim suddenly remembered the message, one of the two reasons he had for being there.
“So, what’s it that you wanted to see me about?”
“A message from the past,” the doctor stated.
“Ok, I’ll bite, who’s it addressed to?” Jim asked, waiting for the punch line of an expected joke.
“I believe it’s a ‘to whom it may concern’. It was only sent ninety years ago. The Hemsly deep space mission intercepted it yesterday. It was carried by an old style laser beam communications system and directed toward Earth.”
“Ah… what did it say?” Jim asked, realizing that the doctor was serious.
“It was a very simple message. It announced that they had arrived.”
“Doc,” Jim said in mild frustration, “getting a full story from you is like pulling teeth. It reminds me of my ex-wife. Could you explain everything, preferably in one breath?”
“Pulling teeth?” Redmond asked, slightly confused. As dental problems in modern times were virtually unknown, the analogy was obviously hard to grasp. “I think I see what you mean. I’ve been told that before but not exactly in that way. I like a build up for the dramatic effect.”
“Ok Doc,” Jim said in a serious tone. “Who has arrived and where?”
“It was a colony ship from Old Earth. Must’ve left almost two thousand years ago and just found itself a new home. A longer time than first anticipated was not unusual in the early days of the Exodus. The ships were given a primary destination, then a series of backups in case the primary was unsuitable. The last ship to arrive, that we know of, took five hundred years. It had investigated three other planets before finding one suitable for habitation.”
“So...” Jim paused for a moment to digest the information. “The ship that sent the message is now somewhere out there full of two thousand year old colonists. Wouldn’t they all be dead by now? I know the old ships didn’t have facilities for the production of descendants.”
“I’ve never heard it put quite that way before,” said Redmond chuckling to himself. “You’re correct of course, but the chances are that most are still alive. Cryogenics was a primitive science at the time but it still worked. This afternoon I held a conference with several experts in the field. They all agree that finding live humans on the ship is not just possible it’s probable.”
Jim raised an eyebrow. The thought of more people having survived the death of Earth pleased him. “So, is the Commonwealth government sending an expedition to contact the new colony?”
“No, not for a while at least. The possibility of armed conflict between the Bund and the Japanese is taxing their resources to the limit. As we speak, the three major fleets are converging on the disputed system. That’s why they called me to see if the university would mount an expedition. After all, we do have some experience at liaison with... ah...”
“Primitive barbarians?” Jim asked, pretending to be annoyed. There were few people in the galaxy who could imply that Jim’s former time was populated by a lower class of human without aggravating him. The doctor was one of them.
“No, the term would be: ‘less technologically advanced’.”
“Ah ha, nicely put there Doc,” Jim said with a broad grin. “So, you’re going there to introduce them to modern civilization. When do you leave?”
The doctor’s expression changed to one of depressed resignation. “No, the university budget can not afford it either. We have to go elsewhere for backing. Do you have any suggestions?”
Jim sat for a few seconds trying to conceal a smile. “So, we need someone with a ship capable of making the trip; something like the Lydia. That person has to have quite a financial backing; similar to mine. Finally, the person has to be acquainted with the culture that existed two thousand years ago... No... Can’t think of anyone. Looks like I’ll have to go.”
“Ah,” the doctor said. “I knew you’d come up with a solution. I never would have thought of that myself. The next task is to select a team. You do not need many experts with you; the ones you take should be of a more practical than theoretical background. They can consult with anyone at any time by V phone. So I’d suggest people that you’d feel comfortable having along. Chris is a sociologist, I’m sure he’d love to go. He’s also waiting in the lounge for you to ask him...”
“Computer, immediate message to Chris Brevis. Pack your bags and bring your wife too, she’s our biologist. End message.”
Redmond clapped his hands. “Good idea, a bio lab tech can teach the hands on procedures better than a research scientist.”
“What about taking a group of university students? I’m sure they’d like the experience.”
“The ship would have old style threaded nuts and bolts,” Redmond chuckled. “Which direction do you turn a bolt to loosen it?”
“Uh
… Counterclockwise.”
“A modern university student would not know which way that was. All clocks now are digital.”
“Got it,” Jim chuckled.
“Now for an agronomist.”
“How about a farmer?”
“Better still, any in mind?”
“One, if we can keep him sober long enough.”
“Next, someone who has first hand experience at Old Earth electronics and machinery and can adapt theirs to complement the newer technology.”
“As long as Levin refrains from telling jokes while dancing on a table with a lamp shade on his head.”
Redmond raised one eyebrow. “A what on his head?”
“Next time you come over to dinner I’ll demonstrate. I have to get one of mine from the university museum first.”
“I’ll look forward to the experience,” Redmond replied tentatively. “But first, I have to inform you that Earl volunteered before he went under anesthetic. You need as many people who know what a lampshade is, and the direction of clockwise, as possible. I suggest you ask Karla...”
Jim’s expression suddenly became gloomy. “Why Karla?”
“Literature Jim,” Redmond said. “As strange as it may seem, she’s the galaxy’s leading expert on Old Earth literature. You need her to salvage what she can from the ship’s databases and the colonists themselves. They do speak English. We know that from the transmission.”
Jim shook his head.
“What’s the problem?” Redmond asked.
“Karla and Earl? Their origins aren’t exactly compatible. I’ll have to be careful if I take them. Sam is definitely out of the question. He has arguments with the modern lawn furniture.”
“Agreed, but there are two that you have to take along. Dr. Chin and an assistant. He believes he can decontaminate the colonists while they’re still in their cryogenic chambers.”
“Cryogenic chambers?” Jim said in surprise. “But it’s been ninety years since they got there. They should’ve been on the planet forty years by now.”
To Wake the Living (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 2) Page 3
