Freddie dropped his head back onto the pillow, facing away from Fern. Had he been his normal self, he, too, would not have desired Fern to leave so soon. He listened to the rustle of clothes and waited a moment or two before turning his head. Fern was adjusting her red and gold robe. “Rain check?” he suggested, eyes twinkling.
“Oh, definitely.” Fern made the final adjustment to her robe and straightened the bed. “For now, the doctors’ orders are rest. The full team will invade shortly, for all kinds of tests and checks. Here’s a gown, if you want to shower first—the en-suite is there. Here are PJs so you won’t frighten the nurses.” Fern opened a drawer in a small closet and extracted a pair of pyjamas, handing them to Freddie. She checked her watch. “Breakfast will arrive in about thirty minutes. Push the button on the table if you need anything. I have to report to Dr. Krowe. I’ll be back, though, to make sure you are being cared for.” She smiled her promise and closed the door softly as she left the room.
Freddie quickly showered. At first he felt unsteady, and gradually grew more confident as he moved around. The pyjamas were a reasonable fit. He was sitting back in bed when the door chimed. He looked up as a trolley was pushed through the doorway.
“It’s breakfast, whether you are ready or not,” advised the trolley-pusher. She was, to Freddie’s startlement, identical to Fern in appearance, although she appeared to be a lot younger. “Hi. Fern said you would be showered and dressed by now.” She ignored Freddie’s bemused expression as she moved the trolley into the room.
“You’re another Fern?’ He asked, as the newcomer laid out a very large and typical English breakfast on the table beside his bed. He was trying to resolve the look-alike Fern question while, at the same time, fighting the temptation of eggs, bacon, baked beans, fried tomato, toast—his mouth watered.
“What? Oh no, I’m Adele 25. I’m from a later batch—we’re smarter. Here, I’ll help you with your robe. Now sit and eat your breakfast, you will need lots of energy to cope with the medical team.” Her matter of fact statement as well as the offer of breakfast distracted him. He sighed. Another question to pursue with Fern. Fern 3, he recalled.
A scratching sound at the door added to his distraction while he sat at the table. Adele raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Freddie nodded. She opened the door and two very energetic and concerned sabre tigers bounded into the room.
“Engineer, we were worried,” proclaimed Sabre as he skidded to a stop. Felis sat beside Freddie and purred.
“I gave you some extra bacon slices,” advised Adele. “I expected they would visit.”
Freddie sighed and lifted a bacon slice for each of the two sabre tigers. Their acceptance of the treat was exquisitely polite. The slices disappeared very quickly and Sabre looked inquiringly at Freddie.
“No, one slice each, I told you,” scolded Adele. “Now leave Engineer be, he needs to finish his breakfast and then get ready for the medical team.”
‘All Adelesss are bosssy, too,” complained Sabre. ‘Mussst be DNA thing. Sssabre will complain to Dr. Krowe, maybe he can fix next batch.”
“Shoo, scat, get out of here,” said Adele and both sabres left, if somewhat begrudgingly, their tails twitching.
“Come back after the doctors are finished,” called Freddie as the door closed.
“You encourage them, Engineer,” commented Adele as she removed the breakfast dishes. “I’ll leave your coffee. The medical team will be here in minutes.”
Freddie’s morning was exhausting. For someone instructed to rest, he thought, it was a very wearing time. The medical team was led by the two doctors who had treated him for his broken arm after the missile attack on the Rat Embassy. The team also included a poisons expert and a psychologist with two assistants. The tests were exhaustive. His vital signs were repeatedly checked. His vision was checked. His short and long term memory recall processes were checked. His reactions were checked. Then he was subjected to a battery of computer-based problem solving and intelligence measuring questions. At last he protested.
“Doctors, please. Enough. I’ve either passed or failed. I think if I had failed, you would not be here. So I’ve passed your tests. The only question is to what extent I have passed?”
“Yes, yes. You’ve passed. To what extent? Dr. Abrahams, what do you think?” The Rat doctor was deferring to his human companion.
“Dr. Bay, you are far more experienced than I—”
“Yes, I know, I know,” he brushed the ranking aside. “However, Dr. Krowe will give us both a thorough test of our own and I want to ensure we’re in agreement.”
Dr. Abrahams turned to the poison specialist. “Dr. Fields, what do you think?”
“Hmmm. A surprisingly complete recovery. Given the degree of organophosphorous contamination we saw yesterday, I suspect the product had substantially degraded through storage. You, Dr. Jones, were very fortunate, very fortunate indeed.”
“Agree,” affirmed Dr. Abrahams. “All physical signs are normal, and both visual and mental acuity are exceptional.”
“This accords with my opinion, as well,” concluded Dr. Bay. “Very well, I think we can let our patient relax for the rest of the day. Bed rest is the best prescription. Perhaps some gentle exercise on the second day, and we’ll check progress on day three.” The other doctors nodded their agreement.
“Thank you, doctors,” Freddie said. “I appreciate your thoroughness.”
The doctors and their staff departed and Freddie relaxed back onto the raised pillows. He had to admit he was tired, the last twenty-four hours had drained his energy level. He closed his eyes and dozed.
“Engineer,” announced Adele as she pushed another food-laden trolley into the room. “It’s past time for lunch.”
Freddie felt as though he had been imprisoned in some form of straightjacket. His arms were extremely heavy and he could not move. Then he heard stereophonic sounds of purring, from either side of the bed.
“You naughty sabres,” chastised Adele. “Come on, down you get, both of you. Engineer needs all the rest he can get. He is expecting visitors this afternoon.”
“We are visssitors, too,” Sabre reminded her. “And we are protecting Engineer.”
Felis added her agreement. “Yesss. We are hisss guard. We failed on Ssshen Ark, and will not fail again.”
“Sabre, Felis. Listen to me. You did not fail. No one could know Ogden was a traitor. Tell them, Adele.”
“I agree with Engineer. You are excellent guards, and do a very good job. Dr. Krowe was very complimentary about both of you, Fern told me. You cannot do the impossible. Now, let Engineer have his lunch in peace. If you promise to be very quiet, I’ll let you back in when his visitors arrive.”
“Thank you, bosssy Adele. We try to be bessst guardsss. We will come back, and in the meantime we will be on guard outssside the door.”
“Visitors?”
“Yes, a long list. Sam 32nd, Ser Nish, Ser Glide, Zen 33, possibly Sir Rosco, Miss Sasha and her sister, I believe. Our Fern 3. Dr. Krowe, of course.”
The bedroom was crowded. Freddie looked around at all his visitors. He could hear Sabre and Felis purring from under his bed. “You know, I’m not accustomed to entertaining guests in my bedroom,” he commented. “But you’re all welcome. Thank you all. Zen, Your Highness—would you please thank the shuttle crew and the Shen Ark medics for their fast responses to my plight? I understand the shuttle pilot set a new record for the descent, as well as breaking London sound limits for aircraft.”
“Already done,” affirmed Sam 32nd. “The pilot has a new medal, and the medics have been rewarded as well. I’ve told you before, Engineer, you’re our friend, and we will always take care of you.” The two Shen nodded their heads in approval, as did Sir Rosco. Sasha and Sally sat quietly to one side. Freddie noticed a possible flash of eye challenge between Fern 3 and Sally. He ignored the byplay.
Freddie again addressed Sam 32nd. “Sir, I’m afraid I’m falling further behind in my developm
ent of the bubble warp—.”
“I think the doctors advised total rest for a few days?” interrupted Sam 32nd.
“Yes—.”
“Total rest means no work. Now, don’t worry. Ogden is out of the way—English police have taken jurisdiction and he’s in jail, without bail, charged with attempted murder, terrorism, theft and sundry other offences. As for the bubble warp drive—we’ll develop a new schedule once you are released by the doctors. I think it’s time you recruited some assistants, as well. We’ll discuss this further, but not now.”
The conversation moved away from Shen Ark and bubble drives, carefully guided by both Sam 32nd and Dr. Krowe. Sasha and Sally were unusually reserved, possibly overwhelmed by the other visitors. Each gave Freddie a kiss on the cheek when they arrived, and later, when they left. After an hour of general discussion and a glass of wine each, the visitors all decided it was time to depart. Or at least Fern made the decision when she noted Freddie’s eyes were drooping; as Sabre had commented, she was very bossy. Freddie forced himself to appear alert as his visitors left the room.
“Thank you, everyone,” he called. “I appreciate you coming. Thank you.” He had hardly finished speaking when his head dropped onto the pillow again. He slept through the remainder of the afternoon and did not wake up until the evening meal trolley arrived.
***
Chapter 30
Freddie was cleared for work before the week was up, although his medical team still kept him under observation at the Institute. He had two conference invitations, one with Sam 32nd and one with Dr. Krowe. He decided to meet with Sam 32nd first; his top priority definitely was bubble warp drive development. He felt the key project’s progress had fallen behind due to conflicting priorities and, of course, because of his misadventures. He sighed as he waited for the e-car-to take him to the Rat Embassy. Sabre regarded him, with an expression as quizzical as a sabre tooth tiger could manage.
“You worry too much, Engineer,” Sabre observed. “Tasksss take time, and you cannot bend time, you told me.”
“Quite correct, Sabre. I believe we can bend space, though. Now remember, Fern said you need to behave yourself, today. She said you chewed Sally’s shoes when she visited me.”
“Sssally wasss looking daggersss at Fern. Fern is bosssy. She’s my bosss.”
Freddie shrugged, he was not going to explore the complexities of the sabre tooth tiger mind; he already had too much to do. His e-car-and escort arrived and delivered them to the Embassy, a quick run from the Institute. The street outside the Embassy building was still packed with camps of protestors, and they shouted and banged drums as Freddie’s convoy approached and turned into the Embassy grounds. Banners declared the Rats to be enemies of humankind, robbing humans of Shen technology. Freddie was bemused at their logic. A squad of security guards was waiting and quickly escorted him and the two sabres into the Embassy, and then to the conference room. Sam 32nd arrived minutes later, organizing coffee as he sat down next to Freddie. He smiled his welcome.
“Engineer,” said Sam 32nd, “It’s very good to see you. We’re all very pleased with the improvement in your health. Believe me, we were very concerned for a few hours. The Institute did an excellent job, as did the medical team. Fern 3 is invaluable.”
“Sir, I am almost back to normal. In some ways, I feel better than normal.”
“Good. Very good.” He paused while coffee was served. “Now, to business. The first thing—you must understand I’m not at all critical of delays, imagined or actual, in developing your bubble warp drive. We’ve made remarkable progress with our Shen partners and a lot of credit for that goes to you. I say it again, we are making remarkable progress.”
“I understand. I just have a personal frustration, just a feeling I could have made better progress on my bubble warp drive project tasks.”
“Well, put those feelings aside; they’re not reflecting reality. Understand?” He did not wait for an answer. “So how do you suggest we proceed from here?”
“I think I’ve gained as much knowledge of Shen star drive technology as I need. So now I should devote all my activities to developing the bubble warp drive. I need help, of course. I need a small team of theoreticians who can work with me to develop the concepts. They can be Rats or humans, or both. Of course, we need to add a team of engineers capable of interpreting the concepts. A separate team to build a test shuttle. Support. A programme manager so I can focus on designing the drive. We need to remember that any human we recruit must be willing and committed to travelling on Shen Ark when we depart.”
“Very good. That matches my assessment. I’ve arranged for one of the Capins to take responsibility for the overall program. You know him, of course, it’s Capin Julio. He’ll manage security and general resourcing, whether it’s for a cup of coffee, a computer, or anything else you and your teams may require. He’ll oversee construction of the test shuttle once your engineers give him a general design, and he’ll take overall programme management responsibility. If he nags you too much, tell him to back off. Do you approve?”
“Yes, sir. I think Capin Julio will work well with us: he’s had exposure to Shen Ark, and will understand our needs and pressures. What about engineers and scientists?”
“We have two approaches to consider. Human academics are very eager to join either as engineers or as theoreticians. Both New Oxford and New Cambridge have been in contact, each with a list of very well qualified humans who want to join Shen Ark. Separately, I have received over five hundred applications to join the Shen Ark warp drive development team; yes, awareness of our plans is spreading. All these humans have excellent qualifications. Also, I’ve an almost endless list of Rats who want to participate. Some have skills and knowledge, some do not. All are extremely eager. So, I recommend we build teams of Rats and humans, based on two or three Rats for each human. We must make sure the humans understand there are two objectives: firstly to develop the drive, and secondly to share and increase knowledge and skills of all team members.”
“Wow. My reactions—how quickly can we recruit these people? And secondly, who can do the recruiting?” Freddie had visions of spending his nights reading resumes and his days interviewing applicants.
“Aah—you’re meeting later today or tomorrow morning with Dr. Krowe?” Freddie nodded, he was waiting on Dr. Krowe’s confirmation of his meeting request. “Good,” continued Sam 32nd. “The Institute will act as our HR division. To start with, they’ll need technical input from you, in order to build up their knowledge. Once they have that basic understanding, they’ll do everything else. The Institute has very effective evaluation and research techniques, and all interviews and background checks will be conducted by the Institute. We—you, probably; and I understand the workload—will do the final interviews of humans. Capin Julio will do the final interviews of Rat applicants.”
Freddie was intrigued by the suggestion that they utilise the Institute. He had avoided exploring aspects of that organisation mainly because he had too many tasks to complete and did not need a diversion from his primary focus. He was unsure on a personal level just how far he should involve himself with Institute team members; his memory of waking with Fern in his bed still generated a rush of desire. He put the concern aside. If the Institute could help him build his team, he was more than willing to accept their assistance.
“Sir, I’m relieved. I was worrying about how we could recruit more people. I had this monster black cloud hanging over me, for which I had no resolution. Thank you for your help.”
“I think we have a solution. Enjoy your meeting with Dr. Krowe. He’ll explain how the Institute can assist you. Remember, he wants the Institute to join Shen Ark, something I favour and encourage. You’ll understand, as you dig further into their activities.”
Freddie and his two sabre bodyguards departed for the Institute shortly after conclusion of the meeting with Sam 32nd, again running the gauntlet of protestors outside the Embassy. The crowd had increased in
numbers in the short interval he had been in the meeting with Sam 32nd, and their noise level also had increased. His three vehicle convoy did not return directly to the Institute. Security had advised they were likely to be followed, and the vehicles first headed west out of London, towards Heathrow, eventually taking the North Circular through Brent Cross, then turning onto the A10 and heading almost directly back to the City, in an attempt to prevent any protesters trailing them to the Institute. His security detail and two platoons of Guards provided protection. While it certainly was a far longer drive, he was pleased protesters had not followed them.
At last Freddie realized he was not being fair to Dr. Krowe and the Institute. He was intrigued by Dr. Krowe’s nomination of him as his successor, which Freddie still considered to be an imposition. However, the Institute was being generous with its resources; Dr. Krowe had readily agreed the two sabre tigers could take on bodyguard duties, and Institute people had acted promptly to support the medical teams caring for him, both when the protestors had attacked the Embassy, and more recently, when he had been poisoned by Ogden. Also, the Institute was providing him with excellent accommodation, apparently an arrangement requested by Sam 32nd. There was still something missing, he mused, though he did not yet have enough data to understand what linked him and the Institute.
Well, he thought, he simply needed to ensure that at some stage he obtained the missing data. Dr. Krowe had agreed to an appointment for the following morning, and Freddie expected he should then be able to explore some of the gaps in his knowledge.
Latent urgencies boiled to the surface, and in response, he immersed himself in reviewing his warp drive research. It was time to assemble current papers containing derivative research efforts subsequent to his dissertation, to see who might be suitable to recruit to his Shen Ark teams. He accessed both New Oxford and New Cambridge libraries. Papers on the topic were numerous—some he discarded quickly as too superficial, others had depth and content that drew his attention.
Shen Ark: Departure Page 23
