[Marcus Dithnar, the answer to both your questions is yes,]
[Aliza el Shelaman, that’s excellent. I know exactly where you are. Just follow my directions and I’ll have you home in no time.]
Chapter 14
(176th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
This day started out just like any other. I stretched and ambled to the food container. The aliens usually had the practice of leaving the food in a container where we could partake of it any time we wanted. I then waited for the aliens to let me out of the dwelling for my morning walk. I’m much more careful now in the walks to be sure I know where I am. I don’t want to become lost again. I saw that Marcus had also awakened.
[Marcus Dithnar, It is Alizar, how are you this fine dawning?]
[Alizar el Shelaman, I feel splendid this dawning. How about yourself? Have you noticed that our aliens appear to be in a state of excitement?]
[Marcus Dithnar, I have. I believe that they are about to celebrate one of their orbit ending rituals. Here comes the he-alien. Perhaps he’ll let us out.]
The he-alien did let us out. Sometimes the aliens construct a door in their dwellings that allow us to come and go as we please. This flap cut into the regular door is very convenient. These aliens had not done so but this was usually but a minor inconvenience.
We walk about for a while and then found a spot where the light from the star was warming. We lay down to take a nap. I awoke to the sound of a transportation machine stopping at the dwelling.
[Marcus Dithnar, AWAKE! Look out for the transportation machine.] The machine was stopping near our spot in the warming star light.
The sound of the machine brought the she-alien and the he-alien exploding from of the dwelling. The operator of the machine was none other than my young he-alien. I was delighted and ran to him. He let me jump into his arms. I was almost crushed by the she-alien. It would appear that the she-alien was even more delighted to see him than was I.
As we all headed into the dwelling I began again the Weckspringe.
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name.
Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name.
Awaken! Awaken! Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
The ritual words of the Weckspringe must be repeated until the potential beta responds. I didn’t want to waste any time to get the process started again. I had never had a Weckspringe interrupted before and I wasn’t sure if I had lost any ground.
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
Chapter 15
(176th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
I became really concerned. The Weckspringe was taking longer than I expected. It may have been because the he-alien was older than usual to begin this process. Or it may have been because the process was interrupted by the relocation. I, now know, listening to the noises that the aliens make, that the plan was for the young he-alien to only be here for a short time. Are you surprised that I understand the alien noises? You should not be surprised. We have been with the aliens for thousands of orbits. We know all the variations of the noises that they make and we have full understanding.
So I now understand that the old dwelling has been abandoned. The she-alien and her mate have relocated to this new dwelling. The young he-alien who I believe to be a potential beta was only at the new dwelling for a short orbit ending visit. I didn’t know how much time I had left to accomplish the Weckspringe.
[Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!
Awaken! Do you hear me? Do you remember your name? What is your name? Tell me your name. Awaken! Awaken!]
The young he-alien looked at me with a wide-eyed startled expression. [Who calls to me?]
[I, Alizar el Shelaman XCVII, call to you. Tell me your name.]
My young he-alien was indeed a beta. [I am Walter Karnaugh/John Prymuus XLIX. And I remember.]
Chapter 16
(176th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
3rd Planet
[Alizar el Shelaman, it is John Prymuus, I need to get my affairs in order in case we need to take some action. I’ll call my attorneys in Philadelphia who have been taking care of my affairs while I was no-one-knows-where.]
Picks up his cell phone and Googled the law firm of Woodward, Woodward and Leumond in Philadelphia. This firm had been named in his will in his last life to establish a trust to search for an heir to the estate. Now that John Prymuus had awakened, Walter Karnaugh was that heir.
Discovering that the number was 215-555-0175 he dialed it, “Woodward, Woodward and Leumond, how may I direct you call.”
“Who is your current managing partner? “
“That would be Mr. Claude Applebee, Sir.”
“I’ll speak to Mr. Applebee, please.”
“Mr. Applebee’s office; may I ask who is calling?
“This is Walter Karnaugh. Please tell Mr. Applebee that I have just awakened.”
“Hello Mr. Karnaugh.” [I am Claude Applebee/ Paul Acacius LIX. What is your name? The Home World depends on us.]
Walter Karnaugh answers using his beta name, [Paul Acacius, I am Walter Karnaugh/John Prymuus XLIX. From orbit to orbit at each dawning through all our lives we live to serve the Home World. I have just awakened and I need to assume control of my affairs.]
[John Prymuus, Welcome to your new life. Your affairs are all in order. How can we serve you? Let’s conduct the rest of this conversation aloud so we don’t create any suspicions with any aliens on my staff that might come into my office.]
“Thank you, Mr. Applebee. I need for you to arrange for me to get some cash. I’m going to need walking around money. Perhaps around $10,000.00 would do. I’ll need a high limit credit card like an Amex Centurion card. And assuming you’ve kept the Cayman Island bank accounts open, a VISA card to draw on those accounts would be useful. I’ll need the latest detailed report on all my holdings. These should, where appropriate, be placed in my new name – Walter Karnaugh. In case I need to do some serious traveling in the near future, please charter a jet for me. I think I can leave it up to you to decide what kind. Please fly all of that to me in Reading, Pennsylvania. Perhaps you’d like to send along a junior alien associate from your firm in case there are any actions I need to take immediately with respect to my businesses. Can all of this be taken care of by tomorrow?”
“Certainly, Mr. Karnaugh.
Putting some of your holdings in your new name will take a few days and the American express card will also but everything else can be made ready quickly.” [John Prymuus, it is Paul Acacius; the associate I’m thinking of assigning is a beta, Elizabeth “Liz” Mosby/Jane Ceekundah XXXII. Would that be satisfactory?]
“That’s wonderful, Mr. Applebee. Have Ms. Mosby call me to let me know when I can expect her at the Reading, Pennsylvania airport. My cell number is 617-555-0123. The FBO there is Millennium Aviation. Thanks for your help. We’ll have to get together soon to discuss other matters.”
Chapter 17
(178th dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
Ganymede Station
The damn coupling had not arrived for the drilling machine. Bradley Williamson was beside himself. He was on the third dawning of using the old X13 machine. He was behind in his quota even though he was working an extra 4 hours per dawning. He was also running short of bio-carbon liquid fuel. All the new machines ran on battery power. Electricity for charging these batteries was generated by large arrays of photovoltaic electric panels on the surface. All the old machines ran on bio-carbon liquid fuel that was grown in large undersurface tanks. Since the conversion to the new machines not as much fuel was required, so much less was being made.
The conversation at the Williamson dwelling last night had been heated. After the children had been put to bed the adults sat around the dining room table, drank beer and discussed the day’s affairs. Two of his wives, Jill and Mary had been on him about how unfair it was that he was not making his quota because of the broken machine. It was unfair that he wasn’t going to get his bonus this 30-dawning. The problem with a bonus is that you eventually forgot that it was dependent on performance and began to expect it. One of his husbands, Kevin, was also a miner. He had chimed it that there were more than a few broken machines in his mine and the men were hopping mad about the situation. Some were even talking about going out on strike. Everyone had been upset that the family was going to have to use their savings to pay the monthly air and water tax. Using the family savings in this manner was especially upsetting to the women of the household. Several of the children were approaching marriage age. It was the custom that when a young man or a young woman left the family to join another family in marriage that he or she be given a sum of money as a dowry. The dowry was paid to the new family so that the child, no matter how old, didn’t come into their new family empty handed. It would be embarrassing if the Williamson family couldn’t give a proper dowry. As a result, Bradley had drunk too much beer, and stayed up too late. His mood was not good.
After his shift Bradley stopped by the mining office. Not only was the foreman there but the owner was also there. Mr. Wolfe was seldom seen in the mining operation let alone in the offices. “Did that damn coupling arrive on the supply ship for my drilling machine?”
“No it didn’t, Williamson, nor did the repair parts for 20 other machines that are broken down. Why don’t you just come barging into my office?” the foreman replied testily.
“Have you ordered extra bio-carbon liquid fuel? I’m running low on that. I’m working extra hours to try to fill my quota.”
“I understand your frustration, Williamson. We’re having similar problems elsewhere. I’m going to present this problem to the station council. We’ve ordered extra bio-carbon liquid fuel. Getting more is going to be a problem. We’ve also sent messages to try to expedite the machine parts that we’re missing. I’m also going to speak with the other mine owners about relaxing the quotas because all of the problems that we’re having” said Mr. Wolfe, jumping into the conversation.
Chapter 18
(181st dawning of the 3,687th orbit)
Ganymede Station
Sabian Wolfe/John Kaatoe was thinking deeply as he left the mining office. [Thomas Adolphus, I’m on my way up from my water mine office. Do you have a few minutes to meet with me? We have a problem I think we need to discuss.]
[John Kaatoe, sure, why not. I’m in the council office.]
Sabian Wolfe passed through the last air lock between the mine and the station proper. He could, of course, explain the problem without a face to face meeting but some things were best discussed face to face. Entering the council offices he saw Miss Cynthia Applebottom. She had been the dragon-lady on duty guarding the Council Chairman for as long as anybody could remember.
“Mr. Wolfe, what can we do for you and how are you this fine dawning?” Cynthia greeted him.
“Greetings to you, Miss Cynthia Applebottom. I’m quite well, thank you. Please see if Mr. Coleman has a few minutes for me,” he said sitting down next to an alpha who appeared to be sleeping on the office couch. [Moemen Dascur, it is John Kaatoe. How are you this dawning? How is the dragon lady treating you?]
Miss Cynthia Applebottom disappears into the inner office closing the door behind her.
[John Kaatoe, it is Moemen Dascur. Of course, she treats me like the prince that I am. Strokes me and calls me her ‘pretty boy’!]
“He’ll see you now, Mr. Wolfe. Don’t you take up too much of his time; he’s having a quite a busy day,” Cynthia announced with maximum authority.
“Greetings to you, Mr. Coleman, thank you for taking the time to see me.”
[John Kaatoe, what problem are you having that you’ve come here to brighten my dawning with?]
[Thomas Adolphus, The repair parts for 20 of my electric powered mining machines did not arrive on the supply ship from the third planet. Some of these parts were ordered as long ago as 30 dawnings. I’m using the older machines but they run on bio-carbon liquid fuel and we’re running low on that. As you know, we cut back on the production of bio-carbon liquid fuel when we put the electric machines into the mines. We bought the new machines so that we wouldn’t have to grow as much bio-carbon liquid fuel.]
[John Kaatoe, I know about these problems. The other mine owners are experiencing similar problems. I’ve ordered extra bio-carbon liquid fuel production but you know that takes a number of dawnings to start showing results. Another concern is that the mineral mines are below quota and the shipment of minerals and metals from the third planet are also below quota. The next thing you know I’ll have an Inspector General from the Home World camped on my door step asking dumb questions. And we all know where that will lead. The People depend on the metals we produce here. With all the mines producing below quota, the pay of our miners is below standard. It won’t be long before we start hearing grumblings about that. They’ll say it’s not their fault that the machines on which the quota are based are breaking down. And they’ll be right on that score. You mine owners will have to think of some way to bring the pay of the miners up to what they’ve been used to. I know you’ll love doing that.]
[Thomas Adolphus, I’m well aware of the miner pay problem. I’ve just come from my water mine. I was in the mine office when one of the miners came in to complain about not having machine parts or fuel. I told him I’d discuss the quota issue with the other owners. Perhaps we can come up with an overtime pay schedule when they’re operating the older machines. We’ll have to be careful with this, we don’t want to incentivize them to break machines to get the overtime pay. But that’s just a side issue. What are we going to do about getting the machine parts we need? And the central issue still is getting back up to standard on our shipments of metals to the Home World.]
[John Kaatoe, you’re right. I’m sure you and the other mine owners will come up with something on that. It’s urgent that you do so. I’m hearing rumors from some of the others mine owners that some of the miners are talking about going out on strike. If that happens, the situation will go from bad to worse. Just keep me informed. On all the other issues, I thing we need a high council meeting. I’ll converse with you later. Remember, damn it, you must keep me informed.]
As Sabian Wolfe leaves the office, Cynthia Applebottom enters. “That supply ship captain is here to see you. At least I think that why he’s here. He never speaks. It’s creepy.”<
br />
“Thank you Miss Applebottom. Send him in.”
[Thomas Adolphus, it’s Moozoog. I wanted to converse with you and warn you about the situation on the Home World before I leave on my next trip back. After my last trip here I was scooped up by the Inspector General’s office. I was held for three dawnings. All of their questions were about this star system. What did I think was going on? Was it an orderly place? Did the People in charge know what they’re doing? Why did I think the amounts that were being shipped to the Home World had been reduced? As I understand it from their questions, although the People have invaded thousands of worlds only this star system contains sufficient quantities of the metals that are needed for the drives systems in the space ships. Their questioning stopped short of torture but only because of my rank. Apparently the new administration is planning to launch a new round of planetary conquests and many new ships need to be built. I calculate that since you have treated me with warm hospitality on all my visits here and since they’ve linked me to you, I better give you a warning.]
[Captain Moozoog, Thank you! I appreciate the warning. You have always been a good friend to this star system. I won’t forget that. Is your family safe? Do you need to move them here? ]
[Thomas Adolphus, no, I believe they are safe but thank you for your concern. See you next trip.]
[John Kaatoe, it’s Thomas Adolphus. Have you ever attended a high council meeting?]
[Thomas Adolphus, no I haven’t.]
[John Kaatoe, I believe you should attend the next one to represent the mine owners. I’ve just had a most unsettling visit about the situation on the Home World. Of course we don’t have to be physically present at the meeting but I have a feeling that our physical presence will help emphasize the urgency of our problem. Have you ever been to the 3rd planet? I hope you’ve kept up your every dawning exercises. On the 3rd planet you’ll feel like you weigh seven times normal. I advise you to work on teaching your muscles to grow stronger.]
The Adventures of Alizar: The Beginning (Aizar Book 1) Page 3
