The Ship Finder: Young Adult Edition

by John Bluck

  "Sure."

  Lena took a mini audio recorder from her purse, pushed its record button, and set the machine on the end table near Bill's glass of beer.

  "So, because of these health benefits that we have given you, do you feel that in exchange you could align yourself with our Sunevian government?" she asked, reading the question from her notebook.

  Wilson paused. He thought, I want to be able to go home. "Sure, I'll align myself with the Sunevian government," he replied.

  "My chiefs will be glad to hear that," she said. "Now, let's turn to your background. According to information about you on the Internet, you're quite young to be a world-famous human genome scientist. I wonder how you were able to achieve that level of success in a short time."

  She sipped more beer from her long-stemmed glass.

  "Hard work got me where I'm at," he said. "I went to Stanford University in California where I majored in physical education with a minor in biology. Though I loved biology, my goal at that time was to be a pro baseball player. I was on the Stanford baseball team, and major league scouts offered me lots of money to quit school and play pro ball. I struggled with my decision, but I decided to continue my studies."

  "Did you ever play professional baseball?" she asked.

  "No, I was injured before I finished college. In my senior year, I pitched in a game against Arizona State. After I threw a fastball, I felt pain in my groin, and I had to leave the game."

  "Was it serious?"

  "Doctors diagnosed a hernia. My personal physician, from Stanford Medical Center, Dr. Alex Rigor, operated on me, and I was impressed with the procedure. Though it was a success, I decided not to become a pro baseball player because I became fascinated by medicine."

  Wilson drank the last of his alien beer. "After my hernia operation, I asked Rigor to help me decide if medicine would be a good career for me. We became close friends despite our age difference, and he convinced me to become a surgeon."

  "Why did you want to be a physician?"

  "Because I wanted to help people who had sports injuries. But my side interest was bioengineering and gene therapy, and that's why I later became a part-time professor of genomics at the University of California, Berkeley. I'm now on a yearlong sabbatical leave from the university and the hospital. During the year I plan to learn what progress has been made in human genome research around the world."

  "Is this related to nano medicine?" Lena asked.

  "Yes, I'm sure nanotechnology will have an impact on DNA research."

  "Perhaps Sunev can help you in this effort. We'll see," she said.

  Lena sat back in her chair. "One more thing," she said. "Did you have any other activities while you attended college?"

  "I won a few pistol and rifle marksmanship contests. My father had taught me how to shoot when I was ten because Dad thought that I would be drafted into the army and would have to go into combat. He was an infantry veteran who had fought in the Columbian jungle against the drug lord troops in the Narcotics War."

  "Do you have any girlfriends who might report you missing?"

  "I'm in between relationships."

  "That’s good because women are prone to contact the authorities and make missing person reports."

  "I don’t think it’s likely that any of my friends would think I’ve gone missing because they probably think I’m in Europe," Wilson said.

  "That’s even better," Lena said, and she paused. "Now that the formal interview with you is over, I’ll give you some news. I’ve been assigned to be your guide during your stay on planet Sunev, if that’s agreeable to you."

  "That’s fine," he said. "I suppose you’ll be showing me the sights."

  "Yes, and introducing you to the Sunevian way of life, which leads me to the surprise I’ve been planning," she replied. "I’m going to teach you Sunevian ballroom dancing, and again, only if you’d like that."

  "It sounds like fun," Wilson stammered.

  "You need to get out and have a little fun while you’re here," she explained. "You’ll fit right into the social scene, if you know the latest steps."

  "I wonder if your ballroom dancing is anything like the dancing my great grandparents did."

  "It’s similar," she said. "You'll soon learn that in many ways our two worlds are eerily the same. However, in some things we are years ahead of you. In others we are far behind."

  Lena reached for her small recorder next to Wilson’s chair and pushed a button on the device. It started to play dancing music strangely similar to that of the 1930’s.

  "If you stand up, we could start with an easy lesson first," she said, smiling.

  "Of course," he said, as he set his beer glass down and then stood.

  "Let’s start with what’s called the box step," she said. "Come a little closer, and face me."

  Wilson stepped towards her, and she took his left hand in her right. "I never was much of a dancer," he admitted.

  "That’s all right," she said. "It won’t be long, and you’ll be confident on the dance floor. Then all the girls will want to waltz with you. Now, put your right hand on my shoulder blade."

  "Okay," he said.

  "Listen to the beat of the music. One, two, three, and four, five, six. Watch my feet, and move yours to follow mine. That’s right."

  "It’s not hard," he said.

  Soon, they were waltzing around his room.

  "Repetition is the key to learning to dance," she said. "The more you practice, the less you’ll be thinking about it, and the more automatic it’ll become."

  "It is fun," he said.

  "I’m enjoying this, too," she said, laughing. "In our next lesson I’ll teach you how to guide a woman through an underarm turn."

  She stopped waltzing, and turned off the music.

  "I can’t wait until the next lesson," he said.

  "I promise you, we’ll do it again soon," she replied. "For now, all this dancing has made me hungry. I suggest we go to the cafeteria and have a nice meal."

  "I’m hungry, too," he said.

  "Just to let you know, Raven wants to meet us for lunch," she said. "He needs to tell you something."

  "What?"

  "I don't know," she replied, as they left for the ship's cafeteria.

  Chapter 5 – The Deal

  As Wilson and Lena walked from his cabin, they briefly held hands, but stopped when they came to the cafeteria.

  "I'm also curious about what Raven wants to tell you," Lena said.

  "I don't have the slightest clue as to what he's up to," Wilson said.

  Soon after they entered the cafeteria, Raven waved them to his table. Wilson asked the robotic waiter for bacon and eggs, potatoes, and coffee. Lena ordered the same.

  "How did you come to have food from Earth in your galley?" asked Wilson, as he ate one of two over-easy eggs.

  "We buy food at supermarkets when we visit your planet," Raven said. "When we're on Sunev, we get products from local farmers. We've introduced many Earth foods to include much of what's on this table. Our farmers raise chickens and pigs and grow potatoes and other crops native to Earth." Raven bit into a pork sausage.

  Wilson inhaled the aromas of eggs and coffee. "You've grown to like a lot about Earth," he said.

  "Yes," Raven replied, and he sipped his black coffee. "Just as we've learned about Earth's food, our leaders would like us to learn more about earthlings. So, some of our renowned researchers and others would like to meet you."

  "That sounds great," Wilson replied.

  "After you heal a little more, in maybe a week," Raven said, "I'll introduce you to the board of directors of the National Dimensional Travel Agency. I work for NDTA. It's a branch of the government that directs travel to other dimensions. You are the first person from Earth to whom we have disclosed our technology."

  Lena looked up from her food and glanced at Wilson. "What a great experience you'll have when you meet the heads of the agency," she said.

  Wilson nodded.
r />   "I'm told they'll have a ceremony in which they'll honor your bravery," Raven said. "You saved my life when you got me away from the cyborg before he could set off a bomb. If he had, I'd be dead and gone. Nano medicine wouldn't have been able to help me."

  "So, your war with the cyborgs can be as lethal as wars are for us earthlings? Your enemies just need the right tactics and weapons to kill you?"

  "True," Raven said. "If we're blasted into a billion specks, nano medicine can't help us. Of course, doctors can use our organic material to clone us. But clones don't have the memories, the knowledge, and the experiences of the beings from which they came."

  "Death is very real for you," Wilson said.

  "Yes, but we have a new choice," replied Raven. He shifted in his chair. "Our scientists are conducting an experiment. They’re copying human memories into the Global Computer System. As part of that trial, I've chosen to allow scientists to record my brain's memories in a supercomputer. Researchers may be able to restore my basic memories to my clone. And one day I might even be able to donate some of my knowledge to others."

  "That could change things," Wilson said. "But now accidents and war are the major causes of death on Sunev?"

  "Yes," Raven said. "Sometimes, an aggressive new disease will kill someone, but once scientists develop a cure and add it to nano medicine, it's no longer a problem."

  "So, if I'm lucky, I'll live a long life," Wilson said.

  "You will indeed," Raven said. "You were fortunate that nano medicine was there to save you. And I was lucky that you were nearby to save me from the cyborg."

  "A little luck can help a lot," Wilson said.

  "Your actions were not luck. You listened to your Inner One, and you did not hesitate," said Raven. "Your defense of my team and me were great because you didn't know of our medicine's power."

  "It happened fast, and I had no time to think."

  "You had to trust yourself, and what you did was brave," Raven said. "In a week there will be a ceremony to recognize you."

  "It will be an honor," Wilson replied. "I thank you for it in advance. Please don't take what I'm about to say in the wrong way. I am grateful for the potential to live much longer and also for how you plan to honor me. But is there some way that I could go back to Earth soon, in the next day or so? It would just be a short visit to change my travel plans. I'm supposed to leave for Scandinavia in a week to begin my sabbatical research related to the human genome. Besides, my parents and friends might be trying to contact me."

  "Could you tell me more about your foreign travel?" Raven asked.

  "I had started two weeks of vacation at home the day I found you wounded in the park," Wilson said. "I planned to go on several overseas trips after my time off. The first trip is to Sweden – to look at genome research in European laboratories."

  "I already know a few things about your year-long sabbatical leave and your future trips," Raven said.

  "Really?"

  "We keep a small research team on Earth. I had a couple of our people make inquiries," said Raven. "So, I've had a chance to think about how we could handle your situation. One possibility is that you could write a note to your secretary explaining that a foreign research institute offered to share its new discoveries with you, but you have to keep them secret."

  "I see," Wilson said. "The research institute is on Sunev, right?"

  "Right. This note would ask your secretary to delay your first trips to Europe. It would explain that your new travel has already been arranged, and will last three months. We'd deliver the note to your workplace."

  "I don't think that would work," said Wilson. "It would seem strange. I need to show up at the hospital."

  "I realize that you don't want to lie," said Raven. "But you are going to travel here on Sunev to look into nano science and its link to human DNA research. Our leadership is very happy that you happen to be an expert in this area. A Sunevian team on Earth has been working day and night to look into your background. We believe that you can understand our nano med technology, and that you'll keep it secret until we decide how we can transfer it to Earth's scientists." Raven looked intensely at Wilson.

  "I'm flattered," Wilson said.

  Raven paused, and said, "There's one condition. We'd like to teach you about our medicine, but only if you sign a nondisclosure contract. We need more time to think about how and when we would let you transfer some nano med knowledge to scientists on Earth."

  "This all sounds great," said Wilson.

  "Before we get into details, I hope you realize that we don't have to act with haste," Raven said. "You don't have to return to Earth right away because you're on vacation."

  "Yes, but I'm supposed to begin my research trip to Scandinavia soon," Wilson interjected.

  "True, but I'll get to that in a minute," said Raven. "First, let me explain that we don't think the police found any evidence of combat near your hospital. There's a small chance someone could come across a piece of a cyborg in the bushes, but cyborgs always clean up after a fight. And no one from Earth, except you, is missing from the hospital."

  "Nobody saw or heard the fight?" Wilson asked.

  "We've checked and rechecked newspaper, radio, and TV news reports. There were no accounts that gave even small clues that there was an incident," Raven said. "The thunderstorm helped. Those electric storms are so rare in Northern California near the big cities that reports of lightning and thunder dominated the news."

  Wilson leaned forward in his chair. "Your people can trust me when I go back. I'll give you my word and sign the contract. Also, because no one reported your ray wound to the police, they have no reason to question me about the events at the hospital."

  Raven nodded.

  Wilson went on, "And if there are any questions about your treatment in my office, I could tell my colleagues that after I tended to you, I took you off the hospital campus for private care."

  "Between you and me," Raven said, "I believe that you'll be discreet about Sunev, but my superiors can't afford to take chances. It'd be a nightmare if you were to say anything about us that your country's officials would believe."

  "They would think me insane, if I were to tell them about death ray fire fights with cyborgs. I have no proof, not a weapon, not a body, nothing." Wilson shook his head sideways.

  "He's right, Richard," said Lena.

  "Both of you are reasoning this out sensibly," Raven said. "But the Great Leader and his group are fearful that somehow you might slip up and disclose nano med technology before we have a solid plan how to do so. They demand that before you go back we make a detailed contract with you as to what, if anything, you could disclose. Our people need to think about this for a few days."

  "I appreciate that, Richard, but I give you my word not to say anything to anybody on Earth until and unless we've worked out the details," Wilson said. "I must go home at once to show everyone I know that I'm okay."

  From the alien’s facial expression and tone of voice Wilson knew that he had convinced Raven to help him.

  "What would you tell your friends?" Raven asked.

  "I could say I'll be out of the country for a few months to conduct some proprietary research, which I can't talk about until later. Then I would return to Sunev, and we would work out contract details then."

  "Okay," Raven said. "I'll make my best effort to convince my superiors that they should trust you. I could have you sign a short nondisclosure statement right now. In it you would also pledge to come to a complete agreement with us."

  "Sounds good," Wilson said. He breathed easier and relaxed.

  Raven lifted an odd, light purple telephone handset from its cradle on the cafeteria table and pressed a large green button.

  "Hello. Raven here," he said in his native tongue as he spoke both into his computer translator and the telephone's mouthpiece. "I have an urgent matter to discuss with the director about the outlander."

  Raven put his hand over the mouthpiece and looked at Wil
son. "The secretary has to interrupt the staff meeting."

  Wilson nodded. Lena beamed. He looked at her perfect face, and her beauty lifted his spirits.

  Raven listened to the Sunevian words that came from the phone's earpiece. Then he said, "Hello, Director Blanchar. This is Richard Raven. I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting . . . uh huh," he nodded as he spoke.

  "Yes, he's here," Raven continued. "Yes . . . What I need is your permission to send him back to Earth tomorrow for a short visit so he can delay some of his research trips and assure his co-workers, his family, and friends that he's all right. As luck would have it, he's on a two-week vacation. After that he's to begin a year-long sabbatical leave to investigate human genome research. He could study our nanotechnology and how it fits in with genomics as part of his research."

  Raven nodded. "Yes, sir . . . I'm concerned about that, too. He's agreed to sign a short nondisclosure contract to keep our material secret until and if we give him consent to make aspects of it public. When he gets back after the brief trip, he's also agreed to sign a more detailed contract . . . . Uh huh . . . Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Goodbye."

  Raven hung up. He was rattled, but he began to smile.

  "So, is it a deal?" Wilson asked.

  "Yes," Raven said. "Blanchar said you could go back to Earth for a quick visit."

  "Thank you, Richard," Wilson said, and he sighed. "There's one bit of help I need, Richard."

  "What would that be?"

  "Before I go back, I have to decide how I'll explain the sudden offer for me to study secret research," Wilson said.

  "For one thing you didn't get an offer from us until today, so you didn't have a reason to change your travel until now," Raven said. "You could say that you had the flu while you negotiated, and you didn't want to spread it around the hospital. So, you waited to visit your secretary."

  "Okay," Wilson said. "But why wouldn't I have contacted my secretary today?"

  "Say you sent the office an e-mail, and for some unknown reason it didn't go through," said Raven. "Remind your secretary that she still has a week to delay your first trip to Scandinavia."

  "Very good," Wilson said.

  He, Raven, and Lena had finished their meals.