by Bob Mauldin
“Jose Gallegos, Brazil. What ‘massive disruptions’ do you see from introducing your technology at this time?”
“A very good question, and from a direction that’s more pivotal than you might expect. Let’s go back to the food processors for a moment. If you have those, then clearing all the land you do will become unnecessary, won’t it? Less cleared land equals more forest to produce oxygen equals less ozone depletion. Another point—what happens when advanced solar technology is wedded to antigravity? Rather than let you think about it, let me tell you. Several industries will disappear, and some countries depend heavily, if not exclusively, on those industries.
“Advanced solar technology will provide electricity to power antigravity motors that can be applied to anything from personal transportation to home heating. There will no longer be a need for huge power-generating stations, oil production, gasoline manufacturing, natural gas distribution, automobile tire production, service stations, and a host of other industries that we haven’t even thought about yet. And that’s just from two innovations. Think about all the people out of work! Governments will be in chaos, and there will be rioting in the streets, unless preparations are made in advance and the technology is introduced slowly. Job retraining will have to be a governmental priority. And we will offer some form of assistance while the retraining takes place.
“There are so many things that impinge one on the other that no one person can say for sure just what will affect what. We realize that we will be the architects of much sorrow and heartache in the future, and we wish it wasn’t so. But the benefits to all! We ask only that you think as hard as we are about what it can mean. Next question.”
“Sonja Detweiler, Netherlands. It is assumed that the vast majority of Alliance personnel are American. Why did you not turn this over to your government?”
Gayle stood up. “Captain? If I may? This is one that Stephen... Commander Walker and I, have discussed repeatedly.”
“Go ahead, Commander.”
“Well, Ms. Detweiler, what do you think would happen given the scope of the world’s intelligence community? If we turned our find over to our government, there would be no ship. Specifically, in this day and age, another government would sooner or later find out about it and decide that the balance of power had changed. And not in their favor. What would the schoolyard bully do? Surely you’ve faced or seen a bully in action at some time in your life. He would launch a ‘preemptive strike,’ is what he would do. As a dear friend once put it, ‘If I can’t have it, you can’t either.’ So, no one nation can be allowed to have control of our find. ‘How about turning it over to the United Nations, then?’ you might ask next. Same thing applies. A very few nations would have control of something that would change the way we look at the universe, and that’s not fair to all.
“We’ve come to see things differently, Ms. Detweiler. Perhaps I should invite you aboard the Galileo to see what we’ve seen—that there are no boundary lines from space! This planet is one delicately balanced biosphere. I think of it as one big family. We must get along or the structure is forever fractured. That is why we’ve taken the steps we have—to prevent the fracturing of our family. And it has cost us dearly. Those who gave their lives trying to protect the ship have become martyrs to the cause, so to speak. Simon was killed by greed. He was murdered on television in front of the whole world. And his wife is now held hostage to the very technology you wish to usurp.
“Hostage, you ask. How is that? Well, to tell the absolute truth, after three years, we’re still learning about what we’ve acquired. Sometimes we get bit in the butt by the technology. Simon’s wife...”
“That will be all, Commander,” Lucy intervened. “I think we’ve covered the high points and should leave these good people to discuss what they’ve heard so far.”
“One last question, if you please, Captain,” came from an unidentified voice. “Who will get what as far as the technologies are concerned?”
“That one is simple. You, earthbound humanity, will decide just what it is you wish to introduce to the planetary economy. Once the decision has been made, we will provide that technology to all the nations of Earth, along with the identities of those who requested it.
“At this point, I feel that all that can be accomplished here today has been, and since we’re living and working on another time schedule, I beg that you allow us to get some rest. Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. We realize that you have gone to considerable extremes to be here today, and we appreciate it. We do think, however, that another venue would be better for further discussions, and we’re open to suggestions to be considered at a later date. At this point though, it’s time we depart.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Sitting in the suite provided by the city of Zurich, Lucy finally had a chance to relax. She called the Galileo and ordered that the shuttle and flight of Mambas return to the ship. “There’s no reason they should sit there and be targets,” she asserted. “Besides, they won’t be of any benefit if something should happen. And if we need to, we can beam in and out with no one the wiser.”
Three times during the evening, her secretary, Commander Kimura, was approached by undersecretaries of the three countries that had been mentioned as possible bases for embassies. The United States, Japan, and Switzerland, all sent tacit, if not overt, approval of Lucy’s proposal for embassy locations.
Lucy never saw these people. Herr Juergens advised against it.
“Protocol and appearances are everything, Madam Captain. And please, call me ‘Heinrich.’ The Security Council has granted you full ambassadorial status by allowing you to speak in front of them the way they did. And, as you’re the highest-ranking person in your Alliance, you’re the de facto head of state. It would not be seemly for you to meet with underlings.”
The last visitor of the evening was a page who merely handed Commander Kimura an embossed envelope bearing Lucy’s name and title. Obviously hand-printed by someone with a calligrapher’s bent, it said simply, “Lucille Angelina Grimes, First Captain of the Terran Alliance.”
“Lucille,” she exclaimed in disgust. “If I didn’t love my parents so much, I’d kill them for giving me that name! And does everybody know my middle name?” Turning the envelope over to open it, she found a wax seal on the back. “Heinrich, what do we have here?” Lucy asked.
Taking the envelope in one well-manicured hand, the attaché looked it over carefully and pronounced, “A signal honor for you, Madam Captain. The von Schlenker family crest is embossed On the front, and that crest is repeated in the wax on the back, which means the baron himself has extended this invitation.”
“How do you know it’s an invitation when you haven’t even opened it?”
“The baron is famous for his galas, and this,” he said, handing the invitation back to her, “is the standard form of invitation. Although, to honor you, he has addressed this one, himself. Protocol requires that your secretary respond to the RSVP that is surely included within the invitation. You should open it and find out when the event will take place.”
Doing as Heinrich instructed gave her almost forty-eight hours to prepare for the gala. “I don’t know what to do at a gala! I don’t even know what a gala is!” she exclaimed. “I’m Lucy Grimes from Ohio!”
“You will circulate,” Heinrich said. “You will be pleasant and mysterious as befits a visitor from outer space, and you will converse. You will eat little and drink less, and sometime during the evening you will be approached by the American ambassador, the Japanese ambassador, and the Swiss ambassador. These events are where most... deals... are solidified. And the Terran Alliance will make its official debut on the social scene.
“Madam Captain, if you’ll forgive me for being forward, may I suggest something other than the uniform you wore today for a gala? Not to say there’s anything wrong with your uniforms; there isn’t. Simple black always makes a statement, and the name tag, the patches on t
he shoulder, and the rank insignia add authority. But you’re going to a gala. It’s light and airy. You want to present the glamorous side of your Terran Alliance.”
“I have nothing to wear that could even remotely be considered glamorous!”
“I have some ideas in that department, Lucy,” Gayle said. “Marsha and I discussed them when we were upgrading these outfits. We’ll do some makeup to give your eyes a little mystery and enhance your cheekbones. Then, we’ll do something simple yet elegant for your hair, and leave the evening attire to us. Suffice it to say that if you want glamour, silver and white should do the trick. And now, Herr Juergens,” Gayle said, “if you’ll excuse us for the evening, we girls need to talk clothes.”
Juergens got up and walked over to the door. “Breakfast will be at nine in the morning. Shall I send a car around at about ten for a tour of the city?”
The next forty-eight hours were a nightmare for Lucy. Between the deliberate drop-ins by various ambassadors and the casual ‘accidental’ meetings in various public places, Lucy became superficially acquainted with several dozen of the ambassadors who’d found their way to Zurich. Between times, she was busy beaming back and forth between the Galileo and her suite being fitted for a gown made from scratch. “This... isn’t... going... to... work! It isn’t possible!” she complained
“It will work,” Gayle said, “if you’ll just hold still and let me get my job done! Stephen and Jerry were easy. All they needed were white pants, a white turtleneck, and a black dinner jacket. We added some silver piping for accent, and they were done. These new, lighter materials make things a snap. What we are going to have are dresses that have two skirts. The outer, longer one is almost floor length and can be removed and used as a wrap, leaving us with the inner one at about knee length or whatever length you want. We’ll have a long-sleeved jacket with a scooped neckline that gives just the right emphasis to the cleavage, which always gets a man’s attention. A silver braid on the sleeves and the Alliance logo on the left breast will fill out our outfits in pure white. Yours will be the same, but instead of just white, there will be a thousand little points of light picked up by the various kinds of illumination you’re either under or passing by. Your dress will never be the same from one moment to the next. And your logo will be in the same shade of blue as your eyes. There’s plenty of time!”
The Alliance team made quite a show as they exited their hotel’s elevator. First out were two security personnel who looked around and then signaled Lucy forward. She made her way across the lobby slowly, as if measuring each step. The procession of four white-and-silver-clad officers, accompanied by Lloyd Pike in his formal blacks and six guards in their duty uniforms, caused all in the lobby, even those used to spectacle, to stop and stare. Heinrich Juergens waited by the main doors and watched the procession closely.
In much the same arrangement as the day before, Juergens ushered Lucy and Lloyd into the middle limousine and climbed in with them and three guards. A fourth sat in the front with the driver.
“Keep the window between us down, driver. Understand?” Lucy said.
Gayle and Stephen rode in the lead limo, and Marsha brought up the rear, each car having one guard assigned to it. The motorcade made its way through the city, the traffic, and the approaching dark until it left the city proper behind.
“The gala is being held at the ancestral home of Baron Manfred von Schlenker. A ten-minute ride will have us there,” Juergens said.
The time passed quickly as Heinrich filled the two Alliance officers in on the do’s and don’ts of meeting royalty. “Even a baron is jealous of his prerogatives. When you meet in the receiving line, introduce yourself first. Formally. Full name and title. He will then set the tone for any future conversations.”
Shortly, the vehicles turned off the main road onto what was obviously, even in the dark, a well-manicured driveway that seemed to go on forever. Through the trees, Lucy could see a large lighted structure flickering in and out of view. One final turn of the tree-lined lane brought the building into clear view.
“It’s a damned castle!”
“Indeed, Captain,” Juergens responded. “It has been the von Schlenker family residence for over three hundred years. The outer battlements are still intact, even rebuilt in places, but the inner wall that enclosed the bailey was taken down about a hundred years ago to use for other buildings. The Baron keeps a stable of some of the finest Arabian show horses in the world. And, of course, no castle is complete without its own set of ghosts.”
“Have you ever seen one of them?”
“In truth, I have not, Captain. But I did once lose a silver cigarette case under mysterious circumstances some years ago. It was found some months later in a room that had, reportedly, not been opened for several years.”
The motorcade pulled up in front of an impressive set of stairs. Several vans with imposing-looking antennae on them sat to one side, while reporters and their cameramen stood in a front of cordoned-off vehicles filming the entire scene and calling out questions. Liveried footmen hurried forward to open the doors of the three vehicles and recoiled in confusion as four women stepped out and began surveying the area.
Lloyd Pike joined the women and spoke quietly to the team leader. He leaned into the center limo and said “Captain, your gala awaits. You shall go on my arm, and Captain Miller will go with Commander Walker. Captain Kane can bring up the rear.” This last was said as if some social gaffe had occurred.
Once the four officers had gathered, Juergens looked them over with a critical eye.
“Perfection,” he said quietly. “And as one who’s been to many of these events, please trust me when I say that the lack of adornment or jewelry adds to the mystique. Now,” he said briskly, turning to look Lucy in the eyes, “remember, among these people, image is everything.” In a schoolmaster’s cadence, he said, “Heads up, shoulders, back, and... chests out. Walk as if you own the ground beneath your feet. A regal step is always deferred to. If you act like a queen, you will be treated like a queen.”
This solemnly delivered pronouncement was greeted with titters of laughter by Marsha and Gayle. “Oh, my! The Queen of Outer Space!”
A look of pained confusion on Heinrich’s face prompted Lucy to say, “Private joke. Maybe I’ll explain someday.” To her companions she muttered, “Once more and you’re dead.”
Heinrich shrugged. “Go. Mingle. And remember—eat little, drink less.”
One step ahead of everyone else, Lucy arrived at the top of the massive stone staircase in time to see yet another liveried man stepping out of a small stone gatehouse. “Invitation, please,” the man ordered.
Lloyd quickly reached into his inside pocket, pulled out the embossed envelope, and handed it over. The gatekeeper glanced at the invitation and returned it to Lloyd. He then took a step forward, opened one of the huge doors, and with a courtly bow, pronounced, “By the Baron’s command, enter and be made welcome.”
The group moved into a large anteroom that, despite all the stone, was still amazingly warm. Two liveried men stood guard at another set of doors directly across from them. The room was decorated with suits of armor, flags, and tapestries. Weapons adorned the walls, along with a few portraits, all of which should have been in a museum somewhere.
“I’ll say this,” Marsha commented, “the man sure knows how to set a mood.”
“Well, ladies and gentlemen,” Lucy said, “it looks like we’re expected. Let’s go to a party.”
Lucy led her entourage across the foyer, and the footmen, acting as if their movements had been rehearsed a thousand times before, moved to open the double doors just as they arrived. Continuing into the next room, Lucy stopped, stunned. The scene before her was right out of a movie. The white marble staircase leading down to the ballroom floor, the pike-carrying footmen flanking the top and bottom of the staircase, and the fancifully dressed people circulating below could all have been provided by some movie company for
atmosphere.
But this is no set, Lucy thought. And I have to cope!
Another hurdle to be passed stepped toward them from his position at the top of the stairs, hand out held. Lloyd, hesitating only slightly, handed over the invitation one more time. With a practiced movement, the gaudily dress man flipped the card from the envelope and read it. A small throat-clearing noise alerted the nearest footman, who banged his weapon on the stone floor three times. When the echoes stopped reverberating around the stone room, all eyes were on the group at the top of the stairs.
“Lady Lucille Angelina Grimes, First Captain of the Terran Alliance and party!” Stepping back into position, he gave a small surreptitious wave of his hand to indicate that the group should proceed down the staircase.
Leaving her bodyguards to follow from rear for a change, Lucy started walking down the staircase one measured pace at a time. She now had a feeling of what a bug on a plate felt like. Every one of the hundreds of pairs of eyes were on her... again, bringing back the feeling of her visit to the Security Council. It hadn’t seemed so... daunting... aboard the Galileo because she either knew everyone on board or had something in common with them. Here, though, the only sound was the tapping of the feet of her party as they moved down the staircase, at the bottom of which was a line of people staring at her expectantly.