by Russell Fine
“Brandon, can S31 and I play in the pool for a while?” S12 asked.
“Of course, please enjoy yourselves. Tomorrow we’ll continue working on the computer design. By the way, there’s something you should be aware of. This area isn’t like Procolt 2. There are many large predators here. So, for your own safety, please don’t leave the compound. Inside the compound, in the grassy areas, you’ll probably see some large birds. They won’t hurt you, so you don’t have to be afraid of them. I know there aren’t very many birds on Procolt 2, but this area has a lot of them.”
The squirrels ran to the pool and jumped in. They stayed in the shallow end of the pool since they did not swim very well. The others watched them play for a while and then went back in the house. They walked into the atrium and sat down at a table overlooking the pool.
Jeffery said, “Max, I think you should consider halting construction on the Star Explorer until the new systems that Brandon and S12 are designing are ready. The ship would be obsolete before construction is completed.”
Before Max could respond, Brandon said, “We have three large projects to complete. The new propulsion system, the new communication system, and we’ll need a new navigation system as well. The current navigation systems aren’t fast enough to work effectively with the new propulsion system. I believe that we can have all three projects completed in less than two years.”
“I see your point,” Max said. “Unfortunately, it’s not my decision. I’ll have to discuss it with the directors.”
“There’s something else you should be aware of,” Jeffery said as he looked at the pool. “Debbie and I have an agreement with the squirrels; we agreed to provide for all their needs in exchange for the rights to the new systems. As a result, Debbie and I own the rights to the new systems. NASA is free to use them at no cost, but I suspect NASA will soon find itself in the business of outfitting ships from other systems with the new designs. When that happens, Debbie and I will be entitled to a royalty on each new system.”
Max thought for a few moments and said, “Since NASA will be paying for a lot of the development, I would think we would actually own the rights to completed systems.”
“Max, NASA will make billions from these systems. I’m only looking for a small piece so I can finance the construction of the resort. I really don’t think adding five percent to the cost for Debbie and me is asking too much.”
“I guess you’re right. If it wasn’t for you two, none of this would be happening. I’ll contact someone in our legal department to draw up a contract.”
“Thank you. One more thing: I promised Garlut that when you start retrofitting ships with the new systems, his will be first.”
“I’ll bet you told him we would do it for free too.”
“Yes, I did. But if I have to, I’ll pay for it out of my royalties. You should consider the experience NASA gains from retrofitting Garlut’s ship will result in a substantial amount of new opportunities. NASA could become the primary source for building and retrofitting starships in the trade group.”
“I suppose that’s a possibility, but NASA is primarily a research organization. I suppose we could create a subsidiary that would build and retrofit starships. Now I have two items for discussion at the next directors’ meeting.”
The rest of the day was spent relaxing. Jeffery and Debbie decided to accept Brandon’s offer to stay there for a while. The squirrels spent most of the day playing in the outdoor pool and sleeping. They woke up around dinner time and walked into the house asking Brandon where they could get food. Brandon told them dinner would be ready soon and Bess had prepared a roast beef dinner with roasted potatoes, green beans, and glazed carrots.
When dinner was ready, Bess asked Brandon, “Should I set places at the table for S12 and S31?”
“They’re very civilized and know how to use silverware but they still prefer to use their hands. So, to answer your question; yes, you should set places for them at the table.”
Dinner went very well. The squirrels loved all of the vegetables, and the others were grateful for a meal that was not prepared by a food generator.
After dinner, Jeffery and Debbie took Max back to NASA Headquarters using one of Brandon’s cars. After they dropped him off, they went to their quarters and picked up what they would need to stay at Brandon’s.
Max came back the following afternoon and took Jeffery to where the ship was. Jeffery flew the ship up to the space station and secured it. Four hours later, they were back at Max’s car.
Jeffery, Debbie, and S31 spent a few days enjoying all that Brandon’s house had to offer. The food was excellent, their room was both comfortable and private, and Bess and Tom made sure they had anything they needed. S12 and Brandon spent the same two days completing the design for the new computer systems.
Brandon and Max had been speaking to each other several times a day. Max scheduled a board meeting and wanted both Brandon and S12 there. Since Max didn’t want to bring S12 to NASA Headquarters, the meeting was going to take place at Brandon’s estate.
In addition to Max, there were nine other directors at NASA. By 10:00 a.m., they had arrived at Brandon’s house and were seated at his conference room table. Edward Nichols, the chairman, called the meeting to order at 10:15. Then he said, “This meeting is very informal. I’m going to ask Brandon Simpson to speak with us about some new projects. Brandon has already started doing preliminary work on one of the projects with his partner, S12.”
When the chairman sat down, Brandon stood up and said, “Good morning. In front of you is a report prepared by Admiral Jeffery Whitestone concerning the events and discoveries that have occurred on Procolt 2. Before I continue, I would like each of you to spend a few minutes reading the report.”
Brandon sat down and studied the faces of the directors as they read the reports. Several of them showed obvious disbelief, but he knew that would change shortly. When everyone had finished reading the report, he stood up and said, “I’d like you to meet my partner, S12.”
The members of the board were aware that S12 was not humanoid, but it was still a shock as they watched her walk into the room.
S12 got up on the chair next to Brandon. She looked around at the directors and said, “Good morning. I wanted to elaborate on the information in the report you just read. When we first encountered, Jeffery and Debbie, we’d already developed a simple spoken language. It had only about two hundred words, but it was sufficient for our needs. We were familiar with our environment and we weren’t the least bit curious about what existed in other places. We had food, water, and shelter. That was all we really needed.
“However, that all changed very quickly. Jeffery introduced us to new foods and Cathy Carter decided to learn our language so she could speak to us. We surprised her because while she was learning our language, we learned to speak English. We discovered we had an insatiable desire to learn new things. We had no concept of numbers or time. Cathy and Sheila taught us those things. Once we understood those concepts, our education really began. Within a half year, we’d learned what most humans take twelve years to learn. Then, after we received some college level textbooks, we continued our education. Two women from Coplent helped us for a while, but it soon became apparent we were more knowledgeable than they were, so I took over the responsibility of teaching.
“My knowledge of theoretical physics is quite extensive. By utilizing this knowledge, I was able to create the proposals that led to Brandon’s trip to Procolt 2, and ultimately, my being here today.” S12 sat down.
Brandon stood up and said, “I can attest to S12’s knowledge of physics. When it comes to theoretical physics, she’s certainly more knowledgeable than I am. However, she’s unable to convert the theory into practical applications. That’s something I do very well, so together we make an excellent team. I know it’s hard for you to believe what you just heard. When I first met S12, I simply couldn’t believe something that looks like a big squirrel could be intelligent.
I now believe, and I’m not alone in this opinion, the squirrels from Procolt 2 have a greater capacity for learning than any other species we’re aware of.”
Brandon spent the next several minutes explaining the proposed systems. Then he said, “I estimate it will take two years to bring these proposed systems to the testing phase and possibly another year to test the systems before we can begin installing them into starships. Once we do that, the entire trade group will be here asking us to build new ships for them or retrofit their existing ships. The development will not be cheap. I would guess we’re looking at three to five trillion dollars, but we’ll make that back very quickly. I suspect you have questions. Please let Max speak and then we’ll answer all of your questions.”
Brandon sat down and Max stood up, cleared his throat and began. “When Jeffery came back from his previous mission, he brought the proposal S12 wrote to me. I’m enough of a scientist to know the proposal looked promising. I gave the proposal to Brandon and he confirmed everything in the proposal was plausible, so I sent him to Procolt 2 to discuss it in depth with S12. Brandon is now certain the systems will work as indicated. I’ve also had some discussions with the Trade Council representative on Earth. He assured me that if we build these systems every member planet will become our customers. Earth will become the wealthiest planet in the trade group. We don’t have to do all the actual work. We can use subcontractors on other planets, but we’ll get a large slice of each transaction. If the final cost does turn out to be five trillion dollars, we’ll be able to recover that in less than three years.
“I realize NASA doesn’t have the money to finance this endeavor, but the World Council does. It must be brought to their attention as soon as possible. If they turn this down, another planet will build it. I urge you not to let that happen.”
Max sat down.
“I’ll call the president about this today. I’m sure the World Council will agree to finance the project,” Edward Nichols stated.
There were only a few questions. One of the questions regarded the construction of the Star Explorer. Max purposely hadn’t brought it up because he was sure one of the directors would ask about it. Max said construction should be halted until the new systems are
available. Every director at the table agreed.
After the meeting was over, Max called Jeffery. “Jeffery, I have some good news for you. I’m releasing you from your commitment to test the Star Explorer. The directors have halted construction until the new systems are available. I’d still like you and Debbie to do the test missions because you two are the most qualified pilots we have, but I would certainly understand if you decline.”
“Thank you for the information. We’ll probably return to Procolt 2 in a few days. At this point, I obviously don’t know what we’ll be doing two years from now. However, I’m sure we’ll make a few trips to Earth during that time, so I’ll keep in touch. Do you know when the Star Rover is scheduled to return to Earth?”
“Right now, it’s at Coplent. They’re installing a time stasis system and will return to Earth as soon as that is completed. They should have arrived at Coplent five days ago. The time to complete the installation is ten days so, after the system is operational, they’ll be able to return to Earth in thirty days. I would guess they should be back here in thirty-five or forty days. Why?”
“I wanted to talk to Frank Weber about something.”
“Is Frank going to quit on me, too?”
“I don’t know for sure, but he did tell me he wanted to work at the resort when it’s completed. I do know he loves what he’s doing and he’s very good at it. I just want to let him know what the schedule is.”
“Garlut told me on his last visit it would take three years to build. I think they may have already started construction.”
“I think you know more about the resort schedule that I do. Maybe Debbie and I will be surprised when we get back. Please let Frank know the schedule when you see him. This lack of communication is going to drive me insane. As soon as the new communication system is ready, I want Procolt 2 to be a part of it.”
“I think that’s a reasonable request. Since you’re living with Brandon, I’m sure you’re aware the communication system will be developed as soon as the new computer systems are finalized.”
“Yes, I discussed that with him and S12 yesterday. They may be ready for initial testing of the communication system in about one hundred and twenty days.”
“Maybe you should delay your return to Procolt 2 until after the initial testing has been completed.”
“I’ll discuss it with Debbie, but I don’t think we want to wait that long before we return. I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know.”
Jeffery and Debbie discussed it and decided they didn’t want to delay their return to Procolt 2. Jeffery called Max and told him about their decision to return to Procolt 2 almost immediately and Max wished them a safe journey.
They spent their last day before their departure relaxing at Brandon’s house, swimming and watching the squirrels play. That evening, Brandon drove them to NASA headquarters and they took a NASA shuttle to the space station. Once they were there, they arranged a ride to their ship on a small shuttle. They checked out the systems on the ship and everything functioned normally, so they left immediately.
Once they were a few thousand units from the space station, Jeffery programmed the navigation system to take them to Procolt 2. A minute later the time stasis field initialized and their trip to Procolt 2 started.
Since they were alone on the ship, they took advantage of the situation and tried their best to start a family. It made Debbie wonder if she would ever get pregnant, but she didn’t discuss it with him. Finally, when she was expecting her cycle to start, it never came. She purposely didn’t mention it to Jeffery until she was sure about her condition. She was thrilled about being pregnant, but now she had another concern. Did she actually want to give birth on Procolt 2? She would have to make that decision quickly.
When they landed at Procolt 2, Cathy, Sheila, and S1 were waiting for them to get off the ship. As soon as they did, Cathy said, “We weren’t expecting you to return so soon. How did things go on Earth with S12 and S31?”
“Everything is fine,” Debbie said. “They’re living with Brandon and almost nobody knows they’re there. S12 and S31 are having a great time. They spend hours every day playing in and around the pool. S12 and Brandon were working on a new computer system. Once that’s completed, they’re going to start working on the new communication system.”
S1 said, “I’m glad they’re happy. Did the people at NASA have any problems with S12’s proposals?”
“No, there was a meeting at Brandon’s house with the board of directors,” Jeffery said. “During the meeting both Brandon and S12 spoke to them. I think that convinced them they had merit.”
Sheila said, “You just missed Marcet and Brealak. They went back to Coplent two days ago. Brealak said she had something to discuss with Garlut and Nandor concerning the resort, but she didn’t say what. You should also know a ship from Coplent arrived twenty-five days ago and they’re doing some of the preliminary work on the resort.”
“Tomorrow Debbie and I will go over there and see what they’re doing. Did Brealak or Marcet say when they expected to return?”
“Brealak said they were going to spend a few days there and then come back.”
Debbie said, “I hope they come back soon. I have a question for Marcet.”
Jeffery looked at her. He had a rather puzzled look on his face and asked, “What question do you have for Marcet?”
“I probably should have mentioned this before, but I missed my last period and I wanted her to check to see if I’m pregnant.”
Now Jeffery smiled, hugged her, picked her up in the embrace to spin her around, and then kissed her. As he set her back on her feet he said, “That’s great news! I sincerely hope you are but I am a bit concerned about the lack of medical facilities.”
Cathy said, “Perhaps you guys should go back to Earth right now. You should absolutely take every precaution to be sure you have a normal pregnancy.”
“Cathy’s right,” Jeffery said, showing some concern in his voice. “Marcet won’t be back for at least sixty days.”
“I’ve had some medical training,” Shelia offered. It has been a while but before I decided to become a botanist, I was a pre-med student. I also worked for two years as an Emergency Medical Technician. During that time, I participated in three births. If you decide to stay here, I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Thanks Shelia, I’ll have to think about this for a few days. I’m not absolutely sure I am but if I don’t start in the next few days, I’ll know for sure. As long as we’re here, I want to see what progress has been made on the resort.”
“Okay, but if it turns out you are, we should probably return to Earth as soon as possible.” Jeffery tried not make it sound like an order.
“I understand how you feel, but I just don’t want to go for another trek through space right now. There’s another consideration too. I don’t know if exposure to the time stasis field would have any negative effects on the baby.” Debbie placed a careful hand on her abdomen.
“I hadn’t thought about that. I guess we have some thinking to do.”
They all went inside and sat in the dining room. Cathy got coffee for everyone. Nobody said anything for a while until S1 said, “I realize we’re physically different from humans, but I suspect our reproductive systems are similar since we’re both mammals. Some of our females have been trained as what you would call a midwife. Perhaps they could be of some help in this situation.”
“Well, that would be interesting. I could be the first human female to give birth with the assistance of squirrels. I really do appreciate the offer. If I do decide to stay here, I’ll gladly accept any help I can get.”