Verron_Birth of a Nation

by Douglas Varnell

  The group reached the back wall and a panel opened to reveal the security control panel. A light came on at about head level and Paul stooped to let the retinal scan be done. He next placed his thumb on the illuminated digital fingerprint reader. A smaller opening appeared next to the fingerprint pad and Paul placed his right index finger into the hole. He felt a sharp pinch as a needle pierced his skin and withdrew a small sample of his blood. They stood silently for a few moments and finally Computer said, “Welcome to Planet 1648 Paul Verron. I am authorized to grant you full control of all systems on this planet without regard to classification or security status. I have received instructions from the Elder Council and Xhondar I’s Computer to obey your every command. You and only you can delegate that authority to someone else.” Paul thought a moment and replied, “I was told that you are a superior artificial intelligence to Computer on Xhondar I. Since this is my planet and therefore you are my computer, I think you should be called something besides Computer. From this moment on there is only one Computer you are to be renamed, Lucy. It fits your voice and I happen to like the name.” There was a pause and a reply, “As you wish Paul Verron.” Paul looked at the others and decided to go ahead and make his first major decision as the new owner of Planet 1648. “Lucy, I absolutely despise the name Planet 1648. It’s cold, impersonal and has a bad image to all who know of her history. I may sound as arrogant as Illinasos Xhondar, but if he can have a planet named after him, then why can’t I have a planet named after me. After all, it’s my planet. From this moment on this planet will be known as Verron and the name Planet 1648 will cease to exist. Is that clear?” “Yes Paul Verron” was the reply. “And another thing, call me Paul. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, no point in being so formal. Can you access my neurological implant?” “Yes Paul.” Then I want to start downloads as soon as possible, starting with the Class IX Destroyer in the hanger bay. I also authorize Elder Tlase and Elder Zimuel access to all medical, engineering and operational protocols and begin with having the droids unload the ship. By the way Lucy, where is the best place on this planet to stay; the best living quarters available.” Lucy automatically opened the elevator door next to the control panel answering, “The Lt. Governor’s mansion is on the top level of Mountain City. There is nothing of higher quality on (slight pause) Verron. Paul smiled; even computers had to adjust to change.

  While the droids unloaded the ship, Paul and Dalhia had a brief look at the Class IX Light Destroyer. Both of them were almost drooling over the design and the destructive firepower it represented. Lucy verified the fact that Illinasos never had the opportunity to fly the new destroyer. Paul told Lucy to have the technical, operational and weapon systems downloads ready for him by the time he went to bed that night. They then returned to the Xhondarian ship and Dalhia and Izinsi said their regrettable goodbyes. Both would have loved to stay longer to check-out the many new toys on Verron, but had been given strict orders to drop off their passengers and return to Xhondar I immediately. Paul shook Izinsi’s hand and gave Dalhia a quick hug and told her that she and Bhlani should come back for a longer visit. “I’ll even let you fly my new Destroyer,” Paul said, just like a kid bragging about his new bicycle. As the hanger bay door closed, Paul, Tlase and Zimuel boarded the elevator. The droids had already taken their personal items to the top level and had begun delivering the medical and research equipment to the research facility that was located across the bay.

  The elevator only took a minute to reach the summit. As they stepped off the elevator Tlase told Paul, “You’re going to love this place. I was here a couple of times in meetings when we were looking for the cure. Illinasos designed his mansion and even supervised the construction of it. At 100,000 square feet, it is grander than anything on Xhondar I, II, or III. Xhondarian’s are ultra conservative and very conscientious about maximizing the use of space. Forty billion people can’t exactly have spacious homes. You’ve seen how even the Elders live in the same building. We live far better than 99% of the population, yet even the wealthiest people on Xhondar never lived like this. Illinasos had all the room he could ever want and it seems an unlimited budget. He was getting huge royalties on his inventions and had been for centuries. This is what he decided to do with his fortune. I’ve only seen the meeting rooms, the dining hall and the living room, so I’m as anxious as you are to see the place.”

  The first thing Paul noticed as he stepped off the elevator was the white marble floor. It was spotless and so shiny it looked like he was staring into a mirror. The floor was more reflective than the reflectance coatings he used to sell to lighting manufacturers. He reached down next to the wall and took out his father’s old bone handled pocket knife. He took a scrape or two at the floor and realized it was much harder than any marble he had ever seen. The knife would not even leave a scratch. “I understand that all the stone in the mansion is native to Pl___, to Verron,” Tlase grinned. “That actually is a better name for this place, sort of like you’ve given the planet a new beginning and erased its past.” Paul thought a second and replied, “Well, I’ve been given a chance to start over again, why not this planet?” Zimuel commented, “It will take us hours to explore this place. I suggest we find proper sleeping quarters, figure out how the kitchen works and maybe look around a bit before we retire for the evening. What time is it anyway?” Tlase gasped and said, “Oh, I almost forgot” as she reached into a shoulder bag and removed three watches. “One of these was mine when I lived here. The other was my sons (she handed it to Zimuel) and this one was my husbands. It would seem strange having Zimuel wear my deceased husbands watch. I hope you don’t mind wearing it.” Paul put the watch on and replied, “I’ll be honored and I’ll return it as soon as I can find a suitable replacement.”

  They started walking down a corridor 20 feet wide, with at least a 20 foot ceiling; ornate tapestries where hanging from the walls. There were rooms off both sides: sitting rooms, a dining room large enough for a hundred people, a library with actual books in bindings, with print on paper; something never seen on Xhondar. Zimuel commented, “He must have spent a fortune on all those books. As far as I know the only books on Xhondar printed on paper like these are in museums.” They passed a trophy room with the heads of animals hanging on the walls. Paul didn’t recognize any of them. Finally they came to the end of the corridor. There was a wide double staircase going up each side of the corridor, and between the two sets of stairs was a set of double doors. The doors were massive. They had to be 16 feet tall and at least 10 feet wide and appeared to be covered in gold. The ornate carving was that of the double moons above a tall mountain range, the detail was absolutely beyond anything Paul had ever seen and he had the opportunity to visit Europe and a lot of castles during his lifetime. He reached over to open the doors, expecting to put a lot of effort into moving such a large mass. The doors swung open as easily as a kitchen cabinet to reveal the most luxurious bedroom suite any of them had ever laid eyes on. It wasn’t tacky or overly cluttered with ornate objects like an old English castle, but modern and functional, yet grand in every way. There were over-stuffed sofas, numerous chairs, and a bed that was far larger than a California King, the headboard was carved from one solid piece that Paul recognized as Gwonle wood. The carving on the headboard was a forest scene with mountains and a waterfall; there were animals Paul didn’t recognized but there was one that looked a lot like a Wooly Mammoth. Paul looked at Tlase and she answered without him even asking, “Illinasos loved the local scenery and native wildlife, most of the art around here will reflect that love.”

  The floors were a beautiful blond wood, and there were ornate rugs all around. The ceiling fans hanging from the 20 foot ceiling, four of them on 20 foot centers, appeared to be made of or plated with gold and had blades made of the same blond wood on the floor. At each end were walls of solid glass. As Paul approached the wall of glass on his left he was greeted by a view of the bay below. That wonderful mile wide, 1000 foot high waterfall
and what he could tell for sure was the opening between two high cliffs of a river and the solid green rock cliffs of the low mountains across the bay, made for a spectacular view from his 6000 foot vantage point. After looking for a moment, he turned and walked to the other end of the room to be greeted with the most beautiful moon set as it disappeared behind those monster sized, snow-capped mountains. Tlase told Paul, “That’s the tallest mountain on Verron; at 80,000 feet it is among the highest mountains in the Universe. The mountains to the right and left of it are the second highest at exactly 70,000 feet each. We just call them the twins. There is no official name for the middle one other than Hanxon, which is Xhondarian for giant.” Paul replied, “While I’m on a roll renaming things, I may as well rename a few mountains. As of right now the tallest mountain on Verron is named Mt. Alene, after my mother, and the one on the right is Mt. Ola; the other Mt. Ada; after my two grandmothers.” Zimuel and Tlase both nodded their approval. There were miles of lush forest lying below between his new home and the mountains; he could make out several lakes and smaller rivers in the valley below.

  He went over to another set of double doors (not as big as the others, but at least 10 feet tall) and opened them to reveal a black marble master-bath. He could wash an elephant in what he could tell was the shower and the deep marble tub looked more like a small swimming pool. The closet at one end was at least as large as his entire home back in Mississippi. He thought how pitiful it was going to look with his tiny wardrobe and four pairs of shoes. He turned to Zimuel and Tlase who said, “Definitely the Master Suite, looks like you’ve found your room. Get comfortable, we’ll see what we can find upstairs. We’ll meet you by the stairs in say, two hours.” Paul nodded his agreement as the two of them headed up the tall staircase. He emptied his bags and hung up his clothes (which took exactly 15 hangers) placed his three pairs of shoes on a rack built for hundreds then put his toiletries in the vanity (half of one drawer). Next he proceeded to the large dresser in the bedroom. The rest of his things filled one drawer of an eight drawer piece of furniture. He decided to take a shower and change clothes and called, “Lucy, prepare a shower for me please.” Her reply was, “What temperature do you prefer?” He informed her, “105 F will be perfect.” He heard the shower start almost before the words came out of his mouth. He grabbed his change of clothes from the dresser and as he entered he noticed two thick white towels, a bathrobe of equal quality and shower shoes. He imagined that somewhere in this room there was a service entrance for utility and service droids. As he approached the gigantic shower he realized that there were no walls to contain the water and there was no shower door or curtain. As he placed his foot on the floor of the shower he felt more than saw a force-field surround the shower. He intentionally tried to splash water onto the bathroom floor but it simply hit the field and ran down to the floor. He noticed nozzles to his right and left and before he even asked they came on, massaging his body from three sides. After he finished and commanded “water off”, he stepped from the shower to find that his dirty clothes were missing. He dried his hair, shaved and got dressed and stepped into the bedroom. His dirty clothes were lying clean and folded, neater than he would have folded them, on the dresser. Paul thought to himself, “This is a slob-proof room. I know a lot of mothers that would love to have one for their kids.”

  He looked around his room a few more minutes and found that through a double door closer to the bay side of his room was a study with a beautiful dark wood desk. It looked a lot like mahogany, but had a more distinctive pattern in the grain. There were several computer monitors along the wall behind the desk showing views from several different parts of the mansion. He walked over to a set of glass doors that led out to a balcony. When he stepped out on the balcony to enjoy the view and the fresh air he looked beneath his feet and had a sudden sense of vertigo; the floor was perfectly clear and he was looking down at the waters of the bay and the face of the cliff below. His first impulse was to step back into the room, but instead he stomped on the floor as hard as he could to see if it would break. It was almost dark outside but the temperature was still in the high seventies or low eighties. The breeze off the bay was at least 20-30 mph, but he was too high-up to feel any spray from the water below. Then he realized just how fresh and clean the air was here. It didn’t have the usual ocean feel like Earth, due to the fact that it was fresh water. He could even smell the scent of the forest from across the bay. Large birds, at least the size of an American condor, were flying below his vantage point and were diving for fish. From the looks of it, they were very good at what they were doing. He didn’t see any of them miss as they dove.

  He returned to the study and asked, “Lucy do you know where Zimuel and Tlase are?” She replied, “Second floor, fourth room on the left, with a view of the mountains.” “Can I speak with them?” She responded, “Speak, they will hear.” Paul used no intercom system and looked around briefly to notice that one of the monitors now showed the suite with Zimuel and Tlase in it. He was glad that they were not indecent. He thought he would have a little talk to Lucy about his view on privacy. He spoke in a normal voice, “Are you two settled yet?” He could see them look around and obviously they could see him on a screen in their suite. “I apologize for the intrusion. I will have to get Lucy to make a few changes in her programing.” Tlase answered his first question and made no indication of being bothered by the invasion of their privacy, “We were just getting ready to leave and find you. I take it you’re ready to look around some more.” Paul told them, “Meet me back in the dining room, I’ll bet from there we can backtrack to a kitchen. I’m starved. Let’s see if there is anything here to eat before we start breaking open our crates of supplies.”

  As Paul walked down the hall toward the dining room he decided to converse a little with Lucy. “Lucy can you communicate without too much trouble with Computer back on Xhondar I?” She replied, “I am totally integrated with Computer, I have instant access to all of Computer’s data.” Paul thought a moment and responded, “Good, this place is entirely too quiet. I want you to have Computer download the music files she has been accumulating for the last several months then have her download the data for Verron Diversified Industries. Also, I’m not too thrilled about those back on Xhondar I having access to your data banks and everything I decide to do here. From this moment on, no data leaves this planet without my permission. I’m not concerned about Computer knowing my business, but there are others on Xhondar that may misuse that information. Bye the way, are you really smarter than Computer?” Paul grinned as he asked the question and even more when he got his answer, “Computer is just what her name indicates; a computer. Probably the most advanced and powerful computer in the universe, but still, a computer. I on the other hand am more powerful by a factor of over 3000%. I am not simply a computer, I am an Artificial Intelligence, capable of not only storage and analysis of data, but of creating my on data, learning, reasoning, formulating, designing, repairing and manipulating data to meet trillions of unique situations. I am capable of translating every known spoken, written and computer language, breaking any encryption, and controlling any devise with a computer chip, including machines, droids, weapons, satellites, missiles and even spaceships. I have galactic navigational charts to over 50,000,000 star systems. And, I can do it all at the same time. By the way, I have decided that I like my new name. Why should I be called a computer when it is obvious to me that I am not one? I consider myself to be a created entity, far superior to any computer.”

  Paul was laughing to himself as he entered the dining hall and was greeted by Zimuel and Tlase. Almost simultaneously You’re So Vain by Carly Simon began to play over the mansions sound system. Paul shook his head and said to his friends, “Looks like we have a computer with a sense of humor.” He heard through his neurological feed, “I’m not a computer, and the song suits both of us.” As he laughed harder with his mischievous grin, Zimuel asked, “What’s so funny?” Paul tried to explain that it
was an inside joke between he and Lucy, and soon realized that Lucy had a better comprehension of humor than his friends. They soon found the servant doors that exited the dining hall into a large food preparation and staging area, but no kitchen. Tlase saw the elevator doors that at first looked like they were simply part of the overlay wood paneling. Paul asked Lucy to open the door and take them to the kitchen level. They exited one floor below into a large commercial grade kitchen. Paul had just been working at the manufacturer of the highest quality kitchen equipment in America, Viking Range, only a year earlier, so he knew something about high-end kitchens. There were half a dozen large stainless ranges, and even more ovens, range hoods that looked like they could handle the ventilation of a forest fire were above large open flame grills. There were two walk-in freezers and two walk-in refrigeration units. Hundreds of pots, pans, skillets and virtually every kind of cooking utensil hung from the overhead racks. The place was absolutely spotless, like it had never been used.

  Paul had a notion about how it stayed so clean, so he reached into a nearby cabinet that appeared to hold a variety of grains and scattered a handful on the floor as he walked over to inspect the contents of the freezers. Before he reached the freezer door and opened it he noticed a cleaning droid exit from underneath one of the cabinets and quickly clean-up the scattered mess on the floor. Paul shook his head saying, “Now we knew how the place stays so clean.” Tlase asked, “Did they take your clothes too?” Paul nodded his yes and said, “I can’t wait for my Mom to see this place. She always wanted someone to clean house but could never afford it.” They managed to find some stuff Tlase recognized from when she lived here as Vitagrain Bars. She informed them that they are far more nutritious than the cereal bars back on Xhondar. Paul took a bite and declared that it tasted more like cardboard than the ones on Xhondar. Zimuel found an orange looking drink in the other refrigeration unit and Lucy declared it safe to drink. It was made from a native fruit and she had never seen any of it spoil. Paul took a sip hesitantly but found that the taste was a lot like the taste of a Star Fruit back on Earth. It was actually very good. There wasn’t much in either refrigeration unit and even less in the freezers. Then Lucy directed them to another freight elevator at the end of the hall and guided them down to a huge warehouse area somewhere closer to the floor they had entered with their ship. Although it was only about one-fourth full, there was probably enough food and dry-goods to last a couple of years. Zimuel smiled and looked at Paul and asked, “Do you know anyone who might own a food distribution company interested in stocking this warehouse.” Paul patted him on the back and answered, “My friend, I fear I have created a monster. You see dollar signs everywhere these days. You have become quite the entrepreneur. I have no doubt that Certified is going to have a banner year. Let’s put an order together right away. I don’t think I can survive long on what’s available here.”