The Search for FTL

by Ted Iverson

  As he glanced at the three, Alec saw tension in Ty’s face and total relief in the faces of Orion and Zach. “By the looks of it, no one here will disagree.” He went on. “After the reading of the wills, you three will have to meet with the board and inform them of the wills’ contents that involve the corporation, so make sure you bring pen and paper. Ty will have some time to compose a statement after that. Will that be okay by you?” he asked, glancing at Ty. Ty somberly nodded.

  “All right,” Alec said. “The reading is set for one p.m. We’ll have Emily schedule the board meeting for three-thirtyish. She’ll schedule the news conference for after that: seven, give or take a few minutes. Ty, one last question: since this is your speech, where would you like to hold the conference?”

  “Well…” He thought for a moment. “It’ll be almost dark, and there’s still quite a nip in the air, so outside is out of the question. I think the best place will be in Space Tech’s auditorium. It can hold about four hundred people, if my memory serves me, so that should work nicely. And I want it fed into our conference rooms here and throughout the world. Up to the Orbital Lab as well, but that feed will be ours, not the holonet’s where they’d get erroneous information and endless analysis. Also, after the news conference I want to speak directly to all our employees. We owe that to them.”

  Alec leaned back, reveling in Ty’s short, to-the-point speech. He clearly was the right man for the job.

  Zach, who hadn’t said a whole lot, interjected, “Uh, was it just me or did anyone else hear Alec say, and I quote, ‘you’ a lot? I thought it was ‘us.’ Four brothers, united. Alec, do you care to explain?”

  Orion and Ty looked on in amazement. Zach wasn’t exactly the quiet one of the family, but to almost challenge Alec, who clearly had a grip on things at the moment, was shocking to both of them.

  “Zach,” Alec replied, “a very astute question. I use ‘you’ because I do plan on eventually going back to Chicago, to my job, my home. I’ll be here for as long as you need, but this isn’t my calling. It will be up to you three to carry on. Space Tech is going to be yours.”

  He looked down at his holopad. “Enough for now. Aunt Peggy just paged. Dinner is served. I’ll arrange the hover for around ten. I’d like to head to corporate headquarters early; it’s been a while since I’ve been there. We’ll watch the senator’s speech tonight, but then no more talk of business till tomorrow.”

  Alec now realized how tired he was. The others surely felt the same, physically and mentally. Pushing aside all unanswered questions, they got up and headed into the house.

  Aunt Peggy had thrown together a quick meal for them and was setting it up in the den, Aunt Peggy hesitated, then announced, “Senator Axion is coming on to make his statement. I can save it if you’d like and you can see it at a later time.”

  “No, it’s alright, Aunt Peggy; this is something we all need to see, or at least I do,” Ty replied. “Tomorrow I may have to correct something he says.”

  As Aunt Peggy passed bottles of water around to everyone, Zach leaned forward, picked up a small round object, and held it near his mouth. “Volume up three,” he said. The volume from the holopad rose. It was one of the newest holopad and it was fairly large, showing humans at about half their actual size.

  Senator Pitor Axion’s press conference was about to start. As he approached the podium in the Senate room, he was flanked by Senator Bill Fillmore on his right and his co-chair, Senator Blake Thoma, on his left. Senator Thoma, a stocky man whose face was as round as his mid-section, took the podium first. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and greetings to those around the world who are watching or listening. It is my honor to introduce Senator Pitor Axion. He will make a brief statement concerning Friday’s tragic accident and the loss of two of the world’s most brilliant scientists: Jeff Bindl and his wife, Jennifer. And now, Senator Axion.”

  As Senator Thoma stepped aside, Senator Axion moved into position behind the podium; his senatorial robe seemed to flow on its own. Axion was an imposing sight, tall and lean. His green eyes stood out on the oval-shaped face, and his stark white hair matched his meticulously trimmed goatee.

  The chamber was somber, and the usual clapping was soft and brief. Axion paused momentarily, perhaps waiting for a more thunderous applause. Quickly assessing the situation, he raised both hands and made a downward motion, as if he were the one keeping the applause down.

  Alec had heard that Axion had a fairly large ego, and now he could see that was true. Axion, though, was also one to keep a fairly low profile, which Alec had thought must be difficult for a politician. Alec’s mind was working overtime as he took in all the details: the room setting, the tone of the voices, the looks on faces, everything and anything that might serve him at a later date.

  By now there was no sound but Axion’s voice, which he kept low. “Thank you all for coming out tonight. There will be no question and answer session following my statement. Friday, at approximately 2315 our time, one of the most historic and heroic undertakings this planet has ever seen came to a tragic end. The owners of Space Tech Corporation, Jeff and Jennifer Bindl, were killed in an unfortunate accident. By now you are all aware that it did not happen here on Earth or even within our Earth’s orbit. The only information we have is that they had not yet exited the known solar system. I cannot give the absolutes of this accident as the investigation is ongoing and may continue for quite some time. I can give you a brief synopsis of what we know as of now: At approximately 0900 the Bindls’ craft, known as the StarDancer, launched from an undisclosed location and began its mission. The mission was to achieve a speed faster than light, which I will henceforth refer to as FTL. All of the ship’s instrumentation was functioning normally. The Bindls were in constant contact with their base. The OEC was being continuously updated on the mission’s progress. By 1900 hours, the Bindls reported that all was functioning well and readouts were normal. At this time they had already achieved an incredible speed and were still accelerating toward their goal. Some of you may be interested in the technical side of these achievements; however, those are considered to be vital secrets, and will not be available for anyone to see. As the mission continued, it looked as if they might succeed. However, at approximately 2310, the instrumentation readings began to deteriorate rapidly, actually, in seconds. Radio contact was officially declared lost at 2315, fourteen hours and fifteen minutes into the mission. As I mentioned previously, the investigation is ongoing, so I cannot even begin to answer what went wrong. The OEC held an emergency session. We have decided to suspend further research in this area until the investigation is complete.

  “I wish to extend my condolences to the Bindl family at this time. Your parents did not die in vain. They have given the world hope and dreams. I feel that I am a better person for having worked side by side with them. They were kind and caring and not afraid of the possible dangers. They were looking ahead to the future of all of humankind, but, in reality, they were the future. When you all close your eyes tonight, please say a prayer, not for those who have passed, for they are in a better place, but for those who were left behind. Thank you and goodnight.”

  Senator Axion paused, this time getting more applause, but not the amount he had been waiting for. As he stepped down from the podium, he thought to himself, they were well respected, perhaps too much. With his back to the crowd, he frowned out of disgust for speeches such as this. This wasn’t why he’d gotten onto politics. As he strode hurriedly out of the Senate, his only thought was to get out of the senatorial outfit that felt as if it were choking the life out of him. He could not wait until all of this was over. The plan was going well, but it did have its drawbacks.

  Orion leaned over and took the remote from Zach’s hand. He’d had a death grip on the object ever since Axion had begun his revolting speech.

  “Off now!” He shouted, his voice seething with disgust. “What a bunch of bull! I don’t believe a word!”

  The three brothers’ ey
es opened a little wider. Orion was not one to get uptight. Zach, tears running down his cheeks, just sat there looking at Orion. Aunt Peggy moved beside him and clasped her hands over his. She was trying to comfort him, but they all could see that this was as devastating to her as it was to them.

  Looking at Orion, Ty spoke, “Well, what he said seems close to what I read in the original reports, but then I’m no technical expert. I have a substantial-sized folder bursting with readouts, charts, graphs, and other stuff that I have no understanding of just waiting for you and Zach. We’ll need to get started early tomorrow, so we should all try to get some shuteye.”

  Alec seconded the motion. “Yes, Ty’s right. We’ll need to get some sleep if we’re to be on our game tomorrow. Lots to do.”

  With that, they stood and said their goodnights with some hugs and reassurances. Then each retired to his own room with his own thoughts. Alec, however, entered his room and, after quietly closing his door, booted up his holoplayer. He inserted the clear recorder disc he’d taken unnoticed from the holoplayer in the den. He’d sensed something as he’d listened to Axion’s speech, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe if he watched the speech again he’d discover something.

  Chapter Two

  Ty got up at sunrise and started to scribble some notes for his speech that afternoon. As fast as he wrote, he erased; the more he erased, the more frustrated he became. He tossed the pen on the desk and stood up so quickly his chair screeched across the hardwood floor. Defeated, he made his way back to his bed and plopped down on its edge, letting his body fall backwards. He grimaced as he thought of all that lay before him.

  And Alec thinks I can do this. I just don’t know.

  He lay there for a moment longer, then stood and threw on a jacket. He grabbed his pen and notepad and headed out to the balcony. Once there he tossed the notepad and pen on the small white table, pulled a padded oak chair over to it, and plopped down into the chair.

  He gazed out over the backyard. The day was slightly cloudy, but there was enough sun to cast an orange-red glow over the trees. The hangars in the distance stood out among nature’s backdrop. The pond his father had loved lay in front of the hangars. As he admired the scene, a brisk April breeze blew across his face and through his hair. Ty pulled his jacket zipper up a little higher. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ready himself. Then he opened his eyes and began to write.

  Alec awoke to the low hum of the holoplayer. He found himself lying on the bed only half covered by the sheets, his feet at the top and his head at the bottom. He’d fallen asleep while watching the senator’s speech; he must have watched it a half dozen times. From the first, he’d had the feeling that something was familiar—no, not really familiar, but there was something he couldn’t really pinpoint. He was uncomfortable not knowing what it was. He better not let his brothers know how he felt though. He’d have to have some answers before he said anything to them. If they thought that he sensed something was off-kilter, it would make today even harder. The reading of the wills would be difficult enough for them all. Even though he had absolutely no knowledge of what they would say, he knew that by day’s end his brothers would be sole owners of the largest privately-owned research and development space agency in the world.

  He stood and stretched then shut down the player and packed it away. Then he headed down the stairs and toward the kitchen, filled with many questions and no answers.

  Orion’s eyes opened. He was tired, tired beyond belief. He’d gotten little sleep. The house was nice, but the walls between the rooms weren’t as soundproof as one would have liked. Alec had been in the room next to him, and every time Orion was just about to fall asleep he could hear Alec get up, walk across the floor, and replay Senator Axion’s press conference—if that was really what it was. Orion felt it was more of an announcement than anything else: no questions, no answers. Finding the answers would be up to the four of them now that Alec was going to be staying for a while.

  Why was he playing it over and over? The detective in Alec must’ve told him that something was wrong. Orion thought about coming right out and asking Alec about it, but then he remembered last night. He’d gone back to get his bottle of water and, as he’d approached the den from the hallway, he’d seen Alec reaching down and taking the disc. What had really caught Orion’s attention was that, before Alec had actually slipped the disc from the player, he’d looked around, making sure no one saw him. It was then Orion had decided to head back to his room and not disturb Alec. Now, even though he felt that Alec sensed something, Orion thought it better to “let sleeping dogs lie,” as his father would say. Orion knew that if there was anything to tell, Alec would inform them all when he was ready. Just then, Orion’s stomach grumbled, and he decided to head down to breakfast.

  Zach woke up refreshed. He launched himself out of bed, ready to take on anything the day could throw at him. As he headed toward the bathroom to freshen up, he was brought to a stop when he saw the picture of his parents on the dresser. He picked it up and carefully looked at it. As he touched his mother’s face, he wondered how he could have slept so soundly. How could he actually be in a good mood? Shouldn’t he be wrought with grief? After all, his parents had just died. He knew it wasn’t normal, but he still felt more excitement than grief. He’d always been the impatient, impetuous one. Would his personality be one that would not let him grieve?

  After a moment, he replaced the picture on the dresser. He knew that underneath the excitement, there was sadness, but his grief would have to come later. He took a few steps toward the bathroom, then turned back toward the photo and whispered, “Mom, Dad, I miss you.”

  Alec, Orion, and Zach were in the den sipping coffee and reading the morning paper when a deep voice spoke up. “You boys doing anything special today?”

  “Uncle Nate!” Zach jumped up and gave his uncle a big hug.

  Orion got up to do the same. “When did you get here? None of us even heard you! I’m so glad you’re here.” His tone was almost that of relief.

  “Uncle Nate,” Alec said, his tone showing the deep respect he had for his uncle. Alec gave him a strong handshake followed by a quick embrace. “I saw the hover pull up very late last night. I was hoping it was you.”

  The boys were comforted by Uncle Nate’s stocky build, though Aunt Peggy had always said he was just “big boned.” His light brown hair was cut short, military style. It gave him an air of authority and reliability.

  The boys’ grandfather, Gregory, had appointed Nate to be one of Space Tech’s financial advisors. Two years later, Nate and Peggy were married. After the boys’ father and mother had taken over the reins at Space Tech as president and vice-president, their dad made Nate the Executive Financial Officer.

  At the time of Jeff’s and Jennifer’s deaths, Nate was in Russia on company business. “I got back as fast as I could. I’m still in shock.” His voice was clearly shaky and his brown eyes teared up. “I wanted to be with you boys during the reading of the wills today. I may be of some help.”

  “Uncle Nate,” Alec said, “as I am sure you know already, I stopped by legal yesterday. They told me that you and Aunt Peggy are to be there for the reading. I know they want you for financial reasons, but I’m sure there must be something for you as well.”

  “Yes, well, maybe so. All the material stuff aside, your father always treated me as a brother, and I just want to be there for you boys. Your aunt and I were never able to have children, you know, and I’ve always felt you four were the closest I would come to having my own, so bear with me.” Tears welled up again, a sight none of them had ever thought they’d see. He cleared his throat. “I am so sorry. I didn’t even know they were launching. I don’t know how, but I didn’t.” Wiping the tears away and regaining his stately nature, he asked, “Where is that brother of yours?”

  No one had even noticed that Ty hadn’t yet come down. Just then Aunt Peggy tipped her head around the corner and said, “I have some breakfast
ready if anyone cares.”

  The boys looked at each other. Their mom used to say that exact phrase.

  “What? What’s the matter? Did I say something wrong?”

  Orion sighed. “No, you didn’t, Aunt Peggy. It’s just that…” Unable to come out and say it, he babbled, “I’ll go get Ty.” Aunt Peggy looked a bit confused, but didn’t pursue the matter. She pulled her head back around the corner and walked off toward the kitchen.

  “Orion, I’ll go,” Alec said, motioning for Orion to go eat. “I’m closer.” Orion nodded his head and followed the others, while Alec turned and went to get his younger brother.

  “Ty, get down here. Aunt Peggy made us breakfast!” yelled Alec.

  “Okay, I’ll be right down. I’m just jotting down some notes for later.”

  “Just move your tail and get down here,” Alec’s voice boomed in rebuttal. “You don’t want cold food, do you?”

  Ty got up from his chair on the deck and came inside, closing the sliding door behind him. He set the paper and pen on the bed and quickened his pace to the kitchen. As he trotted down the steps, skipping every other one, he missed one and tumbled out of control. He was headed straight toward a giant vase sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Just as he was about to roll into it full force, it vanished. Ty kept going until he smashed into the wall opposite the steps. There he came to a dead stop. He rolled over to find Alec shaking his head and holding the vase off to one side.

  “Oh. Uh, good morning, Alec.”

  By now, everyone had left the kitchen and was standing in the hall laughing. Alec turned to face them. He cleared his throat and, with one hand on his chest and the other stretched out to his side, he announced, “I would like to introduce one of Space Tech’s famous partners: Grace!”