by Ted Iverson
“Gentlemen,” Ty spoke clearly, “it is a new day for Space Tech and for us. We can stand here in awe of what is, or we can forge ahead to what will be. I opt for the second. Alec, you came early to look around and get reacquainted with Space Tech; that’s what you’ll do. Orion, Zach, and I will retire to Dad’s—no, my office, where we’ll discuss what each of us will do after the reading of the wills. We have no time to waste.” He pointed to the endless activity in the lobby. “They haven’t stopped working for us; we shouldn’t for them.” His new inner strength at that moment was a relief. If he could just maintain his focus, maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out.
Orion and Zach looked stunned. As Ty spoke, it was as if he were looking past them, almost possessed. It frightened them, but in a good way. Someone had to shake them to the core or it all would end here. Someone had to lead. Not that they weren’t ready, able to do what had to be done, but in their own minds they were unsure. Soon enough they would be up in the Orbital Lab and would be in charge, but that was where they felt at home, not down here. Ty’s words now brought needed hope and guidance to them. Orion spoke, “I agree. Let’s get to work. No more wasting time.”
Alec nodded. “Ty, you’re right. I’m going to have a look around. I’ll catch up with you all at the reading.”
Zach gave a quick wave of his arm in the general direction of the offices. “Lead the way, guys!” With that, they were off.
Alec decided to head down to the Hall of Libraries for some research. The tour of the building could wait for now. This hall consisted of many rooms, each of which held books of a specific type. Not knowing where to start, he decided to try the history room. He reached for the door handle, but there was none. He tried pushing on the tall, ornate doors; they didn’t budge. The now familiar voice said, “Please place hand into VGID.”
He hadn’t seen the device at first, but now he reached out and placed his hand palm down into it. The gel enveloped his hand, rippled, and then ceased. He received confirmation and pulled his hand out.
“Please, look straight ahead.”
Alec did so, and a small piece of the wall slid open to reveal the now-familiar probe. It shot out and stopped within inches of his face, making him flinch.
The voice, which seemed to emit from the orb, ordered, “Please, look into the Ret-Scan.” He did so.
A few more seconds of laser action and the orb receded into the wall. “Identity confirmed: Alec Bindl. You may enter.”
After a click and some low, mechanical sounds, the door slowly slid open. He walked in and the doors closed behind him. He was alone, or so he thought.
“Hello, can I help you?” asked a fuzzy, greenish, life-sized holographic image.
“Yes, I suppose you might be able to. I was looking for the history of Space Tech.”
“If you move to the last row of shelving, you’ll find it on the back wall, four shelves down, fifth holodisc from the left.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re quite welcome, Mr. Bindl.”
Alec headed to the shelf that he hoped would give him a start on his research. Reaching the shelf, he bent down to find what he needed. Each disc was in a small yellow case, clearly marked with the contents. There was the one he needed, fifth from the left, just as the image had said. He plucked it off the shelf and strolled back to the front.
“Would you care to browse your disc here or check it out?”
Alec glanced at his watch. “Now would be fine.”
“Please feel free to use any holoplayer you wish.”
“I’ll use the one by the window.” Even though he’d used holoimages many times before, it still felt odd to be having a conversation with nobody. He sat down by the window and switched on the machine. It came alive as he placed the disc into the center depression. He leaned back in the plush chair. He didn’t really know what he was looking for, but he figured the beginning was as good a place to start as any. Alec began his history lesson.
Another, smaller holographic image appeared.
Welcome, I am CHIP, computer holographic image program, and I will be walking you through the history of the world’s biggest and best privately-owned space corporation: Space Tech. You may access the main menu at any time. To skip to an individual history segment, touch the menu button on the pad located directly in front of you on the desktop. If you are ready, we will begin.
To know and understand the history of Space Tech and its desire for public service, one must know the founder. Gregory Bindl was born to Alicia and Jonathon Bindl on March 10th, 1964. He was the third child of four. At the young age of...
Alec looked through the menu as the image continued on about his grandfather. He was thinking of the senator’s speech the night before. He was hoping that gaining some knowledge of the company’s history might nudge a distant memory buried deep in his mind. He started looking for more recent items. It might be his best chance for finding the information he was seeking.
Ty, Orion, and Zach sat in the plush office that had been their father’s. Ty was behind the massive oak desk, deep in thought, trying to finish his speech.
The desk was lined on the right by pictures of family and friends. On the left were in-and-out boxes stuffed with paperwork and small tubes filled with holodisks. All of these would need a thorough going-through. In the middle of the desk were a holonet module and a computer that had been modified so the screen would just pop up out of the desk. Its keyboard had been built into the desk.
Orion and Zach sat next to each other in front of the desk. Papers and tubes strewn about in front of them, and they were busy going through them, each analyzing the sheets and film in front of him.
Orion looked over at Zach in exasperation, “This data Dad left on his desk is no help. Everything I’ve looked at is just memos and work orders for materials. And here,” he said, holding up one small piece of paper, “a lunch order!” He crumpled it and tossed it toward the garbage can.
Zach reached out swiftly and intercepted the wadded-up paper. “I wouldn’t do that. Alec is going to want to look at these when we’re done.” He unfolded it and smoothed it out on the desk. “We might be missing something here; keep in mind we’re not detectives. Even that lunch order might be important.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Orion said as he watched his brother continue to smooth the wrinkled note.
“I haven’t found anything relevant either, but there is this one that intrigues me.” Zach reached to his left, picked up a pile, and quickly shuffled through it until he found what he was looking for. “This note here, it’s... well, you take a look at it.”
Taking it from his younger brother, Orion read silently.
P.S. @ A.H. Sat 10 55
Dn w/S.P.A. / P.S.
MT Cmt Mon 12 55 Dsc SD / GRT
“This looks like scribble, but I think it’s a self-memo. The “10 55,” it has to be the date.”
“Hey, that’s next Saturday!”
“Yes, and the “Mon 12 55” is Monday. But the stuff between the dates, I’m not sure what that is.”
Orion and Zach nearly jumped out of their skins as a heavy book came slamming down between them, interrupting their intense discussion. It was black, hard-bound, and about two inches thick. “Oh, did I startle you both?” Ty asked with a wide grin on his face. “I couldn’t help but hear you. This might help answer your question, Orion.”
“What is it?”
“Dad’s appointment book.”
“Really? Well, let’s have a look.”
Ty pushed the book in Orion’s direction, “Do we want to wait for Alec before we open this? We might learn things we might not be ready for?”
Zach raised the small note up and shook it. “No, I want to see what this sheet means. If it’s an appointment or whatever, we can relay it to Alec when he gets back here.”
“Zach, what do you say?”
Looking at Ty, Zach tilted his head toward Orion, “I’m with him; let’s have a look now
.”
“Fine, let me get a chair and come around.”
Faster than Light Travel (FTL) had interested Gregory Bindl, but it was his son, Jeff, who would take this interest to new heights. Born on June 15th, 2003, Jeff would be the first of two children for Gregory and Tricia. His sister, Peggy, was born on August 12th, 2005. Having achieved success with some of the aforementioned inventions, Gregory was able to turn his attention to the FTL theory he had shelved for a period of time. During this time, young Jeff would be learning from his father. They were very close and only seen apart when Gregory traveled, or Jeff was in school.
Alec paused to reflect on that. That is why he wanted me to join Space Tech: family. It was all about family and I turned away.
He closed his eyes and suppressed the inner voice, pushing it back into a corner of his mind. Being alone and listening to CHIP tell the Space Tech story had made Alec vulnerable to feelings he thought he had long ago forgotten. “This is no time to be rehashing old feelings,” he said to himself.
He had been sitting there for close to an hour and a half, and still it felt as though he had gotten nowhere. Not that he should have answers by now, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. The history of Space Tech was always interesting, but he was frustrated to realize that the company’s history might not be where he needed to start. He rubbed his eyes, then felt a buzz at his side. A message had come through on his holopad. He stood, reached down, and removed the pad from its case on his hip. As he retrieved the message, he headed toward the front of the history library. Rounding a row of shelves, he ran straight into—well, he didn’t run into anything; it was more that he walked through something—the image of the holo librarian. Startled, he backed off a few steps then asked, “Do you have a secure holonet feed?”
“Yes, we do. It is on the desk to your left.” The figure flickered and then reappeared with hands motioning to the desk.
Alec hurried over, sat down, and punched in a code on the keyboard. A screen popped up. He placed his palm on the screen, the computer acknowledged him, and a small holopad rose from the center of the desk. A few more strokes on the keyboard and a figure appeared. “Hello,” said Alec. “I received your page.”
The distorted figure spoke, “Nothing solid to report yet, but there are a few things that are inconsistent. I’ll follow up on those.”
“Do you think it will be safe?”
“Not entirely sure yet, depends on if they find out we’re snooping around. But, as of now, I think it’s safe enough. Do you know when you’ll be arriving?”
“Not sure really; it’ll depend on my brothers. I don’t think I should rush them. They’ll have to decide when the time is right.”
“Remember, the grant will be expiring soon and someone will have to be there with a lot of research and persuasion. Even then, it won’t be easy.”
“I know. It’ll be tough to gather all that information in such a short time, but if Space Tech loses that grant, I can’t even imagine.”
“Neither can I at the moment. But I believe the resources are there if it were to happen. Patience, my friend.”
“Keep in contact, and thanks again.”
“Never a problem. I’ll keep working.” The figure became static, then fell to the holopad like sand through a funnel and was gone.
With a few key strokes the pad slipped back into the desk. Alec remained there deep in thought. After a minute or two he headed to the door. He decided it was time to rejoin his brothers. There would be much to discuss.
The doors opened and, as Alec hurried out of the hall, he barely heard the generic, “Thank you for using one of our many reference areas. Please, come again.”
Ty was now seated in a chair next to his brothers. He motioned to Orion, “Open it.”
“We’ll look at the rest later; for now let’s look at Saturday the 10th of this month. Unless this note is really old, my guess is he was doing something this month.” Orion flipped rapidly through the pages, then slowed as he approached April. “April sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth. There you are.”
“Anything on it?”
He ran his finger down the page, then stopped and tapped one spot repeatedly. “Yep, looks like another stay at the AxMet Hotel was planned. Not only that, but dinner with Paul Spencer and Senator Axion as well.”
“What about Mom?” Zach interrupted. “Does it mention anything?”
“No, it doesn’t, nothing at all, so we don’t know if she was planning to go on this one or not.”
“What about the last line? What about Monday?”
“Calm down, Zach. Monday is blank. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have an appointment; it’s just not in here if he did. Ty, any questions, comments?”
“Only that Dad should have taken a shorthand class. The date is obvious, but the mumbo jumbo in between is anyone’s guess.”
“I agree. We have to get Alec to look at this.”
“What’s that?” Zach pointed to a phrase written under Monday’s date.
“It says, ‘Remember, a picture paints a thousand words.’ And it’s in Mom’s handwriting. Weird, huh?”
“Nah, Mom used to leave little notes in our lunches if you remember.”
“But they always meant something,” Ty reminded them.
“Well, that being said, we should find Alec. He’ll be interested in going through this book, and we need to see what he thinks about this last entry.” Zach grabbed one of his dad’s business cards from its holder on the desk and inserted it into the book and closed it.
“Now, on to other things. Ty?”
“We’ve got a few things that we need to discuss. I think we all know by now that Alec isn’t going to stay on with the corporation. I really don’t have any problems with that. He has his life in Chicago and we shouldn’t interfere or pressure him into something that’s not right for him, like asking him to stay. I think we just don’t bring it up any more. He’ll leave when he feels the time is right. I get the distinct feeling he wants to make absolutely sure that this was an accident. If that’s the case, he’ll be here for a spell. As for us, we’ve got to talk about each of our roles in this corporation. It looks as if I am going to inherit the role of president. If so, fine. I’ll tell you this: I can’t do it alone. I will need your talents and help. I may be president in name, but both of you will be in on the decisions. There will be some that I know I will have to make, but I will make every effort to keep you involved. I’ve thought about this, and here is the way I would like to see things run: I’ll do the day-to-day operations, handle the press, play politician, and stay down here. Orion, I would like to see both you and Zach run the off-world operations: The Lab and Luna base, as well as research and development.
“Orion, you’ll hold the title of vice-president, but I want you and Zach to work together. Zach, you will mostly be responsible for research and development. You are the man when it comes to that. Not only that, but it will allow you to finish your schooling up there. Zach, are you okay with that?”
“That won’t be a problem. You know that I love R&D. Speaking of that, I know that I should be there for the reading of the wills, but, guys, there can’t be anything in there that you can’t take care of. I’m ready to get back. I know it’s only been a day and a half, but there are things that I need to attend to that can’t wait. Also, I would like to be up at the OBL when you make that speech, Ty. It will make the employees feel much better, I think. I can get a shuttle; Dad’s was always ready to go. Orion?”
Orion sat in silence for a moment before he answered, “If you think it’s what you need to do, I’m okay with that. I was hop—”
Startled, they turned to see the office door slide open. Alec strode in, and the door closed behind him. He looked at them inquisitively. “Interrupt something?”
“No, we were just starting to lay down groundwork on how things are going to run,” Orion said. “You just surprised us. You’ll be happy to know that Ty’s got it covered.”
> “Really? That’s great to hear.”
“Covered? I wouldn’t go that far. Just working on it. There’s an incredible amount that still needs to be figured out. This won’t be the last meeting. In a nutshell, Alec, I am staying down here to run things, and they,” he wiggled a finger at his other brothers, “will be up there.” He now pointed straight up.
“Where do I fit in?”
“You? You do what you need to. You’re on your own. Not that we don’t want you here, but I think you’ve got your own agenda. You know exactly what I am implying.”
“Yes, I do know.” He acknowledged Ty with a respectful nod of his head.
“One thing you need to know: Zach has decided not to attend the reading and will be heading back to the Lab right away.”
Puzzled, Alec looked at Zach.
“Alec, there are things that need to be done, and one of us should be there for Ty’s speech. You, Orion, Aunt Peggy, and Uncle Nate will be enough support here. I need to do this.”
“All right then.” He moved over to his younger brother and gave his shoulders a tight squeeze, then glanced at his watch. It was almost noon, straight up. “I’m starved. Anybody want to get some lunch?” He headed out of the room and down the hall toward a lift that would take him to the cafeteria. The others looked at each other, shrugged, and followed. On the way out, Orion turned back, grabbed the appointment book, tucked it under his arm, and hurried to catch up with the others.
Chapter Four
Sitting in Space Tech’s cafeteria was just like being in a four-star restaurant. Plants were scattered everywhere, and tasteful paintings hung on the walls, as did pictures of Space Tech itself. Tables were draped in blue linen and were flanked by plush chairs. Skylights and chandeliers gave the room just the right amount of light. The food was just as worthy. There were no waiters, of course; after all, it was only a cafeteria, but the choices were diverse. One could get poultry, seafood, pork, or beef. There were sides of every vegetable imaginable, fruits, and also a soup bar. One would never know that all of the non-meat products served were grown, not on Earth, but at the Orbital Lab’s hydroponics unit. They were shuttled back to Earth daily. Most visitors would also be unaware that adults were not involved in the growing or harvesting of these items. That was part of the older children’s agriculture classes.