by Darrell Bain
Anton and his two colleagues had providentially set up an office near the perimeter of the Lockheed facility for the purpose of monitoring progress on one of the experimental, scaled down propulsion units that was making frequent flights. During one of his solitary walks Anton thought he had been extremely lucky to stumble over the stealthed alien lander. The fact was just the opposite. Reddy had deliberately come down in stealth mode and grounded so that Anton couldn't possibly miss bumping into it.
"Then came the problem Reddy knew he would face, but there was no choice. We've learned that members of Reddy's species records data, both visual and auditory, directly into interactive computers implanted in their bodies. From its implanted computer, Reddy then transferred the data to the lander's computer which has a larger memory and higher capacity for integrating data and resolving contradictions and so forth. Reddy wasn't prepared for the way we humans do things. Remember, his species is just beginning to explore solar systems other than their own, so I suppose mistakes were inevitable, like not stocking the proper instruments in his lander and so on. So Reddy waited, but he was forced to pass the time in periods of either periodic stasis or suspended animation. Neither Juan nor I or anyone else has figured out which, not that it really matters right now.
"The periods of inactivity were forced on him by lack of supplies to last the long years until, he hoped, the individuals of his initial contact were more advanced or could bring more advanced technology to bear in communication attempts. He was hoping that while he waited, those individuals would gather equipment and instruments to help in learning how to communicate with him after the failure of his first attempt. We're extremely lucky that Anton had the intelligence and patience to wait all those years. Another problem he had was very few means of testing foods produced on the planet. He needed to devise instruments for the job but didn't have the means to do so. He had to wait and hope he could convince us to carry out the task for him after the period indicated by the instrument he left behind had passed. I should note that when the red areas of the circle on the device he left advanced swiftly, he was either in stasis or out of it, we're not sure which." She smiled wryly. "That's only one of the many areas where we're very uncertain of our interpretation of his language. I should note in passing that the spire in the center of the timing instrument is a recording antenna that feeds directly into the lander's computer, even at a distance of several miles. We believe that indicates he has stayed nearby but in a very secluded area, most likely one of the small canyons less than a mile from here. The reason for that is that he has very little maneuvering fuel left as noted before. That's the reason for the new instrument he requested, by the way. He can't take the lander very far any more but he wants the instrument to be able to signal his ship if it ever returns.
"Is everyone following me so far? Does anyone want me to stop for coffee refills?"
It turned out that several persons did, herself included. Once everyone was seated again she turned to Juan. "How about you continuing for a few minutes?"
"Sure, you were doing great, but I don't mind. Us narcissists love to talk so long as we have an audience." For that he got a slap on his knee that he pretended hurt him but then grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. He went on. "You were talking about its food supply. Besides not having immediate means of testing foods, Reddy was afraid of leaving his lander to look for food in the first place for fear of being captured or even killed. He knew he was going to become entirely dependent upon the inhabitants of the planet he was on, which meant Anton and his friends. The big problem was that he knew it would take an inordinate amount of time to establish communication with his limited means and their substandard technology compared to his own. Reddy decided to make himself known to a single being in the area where advanced propulsion was being tested.
"Unfortunately for Anton and Reddy, communication proved almost impossible. He had not anticipated nearly so much difficulty, but by then his fuel and energy were nearly exhausted, as was his food supply. He could go nowhere but to a hiding place nearby and then wait. He was committed. Failing at first, his hope was that by giving us more time to come up with better methods of communication, it might then succeed. Fortunately, Reddy is long-lived in comparison to us. He could afford to wait, but only in suspended animation or stasis.
"Anton hadn't expected so much difficulty in communication, either. His problem was that his colleagues were physicists like himself, experts in novel propulsion methods. They were neither linguists, semanticists nor polymaths and at that, the other two were only present for a few days. However, within a bit less than two weeks, Reddy thought that the idea of the passage of time had been communicated well enough to take a chance on working with the individuals, even though none of the three appeared to be exceptionally bright--his words, not mine--nor were they the type of specialists he really sought. He crafted a timepiece to convey the meaning of passage of time until he would return in hopes of the natives making more progress in communication theory while he waited. For we humans, it was a long time. For Reddy, we believe it was more like a very long nap, at least in terms of his lifespan. The lander was carefully placed where there was little chance of it being disturbed, and there he waited. When Reddy woke up and returned to the original spot where he allowed Anton to discover him, we managed the first steps of two-way communication, and he was satisfied. Once we learned enough of his language that he could send us out for food and such supplies of ours that it could put to use, progress increased proportionally."
"I ought to feel insulted that it didn't think any of us were very bright," Anton complained wryly.
"Don't be ashamed or offended, Mr. McAllister. I believe what Reddy meant was that you were ignorant, not stupid," Juan said. He went to the corner of Anton's office and poured more coffee.
"I'm not sure that's an improvement in making me feel any better."
"If it's any consolation, sir, I've often felt very ignorant myself while trying to communicate with Reddy," Samantha interjected.
Anton granted her a smile of reconciliation and Samantha picked up the story from Juan.
"Toward the end of the six months we had originally thought was the limit, Reddy told us that so long as we could provide food and his other needs he would stay as long as necessary. Now that we are supplying just about everything he's asked for, including electronic and mechanical devices as well as his nutritional needs, there's no limit to the amount of time he is prepared to spend with us.
"Now, here's the most important point and this is something we've concealed until we were certain we understood what Reddy meant. If we're interpreting correctly, Reddy is willing and ready to help us build a lander like his own and an interstellar space ship so that he can go back home and report. In return, we have to keep him fed and keep bringing him the very latest gadgets and plans and schematics of them. Apparently Reddy is very upset over being stranded and anxious to find out what happened to the big exploration ship, which we can well understand! His species are just now beginning interstellar travel and according to Reddy, only two of those ships were built."
"Now that is what I call a fair exchange!" Anton exclaimed. "Is there anything else it needs us to do for it in return for his help in building our own ships?" He leaned back in his big office chair, trying to get comfortable. It was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Yes, sir. First, and again if we're interpreting correctly, he wants us to build an interstellar FTL communicator so that if it turns out that our technology isn't advanced enough to build him a ship, he can call home. Frankly, I don't know if we can even make the communicator yet. Juan tells me that in some ways it will be more difficult than constructing a ship but there's much less work to it and my Dad says he thinks it can be done." She paused and took a deep breath. "Now here's the real topper. It wants Juan and I and Shufus and Sheik to go with him in either case, as well as some others we need to select to help him run the ship. It can't be done by a single person, he s
ays."
"Why is that?" Elaine asked. Like any mother, the moment Samantha mentioned going away to the stars she felt her heart slamming in her chest. Their only child risking her life in an untried interstellar ship, with that uncertainty followed by any number of catastrophes that might befall her and their new son-in-law? She didn't care one bit for the idea and she could see that her husband harbored reservations, too.
"We're not sure," Juan said sympathetically, "but I suspect he wants us because we're the two youngest persons working with him and they are a really long lived species. It wants to be sure of continuity."
"Continuity of what?" Elaine demanded. She closed her eyes for a moment in despair that Samantha thought she didn't want anyone else to see.
"Humans who will spend a lifetime working with them and not die just when progress is being made. In fact, I suspect he's thinking of our children carrying on the work we begin if it happens that we can't do his bidding at the present level of our technology."
Anton frowned. "Just how long is this flight back to its home going to take?"
Samantha shrugged. "It depends on how efficient our engineers are, we believe. Again, that's if we're interpreting the language correctly. To a degree, Reddy says, the length of an interstellar trip is controlled by how good the shielding is at protecting the ship. Bad shield, slow trip. Good shield, fast trip. That in turn depends on the tolerances in machining that Reddy doesn't believe we've mastered yet. Neither Juan nor I really understand that part but my Dad believes Reddy is basing his observations on the instruments we've supplied him so far. Dad says we can do much better than that if we first construct better tools. If we build well, maybe a year. It could be a lifetime, but that doesn't sound exactly right. I suppose the only real way to know is to build his ship and go."
"If it comes to that, I'll personally inspect every single tolerance of the engineering and if there's a possible way to improve it, we will. If it makes a difference in whether we ever see our kids again, you can be damn certain me and every engineer involved will accept nothing less than perfection," Ronald stated firmly.
The old scientist who had made the very first contact with an alien species looked at them wistfully. "Reddy is right in one way. I'm too old to even think about such a trip. In fact, I'm planning on retiring in a very short time and I'm going to recommend to the President that Juan be put in charge of the spaceship project. By the way, has Reddy said how long it will take to build the ship?"
"A year or two, we believe. Maybe a little longer or possibly less. Let's plan on two years and if we can safely do it in less time, we will."
"Hmm. You'd be leaving then. Maybe I should try hanging on until the ship is built. What do you two think?"
"We think you should, Anton. You're the one really responsible for everything. You can retire when we leave. And you can let Jennie publish her book once we're gone. Best of all, America will have the knowhow and ability to build interstellar ships of its own. I'm sure we'll share the knowledge with other nations eventually, but not until we have a great big jump on them. We're not going to sell the plans cheaply, not if Sammie and I have anything to say about it." For a moment, Juan's facial expression bore a remarkable resemblance to that of Gene, even though they looked nothing at all alike. "My own idea is to keep the interstellar ship and plans super-secret for now and dissipate the knowledge of how to build landers."
"We don't agree completely but we're on the same page," Samantha said. She produced the mischievous, imp-like smile that Juan was so fond of. "What I believe should be kept extra-secret is the requirement for the fantastic level of tolerance required during the machining of the parts and fittings of the lander and especially the interstellar ship for any real speed out of either of them. Reddy says it's crucial and I believe him. And by the way, that thought was inspired by my devious, sneaky, underhanded father."
"Who learned it by keeping some of Samantha's exploits with animals secret from me," Elaine said with a laugh.
Anton smiled beatifically. "I agree with all of you. What wonderful ideas." He looked up at the ceiling with raised brows then back at his guests. For a change, everything seemed to be coming up roses but there was always that damned old Murphy Gremlin who just loved to put in an appearance under just these circumstances. He hadn't shown up lately but that was certainly no indication that he wouldn't! In fact, he might be here already, unseen, but rubbing his hands together in gleeful anticipation.
The discussion went on for another hour or two but finally broke up. Juan and Samantha were the last to leave. He watched them until the door closed then leaned back in his chair and reflected on things that had been left unsaid.
Jennie would love publishing her book about Sammie. And these two kids? They didn't realize it yet and probably wouldn't for some time, but they held the future of the human species in their hands. How well they performed, how well they got along with the aliens if they showed up and how they got on with Reddy was paramount. The human race might live or die, depending on their actions. He didn't intend to tell them that, though. Let them keep their innocence, their bright, optimistic outlook of the future as long as they could. In the meantime, he could only wish them well.
***
Samantha took her Juan's hand as they walked slowly away from the office section of the project. "Ready for our last night sleeping alone, honey?" It hardly seemed possible that the next day, at long last, they would actually be married.
He squeezed her hand and kissed the top of her head. "I'm always ready for whatever you want, sweetheart. Always."
Chapter Forty Six
The wedding ceremony was held at the non-denominational chapel of the university, with only the members of the inner circle present. Anton was best man and surprisingly, Betty Orleans was maid of honor. Soon after Elaine and Ronald gave their blessings, an opening for a new counsel for the agency became available. Ronald recommended Steve for the position. Anton accepted him mainly on the basis that he and his family were already well acquainted with Samantha's talent. That, and the fact that his association with the Douglas family and the unexplained deaths surrounding their disappearance had cost him his two biggest corporate clients made him the first choice. Anton felt obligated to help him if he could and the sudden job opening provided the perfect opportunity.
"Have a great honeymoon, Sammie, and you know I wish you and Juan all the happiness in the world. I can still hardly believe I'm here and you're getting married," Betty said with a big smile.
"Right now I'm having a hard time believing it myself," Samantha told her. She was excited and ready to leave with her new husband. They were going to a secluded resort which wasn't all that elaborate, but the privacy would make up for it. Shufus and Sheik were also going with them. If nothing else, they would provide some extra security that Gene worried incessantly about.
Juan appeared by her side after thanking the guests, officials and family. Samantha was dressed in an off-white suit that fitted her perfectly, the only really expensive outfit she had ever owned. Ordinarily she cared little for clothing as such, and went for comfort more than style. She had to admit she liked her wedding attire, though.
"You look beautiful, Sammie. And if you've said all your thanks and good-byes, I guess we're ready to go."
She stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his for a brief kiss. "I'm ready," she said simply, but with a beautiful, heartfelt smile.
All the way to their destination they were followed by two extra security agents Gene had hired with his own money, in addition to a contingent who were already in place at the resort. They had checked out the other guests in the few nearby cabins and had rented adjoining places for themselves. The newlyweds were watched constantly while they were at the resort, although they knew nothing of it. The guards were ones they had never met. Gene cared a lot for both of them and wanted them to have as care-free a honeymoon as possible.
***
Being wedded to Juan was all she could ever want
, she decided as one gloriously happy day followed another. The little cabin on the beach was just right for them and they had only to walk a hundred yards to a dockside twenty four hour restaurant to eat. A store beside it sold liquor and mixers and snack food. Juan stocked some rum and vodka the first day but at the end of two weeks hardly any of it had been used. One drink and Samantha was usually ready for bed, although not to sleep. Not immediately, anyway.
The sex was even more wonderful than she had expected and Juan was always considerate and thoughtful. They ate and swam and made love, but talked about the future only in general terms. It was still unpredictable. In the meantime she loved the way he touched her and moved his hands and mouth on her and cuddled and told her how beautiful and wonderful she was. She loved every inch of him, physically and mentally, and sometimes wondered how they had ever waited. She didn't think she could possibly be happier.
The only thing that marred the perfect period away from responsibility and study was that they were called back after only two weeks instead of three.
***
Samantha woke during the night to the sound of yells, screams and several gunshots. She sat straight up in bed and ran for her suitcase where she had already stowed her gun. As she plucked it from the pocket of her bag she saw Juan with his automatic pistol already in his hand.
"Stay here, Sammie!" he called from across the room. He opened the door to the outside world. He stayed low and cautiously looked both ways down the beach. To his right, where usually there was nothing in sight but more sand, a large rubber raft had been pulled up onto the beach. Several figures were clustered around it, some upright and others slumped into the sand in unlikely-looking poses. Three men were standing over them.
Samantha had an even better view. She had gone to a side window and peeked through the blinds. She saw the upright figures talking but couldn't make out the words. All she could tell from the distance was that the voices were male. One of them sounded strangely familiar.