Chapter 2: Seeing the Future
They arrived at a former Air Force base and were ushered through the front gate after Jamison produced his ID. He directed George to a large administration building and George slid the limo neatly into a slot reserved for VIPs.
Jamison ushered them into the building and into a quiet, comfortable conference room. “We’ll meet some of the people you will be working with soon, but first we’ll give you a short history of what we have accomplished to date, and a glimpse of what we hope to achieve in the future.”
Closing the drapes and dimming the lights, Jamison activated a projector and the three men were treated to a high-resolution history of the agency and the results of their influence. Professor Keene recognized many of the products and processes he saw and his agile mind could predict follow-on uses and products these foundational processes and products could enable.
At the end of the presentation, Jamison restored the lighting but left the curtains closed. He invited the men to help themselves to beverages and snacks. After a few minutes, Jamison cradled a mug of coffee and eyed the two men speculatively. “I have introduced you both to what we hope to accomplish. Rather than tell you what we want, why don’t you tell us where you can contribute?”
Professor Keene seemed distracted and didn’t answer immediately so George sat forward and said “Like I said earlier, I’m no scientist or whatever, but I am used to helping others that can’t take the time to do trivial things for themselves. I run errands; I can cook pretty well and I can perform most household tasks.” He snorted and added “My ex said I’d make someone a pretty good wife!”
The comment brought a smile to Professor Keene’s face and a chuckle from Agent Jamison. “We definitely need someone with your abilities to keep the talented people from being distracted by non-essential tasks. We seldom know what they will need help with so we keep some general-task people available to them to take care of things they forget or would unnecessarily distract them.”
He pressed a button on the table top and a woman entered a few seconds later and escorted George from the room. Curious, Professor Keene arched an eyebrow at the agent. Jamison shrugged and said “I have no idea what he will be doing. He will be tested for his abilities and then tasked where he can be the best assistant.
Turning to face the Professor, Jamison said “We now come to you Professor. We’ve had our eye on you for some time, which is why I was in the bunker this morning. I was assigned to invite you to consider working with us.”
Professor Keene nodded in understanding but didn’t respond immediately. He swiveled in his chair with his chin resting on one fist. Jamison could tell that he was thinking deeply, so he waited patiently for the man to respond in his own time. Experience told him that men such as the Professor couldn’t be herded or rushed.
Finally realizing that the room had been quiet for a while, the Professor looked around until his eyes returned to Agent Jamison. Grunting, he sat forward and asked “My specialty is Solar Dynamics and Celestial Mechanics. How did you figure I could add to your departments’ efforts?”
Jamison smiled to himself, relieved at the man’s casual acceptance of the situation. It was best if he didn’t have to try to ‘sell’ the prospect on the need for his or her cooperation. Sitting forward in his seat, Jamison said quietly “We need to re-examine the systems we have discovered that have habitable planets around them.”
Puzzled, the Professor responded “There has been an on-going effort to search for Earth-like planets for nearly 60 years. We have cataloged dozens of possible planets among thousands of planets discovered so far. Many very-qualified people have been contributing to this effort.” He leaned into Jamison and added “Just where are my abilities needed then?”
Jamison could hardly hold in the glee. He loved working with intelligent people; they often defined their own participation better than the people in charge. “We need you to re-examine their data to screen-out solar systems that are not suitable in general.”
Professor Keene nodded and responded “You want to avoid moving the human race to another dead-end solar system, where they face a fate similar to the one we face here. Smart.”
Leaning back, Keene smiled and said “When and where can I get started?”
Jamison answered “Stay where you are at the University and look for likely students to assist you. We will route all information gathered so far, from as many sources as possible, to you at the University. We will make sure you remain ‘in the loop’ on all new information as well.
We will also provide additional computers and software to aid you in sorting and analyzing the data. All expenses, within reason, will be subsidized and any additional equipment related to your analysis will be provided.”
Grinning widely, Professor Keene mentally rubbed his hands together, envisioning a computer lab and half a dozen grad students busily parsing data and narrowing the possibilities. Then another thought came to him.
“Knowing that there are possible planets around likely stars is only part of the problem. How were you planning on getting people there? And, what happens if you get there and the planet either doesn’t exist or is unsuitable?”
This time, Jamison couldn’t contain the grin. “The ships will be equipped with powerful telescopes and analysis systems. As they approach, the solar system will be re-examined to verify the existence of suitable planets and the current stability of the star. While still a suitable distance away, if a system is determined to be unsuitable, the ships’ course will be altered to head to the next system they were slated to explore.”
Warming to his subject, Jamison added “If a likely planet is verified, small scout craft will leave the ship and make a closer pass. If the planet is marginal but possible, the ship retrieves the scouts and leaves a solar-powered messenger-buoy in planetary orbit.”
“If the planet is verified as suitable, the scouts map possible colony sites. The ship takes up a solar orbit ahead of or behind the planet to prepare the colonists for landing. After they have had time to establish themselves, the ship leaves the colonists on the planet, and heads on to the next planet on the itinerary.”
Astonished, the Professor burst out “The ship leaves the people on the planet?”
Nodding, Jamison replied “The ships will be generational-style ships. They will take generations to reach even the nearest stars, so they will be built to be maintainable by the colonists. As each suitable planet is colonized, the colonists can contribute volunteers to continue on to the next planet. Those that choose to remain aboard continue to propagate to replace those that moved to the planet. When the ship is re-populated and deemed ready, it heads out to the next system.”
Falling back in his chair, Professor Keene stared at the agent with amazement. Shaking his head, he said “Your people have evidently thought this through pretty thoroughly.” Then he grinned wryly at the agent and added “I guess the dream of Faster-than-light engines or warp-drive is not in the picture.”
Jamison struggled to keep a straight face but the Professor caught the flicker of a grin and sat up abruptly. “Really?”
Jamison warded the Professor of with his hands. “Not my area Professor. I can only hope that the whispers I’ve heard are true.”
Professor Keene was practically vibrating in his seat. Rubbing his hands, he said “I need to head back now. I’ve got student papers to grade and course material to arrange. I’ve also got a university president to convince to allow me more space!”
“We can help you there Professor. We’ll anonymously provide a grant in your name with the stipulation that you have oversight over disbursement. That’ll give you the leverage you’ll need to requisition additional space.”
Jamison grinned and added “Your biggest problem will be the envious staffers that learn that you alone have the power over the grant. You will also suddenly find yourself availed of the best technology in computers and custom soft
ware if you need it.”
Bouncing out of his chair, the professor paced the room while rapidly muttering to himself. Jamison pressed the button again and the same woman appeared to escort the agitated professor from the room. Professor Keene paused long enough to shake the agent’s hand distractedly. Alone at last, Jamison moved to the window and opened the curtains. Sunlight flooded into the room. As the light warmed him, Jamison nodded to himself contentedly. He watched as the limo that had brought them there left the parking lot.
Sighing to himself, he returned to the table and picked up the folder the woman had left for him. He flipped it open and began reading about his next contact.
Escape to the Stars! Page 2