Stars Fell on Alabama

by M. Alan Marr

  “In addition to general council,” Bloom says, “is there anything specific we can help you with?”

  “Yes, two things, actually,” Dev replies, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “First, I met with a sales representative at the Gillespie here in Midtown this morning. I left a deposit to purchase the penthouse, but I’ll need you handle the rest of the transaction. I’ll need action on that today.”

  “I’ll contact the agent immediately,” Bloom says. “What is the purchase price?”

  “It is 3.5 million.”

  “Are you planning on carrying a mortgage or buying the unit outright?”

  “Outright,” Dev replies. “I don’t want to deplete my local bank account, but there’s more than enough in the London account to cover the purchase price.”

  Williams chimes in. “We can help facilitate an electronic transfer. The firm can act as intermediary for the transaction, and also handle the closing.”

  “Excellent,” Dev replies, and hands the Gillespie sales documentation to Bloom.

  Bloom glances over the sales contract and adds, “You mentioned two things?”

  “Yes,” Dev replies. “Second, and most importantly, there is a parcel of land in Alabama I need to acquire. The owners are apparently residents of Atlanta.”

  “Have you contacted a realtor?”

  “I haven’t,” Dev replies. “To my knowledge, the land is not for sale.” Dev produces the topographic map he brought with him and opens it up and points to the lake. The property lines show a large plat of land around the lake, as well as the county road that runs along its northeastern edge. The map has the property lines highlighted, along with the geographic coordinates and the deed holder’s last name: Devereaux.

  Bloom looks over the map. “That looks to be about five hundred acres. I do a considerable amount of real estate law.”

  “Then you’re my man,” Dev says. “I’m sorry, my information is vague on this point, but all I could determine was the original owner’s last name and a historical reference to Atlanta.”

  “That should be enough,” Bloom says. “However, if this property turns out to be unavailable, is there something else you’d like me to look at?”

  “No, it has to be this one.”

  “If I may ask? Why this particular property?”

  “I feel a connection to the lake.”

  “All right,” Bloom says. “I’ll start researching it. Do you have a physical address of the property?”

  “No, just the latitude and longitudinal coordinates on the map.”

  “Not to worry, sir. I’ll find it and track down the current owners and see what we can do.”

  Williams looks up from reading the Swiss documents and Last Will. “We can draw up the necessary documents you’ll need to substantiate your ties here in Atlanta. Legally, it appears you are the sole heir to the Swiss account. However, I see there is someone named Ingo Gallant listed as signatory on the account as well?”

  “Yes. Ingo worked for my family decades ago.”

  “I see,” Williams says. “Of course, if Mr. Gallant is no longer in your employ, I would strongly recommend removing him from the account, even if he is no longer alive. I can write up the order, but in accordance with new banking regulations, you’ll have to execute that change in person, in Zurich.”

  “That’s fine, I can manage that.”

  “Well, then, Mr. Caelestis, if you are satisfied with us, it would be our pleasure to serve as your legal counsel.”

  “Excellent,” Dev says. “So ordered.” He isn’t really certain of the proper business-speak, but when in doubt, military formality works just fine.

  Before the meeting concludes, the firm’s other partner, Abraham Goldberg, is brought in and introduced. It is a productive meeting. Paperwork is set up to handle the wire transfer from the Exchequer Bank of London to an escrow account at the firm to cover the cost and closing of the Gillespie penthouse, as well as a seven-figure retainer for the law firm itself. Before signing the transfer order, however, Dev makes it plainly known that he realizes there are time differences here and in other parts of the world, but if Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom are going to represent his international interests, he expects his call, whether day or night, to always be answered. The lawyers assure Dev it most certainly will be. To that end, the lawyers write down their personal cell phone numbers on the backs of their business cards.

  A large part of Dev’s mission is the reporting of findings. Normally, this would be achieved by a series of daily dispatches recorded on his personal device, discreetly transmitted to the relay buoy in orbit, and untraceably sent to the Admiralty. That is no longer an option. For the time being, he must make due as the Earthlings do, and his new laptop will have to suffice. The ‘special’ update Dev made to the Earthly hardware will encrypt his entries and store them in what the locals call ‘the cloud.’

  Oasis Observation Report

  Flight Commander Dev Caelestis

  Specifications:

  Arrival Trajectory

  Mission Parameters

  Threats

  Command Evaluation

  Arrival Trajectory:

  Orbital surveillance operations aborted due to imminent security breach involving space platform International Space Station, requiring evasive maneuvers and early atmospheric entry. Primary landing site achieved, North American Landmass Sovereignty:

  Partition: United States of America

  [Human Population 318.9 million]

  Sub-partition: Alabama

  [Human Population 4.85 million]

  Mission Parameters:

  Vessel secure. Landing site within undeveloped area. Note: landing site is privately held property. Analytics determined owners of landing site are residents of neighboring sub-partition Georgia. [Human population: 10.1 million] Observer relocated operations to Atlanta, Georgia [sub-partition, capital city. Human population: 4.0 million] and retained legal counsel in attempt to secure ownership rights to landing site concealing mission vessel. Observer secured local dwelling for duration of mission.

  Threats:

  Detection threat: minimal

  Vessel status: fully operational

  Remote flight operations armed and ready

  Command Evaluation:

  Pending

  Respects to the Admiralty,

  Caelestis, Dev, Flight Commander

  Chapter 6

  Bright Star

  0715 hours

  Waking up on an alien world for the first time is a particularly strange experience.

  From his bed, Dev slowly shifts his eyes left, then right. The light is different. The colors are different. The sounds outside are different. Getting up out of bed, Dev walks to the windows and squints in the bright morning sun. The sky is very different; much more orange than what he’s used to. His own sun is more whitish, casting blue-white hues in the morning. Here, every bit of particulate in the air seems to glow with thick orange intensity.

  Gazing down at the street, everyone in sight is doing their usual routine. Dev has no routine. Not yet anyway. Just as yesterday, there are throngs of people and hundreds of cars going wherever they are going. And just like yesterday, everyone seems to be in a tremendous hurry. If you’re late, why not leave a little earlier? Dev thinks to himself, and then takes a leisurely shower. Unsure what exactly to wear, Dev pulls a new pair of jeans and a casual shirt from his now fully stocked (overstocked) closet.

  The morning news programming appears to be mainly a recap of events the day and night before. A deadly virus from the continent of Africa has made its way to Texas, the incubation period coinciding closely with the travel time of the victims. The news report details the extreme danger and contagiousness of the virus, making Dev wonder what exactly Earth’s capacity to treat viral infections is. One news channel seems to be talking gloom and doom, while another is speaking more scientifically. Then he hears it: there is no comprehensive treatment beyond palliative measures and isolati
on. Governmental agencies apparently have mobilized to locate and isolate all those who have come in contact with the patient. Dev’s interest in the news wanes after a time when he realizes the commentators have no substantive information. Plenty of commentators with varying levels of erudition make claims ranging from the benign to the extreme. A minor panic seems to taking hold, and it seems clear to Dev that at least one news channel seems to be going out of its way to fan those flames. How are news agencies not accountable for causing panic? Dev is diverted by a knock and then opening of his door. It is the hotel maid. She initially apologizes for the intrusion, but Dev tells her it’s fine. He now understands what the Do Not Disturb sign is for. No matter, he packs up his laptop in his messenger bag and heads to Starbucks for coffee.

  Dev’s second time ordering coffee goes without a hitch. It’s past 9:00 am now, so the pre-work crowds have dispersed. Taking a seat and enjoying his coffee, Dev uses his laptop to do research on current medical capabilities of Earth doctors. Despite recent advancements, it is clear Earth’s anti-viral capability is severely limited. And this current Ebola outbreak is one that has no specific antibody treatment. The disease is already responsible for thousands of deaths. Worse yet, the state of medicine in Africa is archaic. How are there such differences in medicine across this world? Dev reads that physicians and even well-meaning private citizens are traveling to the source of the epidemic to assist in the care of the stricken. None of this is making any sense to Dev. Here is a significant medical crisis, yet it seems it is being largely fought by volunteers and ignored by the rest of the world. Stay objective. Report findings dispassionately to preserve the qualitative nature of the mission. Words from the text.

  Dev continues his foray into Earth medicine by reading up on as many subjects as he can this morning. Heart disease and cancer seem to be the major afflictions in what is referred to as the developed world. It is overwhelmingly apparent that physicians here can do little in terms of combating viral infections, nor can they control the cellular division triggers that result in neoplasms or cancer. Dev squints as he delves into the treatment protocols. Radiation? Targeted radiation therapy seems to affect the disease but damages surrounding tissues. Chemotherapy floods the body with toxins to kill the cancerous cells, but has the unpleasant side effect of killing the healthy ones as well. Wow, do they treat a headache by cutting your head off?

  Reading onward, Dev learns that the sick pay for treatment, and the costs associated with a significant hospital visit can be many times more than the average per capita income. What? How can this be? Further research is warranted. But more to the matter at hand, how does he transmit his dispatches to the Admiralty?

  Dev searches the internet for information on current tracking technology and ends up being directed to a site called Amazon where he finds a vast library. He finds he is able to purchase books directly through this service and manages to order several, covering a range of topics. The printed books will be delivered to his hotel the next day. Not bad.

  By the end of his first three days in Atlanta, Dev successfully acquired ‘permanent’ lodging in the form of the Gillespie penthouse; engaged the services of a professional interior designer who agreed to complete his work within Dev’s unusually quick timeline; and secured the services of the law firm to manage his ‘family fortune.’

  It didn’t take any time for Dev to establish a routine of his own: he wakes, watches the news, showers, dresses, and then goes to Starbucks, where he reads the paper and write his findings in his laptop. There is something timeless about a newspaper; something marvelously archaic for Dev. It’s as if the events of yesterday are frozen in time on the page. It is both a daily time capsule and complete waste of resources. How many newspapers are produced each day? How much paper is used, then thrown away? For Dev, it’s a matter of timeliness. News can and usually does change from one moment to the next, and the time it takes to prepare, print, and distribute the news in paper format raises the question of its relevance. But still, sitting and reading the newspaper is something Dev enjoys, and is somewhat unique to this world. He worked out the local dress code fairly rapidly, now reserving his suits for more formal types of occasions. Dev also realized a few things: one, he is enjoying this mission more than he imagined; two, Earth residents (at least the ones he’s encountered) are not quite as backwards as he thought they might be; and three, money is apparently what makes this world go around.

  Dev also discovers he is, what is locally known as, a night owl. He enjoys the quiet of the night. Typically, he goes to sleep around 2:00 am and sleeps until 9:00 am. Starbucks has become a twice-a-day ritual. Coffee in the morning. Lattes in the afternoon. The different shifts of baristas even know him by name now and remember his usual order (plus, they know he usually puts five or ten dollars in the tip jar) and are always happy to see him.

  Dev dresses in a suit this morning and places a call to the law firm, letting the receptionist know he would be stopping by after coffee. The bank happens to call while Dev is at Starbucks. His special delivery of checks and his new ATM card just arrived. Wasting no time, Dev walks directly to the nearby Bank of America branch. Upon giving a bank teller his name, the teller makes a quick phone call to the manager, who comes out of her office to meet him. Earlier this morning the bank manager signed for the delivery of Dev’s rush order. As his name was unfamiliar, she pulled up his account and saw a balance that made her eyes bulge. This is a customer she definitely needs to meet in person. Introductions are made, and she shows Dev into her office.

  “Mr. Caelestis, you have . . .” The banker gets up and closes the door. “Sir, you have three million dollars in your checking account.”

  “Yes, I believe that is the correct figure.”

  “Mr. Caelestis, we offer a number of financial instruments that would generate considerably more interest than just a checking account.”

  “Not necessary,” Dev says. “The rest of my holdings are in other accounts elsewhere.”

  “Oh, I see.” The banker’s disappointment is obvious.

  “Is there anything else?” Dev says. “I do have another appointment.”

  “Uh, yes, sir, we just need to code your ATM card.” The bank manager verifies Dev’s identification with his driver’s license and helps him set his personal identification number, or PIN as he heard the banker call it, which he discreetly enters into a control pad connected to the banker’s computer.

  “Question,” Dev says, “It seems that checks are a bit outmoded now.” —Dev covered administrative things like how to write a check when preparing for this mission. It is fairly obvious that electronic payments are now the norm.

  “They are, somewhat. E-payments are more secure, and honestly, much easier.”

  “Good to know. So, it’s really not necessary to carry stacks of currency anymore.”

  The banker nods politely, even though she’s thinking that most people don’t have the luxury of carrying around ‘stacks of currency.’

  Dev learns the basics of the ATM card, then leaves the office with a pleasant handshake and the banker’s business card. Everyone seems to have business cards here. Dev makes a mental note to get some himself.

  Dev walks to the law firm, where he is surprised to learn the purchase of the penthouse is not complete.

  “These things take time,” Attorney Williams tells him. “There are title searches and home inspection. It is a process. We’ve secured the sale, so you have nothing to worry about.”

  Dev frets. “I assumed this was a . . . swift process.”

  “We are hurrying things along, but real estate deals can be painfully slow going, particularly in regard to the lake property, which is technically not even for sale. I beg you to be patient.”

  “Patience is not one of my virtues.”

  Williams treads carefully, because he does not want to risk irritating his newest star client. “Trust me, Mr. Caelestis, the penthouse is yours. They wouldn’t have let your decorator in there
if there was any question. I understand he will be working for the next two weeks. We will have the deal finished by your deadline, I promise. As for the Alabama lake property, I should also tell you the search for the property owners is proving very difficult.”

  Dev issues a cold glance. “Why is that?”

  “We’ve identified the deed holders, but they’re currently traveling abroad. We are trying to locate them, which you must understand can be difficult, but rest assured, we are working on it.”

  Dev knows for a fact it is difficult. He couldn’t find them, so why would the lawyers have better luck?

  “On that note,” Williams says, “we must approach this with thoughtfulness and caution. Haste can mean the difference between a flat out no, and having room to negotiate. We will find the owners, and we will do our best to convince them to sell.”

  “Very well.”

  Dev departs the law office disappointed, but confident his council is working on his behalf. At least he feels somewhat better knowing the lake owners are traveling. That fact, if nothing else, meant they were not at the lake. If they were, the detection systems in the ship would let him know. Were the ship ever to be discovered, Dev could remotely pilot it away from the lake with his iPhone and put it securely in orbit, well out of anyone’s reach. Meanwhile, shipboard analytics continue discreetly gathering data on Earth, a slower process when conducted under water than while in orbit, but there is an abundance of time right now.

  Dev’s living situation is under control, finances are taken care of, and for all intents and purposes, Dev Caelestis has effectively been installed as an Earth resident.

  The sales manager at the Gillespie sent a packet of additional information to Dev’s hotel for new arrivals, which include a moving kit, complete with information on setting up his new address with the postal service, as well as local information on the Georgia Division of Motor Vehicles. Not wanting to garner undue attention, Dev follows each of the steps outlined in the information, and even braves the traffic in his Bronco to visit the DMV. The vehicle is inspected and tagged for Georgia, and his California driver’s license is exchanged for a new (and authentic) Georgia license. As far as anyone on Earth is concerned, Dev Caelestis is completely on the level.