Chapter Seven
Starting
In the outer room ten blank-faced assembled scientists and engineers sit waiting to meet with Duncan Bakman privately before the first recorded working session. The group waits silently, hardly even looks around for none of these individuals want to be here. Doctor Chondrin, their unelected appointed leader, sits blank-faced in the front row with his back to his group.
Just as a few scientists start shuffling and squirming in their chairs, the hallway door opens. Two guards hold double doors open for Bakman. On his arm a tall and shapely companion, long hair recently-dyed yellow-blonde, wearing a size-to-small extra tight tailored pink tunic. Most eyes stare at her—not Bakman.
Several faces of the group take on a hard angry look that convey a single thought of how can any man dare to bring his plaything out in public so brazenly. Bakman had not planned to make a good first impression with this group and does not.
In the center of the room Bakman stops, looks back at the doors, waits for them to close, and only then does he speak. His shapely yellow-haired companion does not even take her arm from Bakman’s, and she too stands looking at the group.
"Gentlemen, I've paid each of you to complete a project that will costs me ten million dollars. I've appointed Doctor Chondrin your leader. Your report will remake Merl Runk's Report of which all of you have a copy. Your task is to modernize it. I have also included a copy of the Cargill Report. You will meet and prepare a new report—The Bakman Report. It will be a free report given to any individual that asks and any and all distribution and shipping costs I will bare. It will update the Runk Report with the latest technology, including cloning and mechanicals.”
Bakman pauses to see if there are any questions, hears none, and continues. “I expect your report to support Runk’s claim with present day scientific data. I expect your report to find that Runk’s ideas are now possible with our new technologies. Any questions you have, ask your secretary … Wray. I'm only a few floors overhead in this same building. The guards will see that you are not disturbed and if I’m needed Wray will contact me. All discussions and actions in the next room are recorded, so don't embarrass yourself. Do you have any questions?"
A few of the group shake their heads, but no one speaks.
"Doctor Chondrin, you and I shall walk in together."
As ordered Doctor Chondrin stands and walks over to Bakman's other side—the side opposite Bakman’s Companion. The others rise to crowd in behind their employer ready to follow Bakman and his un-introduced companion.
When all are ready Bakman smiles, nods, and each guard opens an inner double door. The group moves into a larger room with a long oval table in the center and ten banks of Computers, screens, and printers on the outside walls. At the far end of the large oval table in the center that dominates the room sits a small man wearing glasses with the tools of his trade before him. Without a spoken word, everyone knows he is “Wray” the committee’s secretary.
"Each member of this committee has his or her name at a place at the table and on their computer," Bakman explains. He walks to the podium and waits while they look for their nameplate and sit down. His pink companion steps two steps away from his side but remains ever watchful.
A ready yellow light on recorders pop on and Bakman smiles, nods and waits until the last few find and sit at his or her place at the oval table. With a second nod and slight lift of a hand Bakman starts the recorders. A smiling Bakman waits until all show a red light before starting. Bakman speaks in a pleasant tone of voice.
"Gentleman, I do greatly appreciate that each of you has volunteered your time for this project. Some months ago I was reading a copy of the old Meryl Runk Report. I wondered with present knowledge and technology might it be any more possible today, than it was then, to send humans across vast reaches of space to new worlds. For years the idea of people traveling to new planets in other star systems has fascinated me. I look forward to your findings and look forward to your final report. Outside in the hall Doctor Wooton Faw asked if cloning should be included because it is illegal. My answer to Dr. Faw is that you should include everything we know and are able to do at this time. We have to assume that if the government takes on this kind of project that they will make, or not make, any needed exception to legal and/or moral issues. You must, I repeat, use all of our present knowledge and include it in your findings. You should not leave out anything trying to guess what will later be allowed or denied."
Heads around the oval table nod up and down. Every one is pleased to be relieved of that sticky problem.
"How long should we work on this project?" Doctor Faw asks from down at the end of the table without raising his hand or waiting to be recognized. It was his way of paying Bakman back for using his name.
By just nodding and smiling warmly Bakman appears to appreciate the question. "When you are done, it's over Doctor Faw. When The Bakman Report is in my hands, all of you may return to your own jobs and homes with my heartfelt thanks and sincere appreciation. I don't really care whether you take an hour or a month or a year. I will pay the rent on this room and provide the computers as long as needed. Remember, your names will be on the document along with mine. If I look good, thoughtful and scholarly, then each of you will look good too."
Looking around for any more questions during a long silent moment Bakman sees no more hands nor hears any voices raising questions.
"The person down at the far end of the table is Mr. Wray, your secretary. He will assist you in putting together the Bakman Report, assist in finding information you require, and see to its planet-wide publication and distribution. Doctor Chondrin, gentleman, I look forward to reading your report."
After a last look at the faces around the table, Bakman turns and walks out of the room with his smiling pink companion again on his arm. Twice Bakman taps on the outside doors and the guards open both.
After Bakman and his companion leave, both guards close the inner doors and then the outer doors. Doctor Chondrin rises and starts the meeting.
"Let's divide up areas: Spaceships and weightlessness effects, cloning equipment and power needed, DNA survivability, embryos creation, embryo development, leaving artificial chambers, programming mechanicals, mechanical survivability, training, . . . ." As their leader reads a prepared for him list of areas, hands lift to volunteer for a topic, and Wray takes notes.
Outside Bakman and Zee have only stepped down the hall to the next door, open it, and both quickly slip inside. This room has only two chairs and a wall full of screens showing the meeting next door from a dozen different points of view.
Bakman laughs softly at their images on the screens. Zee giggles about her newly dyed yellow-blonde hair and tight tunic as the meeting starts on all the screens except one. The center one continues replaying repeatedly without any sound the start of the meeting. Over and over again they watch themselves enter the room arm-in-arm.
Upstairs Harry OpDyke is having one of his bad days and is confined to his bed upstairs. Sitting in Harry OpDyke’s empty office before a similar wall of screens Dee and Vee watch the meeting begin. Each screen shows the meeting room below them from a dozen different angles and both Dee and Vee are also listening carefully as the group starts functioning. Ten computer screens in the room below them fill as members load their personal work files. Information on the screens below also fill screens on the wall upstairs. Both groups study the information.
Dee and Vee are very interested because the project they had been talking about for more than four years has finally started. As topics are listed, assigned, and various committee members move away to start work; upstairs Dee and Vee smile at each other.
Dee whispers. "It’s hard to believe . . . it is finally beginning."
The Centauri Conspiracy Page 9