The Ultimate Dumpster

My name is Charlie Botkin - Dr. Charles Botkin, professor of nuclear physics and astrophysics at Cal Tech University in Pasadena, California. Most of my friends and colleagues call me Crazy Charlie because I seem to be a bit . . . unconventional. Actually, I’m an Indiana farm boy who graduated from Purdue University with degrees in math and physics at age 17. I earned a PhD from Cal Tech, and a string of awards and achievements as long as your arm. I was the top dog in the USA in particle physics. However, I still feel like the plain old Indiana farm boy I used to be. A long time ago, when I was growing up on my parent’s farm in Indiana, I adored and emulated my uncle Charlie whom everyone called "C." Thanks in part to my Uncle "C" I graduated at the top of my class from Purdue University at the tender age of seventeen. He was my idol and closest confidant until he disappeared quite mysteriously and was never found. Ah, but that’s another story.

Right now I am writing this down although I doubt any one will be around to read it, things going as they seem to be. It all started about ten years ago when I was attending an international symposium in New Delhi, India where I was giving a presentation on the math and physics involving the event horizons of black holes. There were two dozen or so top astrophysicists in the world in my audience in a small meeting room of the Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi. The presentation went smoothly with many heads nodding in agreement as I made my points.

en I finished my talk I made the usual offer to answer questions. Immediately a tall, very thin gentleman stood up and asked, "Please explain how you came to your conclusions about event horizons in general and their interaction with gravity waves in particular." I am particularly interested in the mathematical processes you used."

It was the first time anyone had posed that kind of question. "Sir, I don’t believe I know you. Would you please tell us who you are and what university you represent." I asked politely as most people acted as if they had never seen him before.

"I’m sorry," he remarked quite genuinely. "My name is Doctor Tilihand Chandra and I am an independent researcher associated with no university."

A murmur went through the group and I became certain no one had ever heard of him before this very moment. "Was he an interloper, an imposter, or maybe a subversive trying to infiltrate this group who all had very high security clearances? A spy, perhaps?" I wondered.


"How did you happen to get into this lecture? All of us are here representing our universities and have very high security clearances. Is there anyone in this group who can vouch for you?"
the entire assembly moved uncomfortably in their seats and none rose to speak for him.

"I assure you I am qualified to be in this meeting. May I use your VBX display to demonstrate?"

"An unusual request, but if the group agrees, you may do so."

Many conversations sprung up around the room and after numerous heads were shaken in the affirmative, I handed him the VBX input device.

"I am putting a formula on the screen which I’m sure at least some of you will recognize as the formula for calculating the limits of the relationship between the angle and the velocity an object of a given mass must have in order to pass a black hole without being drawn into the event horizon. This is not a commonly known calculation and is usually done by super computers because of the number of variables." A murmur of recognition went through the group along with nods of agreement. "Would you not agree that to be able to present this calculation, one would have to be very conversant with black holes and event horizons?"

"Yes!" Chorused cautiously from several in the group and it was obvious all agreed.

"Now I will place another mathematical method, not really a formula, on the screen."

Soon there were at least thirty lines of very complex math symbols on the screen. When he was finished he asked, "Does anyone know what that represents?"

The silence was deafening. I myself had never seen such calculations. Even some of the symbols were quite obscure to me. There was nothing but blank faces staring at the display completely without recognition. I was dumbfounded and blurted out, "I don’t really understand the math. Perhaps you can explain it to us?"

"That, gentlemen, is the way to calculate the three dimensional effect of the gravitational fields and waves generated by the close passage of two massive black holes. It would take far more time than we have to explain the math, but I could program your computers to make those calculations which I know none of you have ever even considered."

The group was shocked into silence and amazement. It was several moments before the usual buzz of conversation returned. To me, the calculations had just enough recognizable consistency to provide a sense of reality. So much so that I was reasonably sure they were accurate. I thought I knew a great deal about cosmology, astrophysics and black holes until that moment.
Before we could get over the shock and amazement he commented, "I believe one of you, Dr. Charles Botkin, published a paper on that very problem a few months ago saying that within a year there would be an attempt at a modeling solution. I believe you will find my method provides the correct solutions directly and without the vagaries of modeling. Now, does anyone think I am not qualified to be in this meeting?" No one spoke.

His comments were made quite matter-of-fact in an almost humble manner. It was obvious the man was not bragging. With that someone began to clap and soon the entire group was standing and paying homage to Dr. Chandra. It was almost unbelievable. He was quite charming and not at all pretentious. There were then several moments of personal contact, each member introduced himself and welcomed Dr. Chandra into the group.

He came directly over to me, shook my hand, and commented, "We will have to discuss this, you and I. You are one I know will be able to grasp what I am proposing." He turned to greet several other members and after about ten minutes, when things quieted down, Dr. Chandra spoke once more.

"I have a proposal to make to our governments. It is one I would like each of you to share and participate in. It relates to our field of knowledge and would solve one of humanity’s growing problems that has so far eluded solution. Tomorrow you will each receive a copy of my proposal. I would hope you would study it and consider supporting it before I contact any of your governments. I would like for you to join me in promoting this truly exciting new solution to an age-old problem, namely, the safe, environmentally friendly, permanent destruction and removal of all toxic, nuclear and even obnoxious waste material while providing a relatively cheap source of almost limitless energy. I ask each of you to attend a meeting to discuss this proposal at some time in the near future after you have read through and understood it."
After a few moments of stunned silence there was a bit of confusion as many tried to get close enough to ask him about his proposal.

Once more he spoke, seemingly directly at me. "Wait until you have studied my proposal before asking any questions, please. I will be contacting each of you soon. Now, I must leave and return to my research center to continue working on my project and proposal."

With that, he turned and strode out of the room before anyone knew he was leaving. We all had many questions and virtually no answers. Who was this man really and where did he come from? Was he for real? What was his background? Where had he studied and or taught? The man was obviously brilliant, but why had no one even known he existed before this day? I decided to find out who he was and what he was about by using the University facilities and the Internet. What I did find out was virtually nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is my written report of the sum total of the information I found from the meager records I discovered after an exhaustive search:

The T. H. Chandra Research Institute was almost a complete mystery to virtually every source of information. Built in a remote valley in the mountains of Nepal nearly twenty-six years ago it had virtually no contact with the rest of the world. There were no roads, connections to any power grid, or hard lines for communications. It was more than a hundred kilometers from the nearest villages. The only way in had to be by helicopter as there was no place for fixed wing aircraft to land, at least not during construction of the facility. All materials, construction equipment, even temporary housing for the construction crews were flown into the compound by helicopter as were all construction personnel. This was the sum total information I could glean from public records. Even the records of the twenty some contractors who built the compound were quite uninformative. In fact, most had gone out of business soon after completing their part of the project.

After construction was completed all records of the place seemed to simply cease. I could find no records of personnel hiring or of anyone who had ever worked there. In fact, it was almost as if the place ceased to exist once it was built more than two and a half decades earlier. It was quite obvious that they had their own power source although what kind and how large was a complete mystery. The diesel generators records showed they had purchased and installed were only sufficient as a bare backup, so they must have their own power plant, probably nuclear. Water was available from a substantial stream running through the valley. Winters were fairly severe in the area so they had to have a heat source, maybe it was a byproduct of the power plant. There was no obvious release of combustion products so there seemed to be no use of fossil fuels.

During construction they hauled in quite large amounts of structural steel, stainless, copper, lead and other non-ferrous metals. Many carbon fiber and other exotic materials in bulk form were brought in, a very unusual practice. These supplies were far more than that needed for construction according to the meager reports provided about their contract purchases. They had also procured quit a few advanced metal forming and machining tools, vacuum furnaces and composite forming devices so quite obviously they planned to build some fairly complex machinery.

There were hints and rumors of mysterious goings on in the valley, but no photos or other concrete evidence could be found. Surveillance satellite photos always showed the valley completely obscured by clouds. Even radar images showed no discernable details. Interestingly enough, other than the occasional foray out of the compound by helicopter, there was no record of any other arrivals or departures of any kind. The valley was completely obscured from all nearby radar installations maintained by the Nepalese, Indian and Pakistan governments because of its unique terrain deep in the mountains. For all intent and purposes they could be off world and no one would be the wiser.

Quite obviously the compound was and is completely self-sufficient. There were occasional helicopter flights to obtain some foods and a continuing series of electronic and computer components. There was no obvious pattern to these flights and some were quite distant to places in India, Pakistan and even a few to China. Somehow flight clearances were provided with arrangements being made via satellite phone. Prices were also negotiated by phone, but they seemed to possess an unlimited Swiss bank account.

Records showed Dr. Chandra had attended numerous important meetings almost anonymously over the years. His name was registered, but no one remembered seeing him at any of the functions. He certainly did not make himself or his research institute known by publishing or lecturing. In short - he and his institute are an almost complete mystery. No hint of what goes on there had come to my attention until his little speech at the symposium. A check of those in attendance showed they knew no more about him than I did. I eagerly awaited the arrival of his proposal. Perhaps that would throw some light on the mystery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was three in the afternoon when a messenger service delivered a large, fat envelope to my room in the hotel. Maybe now the mystery would be explained. I opened the envelope and slid the contents onto the table. The cover page alone was a shock. At the bottom was the simple authorship statement, "by Doctor Tilihand E. Chandra of the T. H. Chandra Research Institute." it was the title that was the shocker, at least to me.

"Proposal to build and operate a gravitationally stabilized event horizon body for the purpose of waste disposal." It doesn’t take much imagination to realize he is talking about a captive black hole. It could only be a very tiny black hole which I could imagine, but captive? I could not imagine how such a system could even be conceived, let alone brought into reality. A quick scan of the proposal sent chills down my spine. The unbelievable power such a body would require just to maintain control was daunting. I certainly had no idea how to proceed, but then I hadn’t yet looked at anything but the title.

I read through the overview of the project in the first few pages and was immediately impressed, exhilarated and terrified - all at the same time. The proposal was certainly the biggest and most ambitious undertaking ever proposed on the planet. The size alone was daunting. The proposal called for an enclosed, roughly spherical space beneath the surface of the earth approximately two kilometers in diameter with the centerline very near to sea level. Within this space, several concentric spherical carbon fiber matrix shells would be erected, each with a sealable opening large enough for the entry of huge trucks and a train, tracks and road to be side-by-side. The concentric spheres would be stages in a four stage vacuum facility designed to remove all but a very few molecules from the central sphere. All offices and the control center would be in a sizeable structure outside the largest shell.

On the opposite side from the opening and office complex, several huge super-cooled conductors emerged and were connected to a monstrous transformer complex, the termination point for numerous VHT lines going off in many directions. The ten conductors were each approximately four meters in diameter and went through all shells and into the center one. My first thought was that the conductors were to supply almost inconceivable amounts of power into the center containment sphere to stabilize the black hole. But where would such massive amounts of power be coming from. Then it dawned on me as I remembered he said, "a cheap source of almost limitless energy." These conductors were to carry power out of the center sphere. The captive black hole would be the source of a phenomenal power generating system.

As I read through more of the proposal a strange feeling came over me. This was ostensibly a proposal for the world’s powers to fund the construction of a massive incinerator/power station, but it dealt almost exclusively with the transport of waste materials to the site and the distribution of energy from the site to the rest of the world. This distribution was in several forms. First there was the direct distribution of electrical power via HVT (High Voltage Transmission) lines. Second there was the distribution of liquid methanol manufactured by reacting hydrogen made by electrolysis and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Third was the direct application of high pressure hydrogen as rocket fuel to react with oxygen created by the same electrolysis. The rockets to be launched directly from the reactor complex.

Detailed plans for the waste disposal section of the installation started with a system of powerful grinders that reduced all solid materials to a fine powder and distilled all liquids, dividing them into hundreds of different categories while in the vapor stage. The dried residue was then fed into the solids disposal system. All materials were then sent through a series of physical and chemical processes that reclaimed needed elements and compounds that were safe to handle while pelletizing the remaining, useless or harmful materials and feeding them, along with similarly designated liquid and gaseous materials into the back hole containment system where they would generate prodigious amounts of energy in the process of being annihilated. The huge amounts of power needed to drive all these processes, supply the world’s need for electricity and maintain the force field to hold the black hole, would all be generated by this annihilation of matter.

Highly specific plans for the huge generating facility including row upon row of turbine generators was also detailed in the proposal. What was missing from the proposal was any mention of the construction of the confinement structure, or of the black hole isolation and control system itself. Where were these to come from? Who would construct them and how would that be possible? A two kilometer sphere containing three concentric spheres, each sphere pulling a greater vacuum then the one immediately outside it, is not a piece of cake to build. The lack of even the slightest specifics of the monstrous containment building seemed not only curious, but downright frightening when I though about it. I could hardly wait for the explanation we would all certainly ask for at the meeting Dr. Chandra had proposed. That meeting was scheduled for two weeks from today. I could hardly wait

TO BE CONTINUED

_______________________________________

The Loop

Shaar slowly became more and more aware of herself. "What's happening?" she thought as a wave of unease flowed through her mind just as she realized she had arms and legs. Her mind was so sluggish. Like trying to run in a dense gravity field.

Shaar tried to move, but couldn't quite remember how to make a limb respond, or why she should. This whole experience was starting to feel familiar which was comforting. "It'll be all right," she thought. "I'll figure this out in a moment or two." If only she could remember where or who she was. Then it all came back with a flash and she screamed.

As the scream died in her throat and her mind climbed back into sanity, Shaar once more evaluated her situation and options. She had lived this same deja vu so many times. Fear filled, thoughts of insanity again flashed through her mind and were gone. Furiously, she fought for control and immediate action. Her hands scrambled for the computer console as plans and actions found order and demands in her mind.

The time loop reconstituted her body and ship to exactly what and where it was when she began the test. Her memory alone continued in linear time, each rerun starting where the last one had completed. No matter how many physical records she made during a loop they were all gone when the next one started. Computer memory, log book, note pads, camera images, voice recordings, even computer programs all returned to the precise condition they were in when she first reached the point of no escape. The only thing that did not return to the start was her memory. Each loop lasted precisely two hours, thirteen minutes and eleven point nine seconds, the exact time it first took her ship to go from the point of no escape to the event horizon of the black hole.

By this time she knew the drill precisely. She would be mentally alert until about thirty seconds before the end. During those thirty seconds her senses would grow duller and her mind would “fuzz” out until she lost all mental faculties. She became a consciousness with no input, no memory and no senses - a mental black hole. The reverse of the process at the start of the next loop brought on a massive surge of unbelievable fear as her senses and memory returned. Each time her hands whitened as the surge of fear closed her grip on the console a bit harder. Immortality in an unending cycle of a bit more than two hours at a time promised a maddening future. She often thought of suicide, but feared the outcome when she would be reconstituted in the next cycle.

Incredibly it was not the same experience each time, just the same point of restart. She tried countless strategies to break out of the loop using the main jump drives in every conceivable configuration. Frustration gripped her a bit more at each failure. It was doubly frustrating to realize that no matter how much power she used, the fuel charge was always back to 89% when a new loop began. She wondered if she was really cycling in universal time and if each new start was actually the same as the last. If so, how could her memory be linear? Her mind crawled with question of how and why she could remember clearly actions she took twenty, fifty or several hundred loops previous?

She tried sleeping once, but it had been an emotional disaster of thinking just why her memory continued for all of the two hundred and seventy-four time circles since the first. Shaar decided she didn’t need sleep, being in effect rejuvenated every few hours.

She thought about Kiaho and their daughter Minia’i and cried. Shaar volunteering for this dangerous mission was her response to the pain of their tragic deaths. She was given a fifty-fifty chance of survival by the engineers and physicists who designed this entire program to further black hole research. Theoretically, she was to “sling shot” around the black hole right at the point of no escape and be able to make it back. Things do not always go as planned and in the few minutes it was supposed to take the ship to “slingshot” around the black hole while avoiding the event horizon, disaster took control. Unexpected forces overwhelmed everything she did to hold the carefully calculated trajectory. Instead, she spiraled from the point of no return and into the event horizon in an almost infinite number of circumnavigations, each one a bit faster than the last. The hopelessness of her efforts in this gravity maelstrom ate at her mental control as she spiraled in to what she knew would be her doom. The first recycle started a growing mix of wonder, incredulity, frustration, fear and a thousand other emotional blasts which, by this time, ricocheted through her brain creating stabs of pain at each impact.

At the current moment she fought for mind control to train herself in setting up the computer to search for a way to break the loop. Each time she managed to be a bit faster, to get a bit farther. Infinitesimal hope grew and overpowered the demons of failure that dogged her as she drove her mind faster and faster. Maybe this next time she would succeed. Hope was all she had along with a generous dose of determination and grit. Holding all this information in her memory and planning for the next rerun was all she could do. She was learning and gaining, but the damning fear of impossibility clawed at her vitals.

She was now working at a frenetic pace, knowing the end of the current loop would soon engulf her in the unknown. Mostly, she was memorizing what she was doing so her effort would go faster and farther next time. Still, fear stalked her every step, no matter how she tried to empty it from her mind. The gnawing fear of being caught in this loop forever was a very real terror hiding just below the surface, ready to engulf her. She would prefer death, but even that might prove impossible.

Thoughts of what she might find if ever she broke out of the loop also plagued her. Would her world still exist? Maybe she would come out in a distant time and place. Even the death that type of scenario ensured would be preferable to living forever in an infinite time trap.

She was slowly making headway with her programming and training. If she could time a strong blast from the main control thrusters. close to the start of the loop, maybe it would move the ship far enough out from the event horizon that the main jump drive would work into the originally planned trajectory. Unfortunately, She would have to complete the entire sequence very close to the beginning of a loop. This meant coming out of that state of bare consciousness quick enough to enter the program from memory and execute it within the first minute or so. Each time she missed, she spent the two plus hours driving herself, training her mind and body to enter the program quickly without mistakes. She was desperately practicing entering the program when a slight fuzziness heralded the end of the current loop. Shaar wasn’t ready for that yet. “Damn!” she cursed, quickly faded into nothingness and became a bare consciousness once more.

Shaar slowly became more and more aware of herself. "What's happening?" she thought as a wave of unease flowed through her mind just as she realized she had arms and legs. Her mind was so sluggish. Like trying to run in a dense gravity field.

Shaar tried to move, but couldn't quite remember how to make a limb respond, or why she should. This whole experience was starting to feel familiar which was comforting. "It'll be all right," she thought. "I'll figure this out in a moment or two." If only she could remember where or who she was. Then it all came back with a flash and she screamed.

____________________________________

Time Trap

Alexis carefully slid the package into her leather purse, slung its strap over her shoulder, and casually walked around the corner into the heart of the spaceport and up to the customs desk. The fat albino behind the desk looked up from his monitor to stare at her, his right hand sliding slowly out of sight and down by his side, not unnoticed by her.

"Ah, Miss Stereo, back so soon?"

From behind her, a familiar voice shouted, "Alexis! Don't!"

Turning she saw Dr. Stanford out of breath from running to catch her. “What do you mean, don’t?”

“Just don’t!” Dr. Stanford stammered through gasping breaths as he almost stumbled up to her side.

“You said it yourself, I have to go back 24 hours to stop the release of that RESO Virus or the whole planet will be dead, and ... and as soon as possible.”

“They were . . . wrong! The RESO virus is . . . harmless and didn’t cause the deaths . . . another experimental virus the two women . . . had in their bodies was triggered by the RESO . . . The medical team found it and destroyed it . . . easily before there were any more deaths. . . . But the TCD is not harmless . . . There are some unusual side effects if it is used on a large scale.” Dr. Stanford blurted out between gasps for air.

Alexis paled. “What’s wrong with the time collapse driver anyway? I already triggered it before slipping the package into my purse. It’s set to cycle 24 hours back at precisely eleven o’clock, just a few moments from now and we both know it can’t be stopped.”.

The albino pulled up what he had been reaching for and leveled a Galbo blaster at Alexis. “I’ve been waiting for you to return with that gadget. I saw it in the security scan and knew I wanted it. It will be my ticket out of this Hell-hole.”

“You jerk!” Alexis snarled. “The damned thing will be useless to you. The start mechanism requires my hand print before it will fire.”

“Hand over the purse and we’ll see about that. Those scabs in the Telurian black market think they can reverse engineer anything. They pay highly for any new or unusual device.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting into.” Alexis stalled and held her purse tightly.

“And I don’t give a crap! Give it to me or I might pop the trigger on this Galbo and you know what it can do.”

“Let him have it, Alexis, it doesn’t work right anyway.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t work right?”

“Miss Stereo, Give me the damned purse, NOW! Otherwise, you and the Doctor here will be splattered all over the customs office and I’ll take your purse out of your dead hand.”

Reluctantly Alexis handed over the purse. The albino took it and disappeared through a door into the bowels of the spaceport.

“OK Doctor. What’s wrong with that expensive little gadget?”

Dr. Stanford finally caught his breath and explained, “We have only tested it on small bursts of power - ten or twenty seconds worth. We didn’t notice any problems and it only warped a small section of space. Gravity waves from that small disturbance quickly leveled out and no harm was done. We decided upping the power to warp enough space for a person would work the same”

Alexis looked puzzled. “So what’s the big deal? We’ll have a little blip and everything will be OK.”

“That’s not exactly correct.”

“So, what does happen?”

“We have theorized that a large enough gravitational disturbance could cause a cascading G-Wave effect that would create a major rift in the space-time continuum. The entire universe could be pulled through that rift in an instant and revert back to whatever time it was set to.”

“That little box could do the whole universe?” Alexis shuddered as she said it.

“Yes . . . Theoretically.”

Just then there was an instantaneous change, completely absent of sensory information.

Alexis looked at the clock on her desk. It was precisely11:00am and she needed to hurry to get to the meeting on time. The meeting at the Stanford Gravitation Field Experimental Station was to discuss results of the testing of the new, portable TCD unit.

At about the same, time in the University hospital research facility nearby, the RESO virus was about to be tested on human volunteers. The Replicating Exchanging Self Organizing virus would search out all nonstandard DNA cells in a person’s body and replace the faulty DNA with the correctly sequenced DNA. It was not only a cure for cancer, but many other diseases caused by aberrations in cell DNA. The promise and possibilities were staggering in their depth and breadth. Two women with advanced cancers were selected from thousands of volunteers. It’s creator, Dr Chan Ling estimated it would take thirteen hours for the virus to convert all nonstandard DNA. Once that was done, it would disappear when all non-standard DNA, its food in effect, disappeared. No trace of the virus would survive. One volunteer was injected with one type of RESO virus. The other with a slightly different strain.

“Now all we have to do is wait.” Dr. Chan murmured as the two women got up to return to their rooms in the hospital section.

Three hours later both women were dead, their bodies riddled with a very rapidly developing cancer. Seemingly, the RESO virus had not destroyed itself, but had invaded every living cell in or touching the women. Near panic gripped the staff when they realized the gravity of the situation. The entire wing of the hospital was sealed off, but it was too late.

Searching frantically for a viable solution, Dr. Chan remembered that his friend, Dr James Stanford, had been working on a time warping device using gravity waves. “Get me Dr Stanford at the Stanford Gravitation Field Experimental station.” He shouted at one of his assistants as they rushed toward the office.

In less than half an hour he had explained the situation to Dr. Stanford who promised to see if his equipment might be useful in providing a solution. Soon he was explaining how the new and very powerful TCD could send someone back twenty four hours. This might enable them to stop the release of the RESO virus.

Dr. Stanford was coaching one of his assistants, Alexis. “Set this digital readout to 24.00, indicate hours and then press your hand against the actuator. The nuclear distorter will start building up G-pressure and in about ten minutes it will fire a monstrous G-wave that should bang you back 24 hours instantaneously.”

Alexis thought for a moment. As Dr, Stanford’s assistant she knew there were some very special location and time constraints. “When and where do I do this?”

Dr. Stanford took out a map. “The best place is inside the spaceport . . . here, in this open area.” He pointed as he spoke.

“I’ll have to go through security. What do you suppose they’ll do when they see this device?”

“Tell them it’s a new medical device using nuclear power. Dr. Chan would confirm that should they get testy.”

“I suppose I’d better get going.”

“The sooner the better.”

Half an hour later she stood by the security scanner and waited as the TCD unit was put through without incident. “That was easy.” she muttered to herself as she picked up the TCD.

Alexis carefully slid the package into her leather purse, slung its strap over her shoulder, and casually walked around the corner into the heart of the spaceport and up to the customs desk. The fat albino behind the desk looked up from his monitor to stare at her, his right hand sliding slowly out of sight and down by his side, not unnoticed by her.

"Ah, Miss Stereo, back so soon?"

From behind her, a familiar voice shouted, "Alexis! Don't!"

____________________________________

The Mask

Alexis carefully slid the package into her leather purse, slung its strap over her shoulder, and casually walked around the corner into the heart of the spaceport and up to the customs desk. The fat albino behind the desk looked up from his monitor to stare at her, his right hand sliding slowly out of sight and down by his side, not unnoticed by her.

"Ah, Miss Stereo, back so soon?"

From behind her, a familiar voice shouted, "Alexis! Don't!"

Alexis spun around, “Schad! Where have you been? I’ve been worried something had happened to abort our trip. We’re you afraid I was about to retrieve my stuff from customs and cancel our flight?”

“Something like that. I ... I ... took the wrong shuttle and had a frantic time getting back as soon as I did. My com quit working so I couldn’t contact you.”

Ignoring Schad’s lame comment, Alexis turned back quickly and glared at the albino as she spit out, “Touch that alarm button and you’ll have more trouble than you can imagine.”

The albino quickly raised both hands, palms forward. “Just what made you think I was going to hit the alarm, Miss Snotty?”

“Enough of the swazzo crap you fat slob! I’m not blind. I gave you enough cash to cover any contingency and you took it. It’s all recorded right here.” Alexis snarled, patting her AV. “One wrong move on your part and you’ll spend a long time rotting in the Ranko penal colony.”

The albino’s pink eyes quickly morphed from arrogance to radiated fear. A bit of drool ran down his chin from a loose, shivering lower lip. “I’m sorry. I’ll do as you told me. It’s just that I didn’t expect you back so soon. You told me you were leaving on the two-ten and it’s now past three.”

“So you figured something went wrong and started to turn me in and keep the cash. Definitely not a good thought!”

Whirling back to face Schad, Alexis narrowed her eyes. Something was not right and she knew it. She noticed two obvious security cops moving towards them, trying to appear casual. “How in hell could you have taken the wrong shuttle?” she snapped trying to decide, run, fight or wait for a better opportunity. Suddenly reality hit her like an LK blast. “You bastard!” she shouted at Schad. “You pulled a switch and turned me in for the reward.”

As one of the cops pulled his Galbo blaster, she dove at Schad and in a single motion, pulled him in front of her, grabbed the LK from her leg and rolled into firing position. The Galbo cut Schad in two as the stutter from her tiny LK knocked down the cop who had fired and leveled the other one before he could raise his weapon.

Back on her feet and running at the end of her move, Alexis headed for the neutral zone at the end of the terminal. Galbos didn’t work within the force field there, but her LK did. She would be safe for the moment. It would take the two cops about an hour to recover and by that time she would be long gone. Fortunately, running in the Ranko space port was quite common and drew little attention. The bloody mess that had been Schad and the two unconscious cops drew all of the attention. People had hardly noticed a small woman in a dark blue Cirec suit running from the mayhem as many others nearby had done the same when the excitement hit. The tiny LK, hardly visible in her palm, didn’t signal any threat.

As she approached the neutral zone, Alexis slowed down to a trot and chanced a look back. No one was even looking in her direction as a police shuttle streaked toward the gathering crowd, PA blaring and ordering people out of the way. Numerous guards on foot were hustling toward the scene and moving gawkers out of the way.

“So far so good.” She muttered under her breath. “Now, if I can just get aboard one of the outbounds before that damned albino spills his guts.”

She quickly scanned outbound flights and chose the one headed for Stentor Seven. It was only about two hundred yards from the neutral zone. She was sure she could make it before all hell broke loose in the main port. If her fake ID chip cleared the security scanner she would be home free. The contraband ancient Telurian mask in her purse was another matter. It was the reason for the whole setup with Schad. Worth several hundred million on the open artifact market it was her ticket to freedom she was to have split with Schad after he smuggled it through security - his specialty.

“How in hell am I going to get this past security?” she wondered as she neared the gate. She smiled as suddenly a clever plan crossed her mind. After stopping for few moments in one of the Icom booths she made an adjustment to her purse and threw the now empty mask packaging into the trash vac.

As she entered the security scanner, the operator, an attractive young blonde commented, “What an unusual purse. Where did you get it?” as she opened the purse and examined the contents.

Alexis tried to appear casual as the inspector closed the purse and put it on the “passed” counter. “It was a gift from a very dear friend.” she commented sweetly. “I have no idea where he got it, but I do like it.” Then she had another idea. “Incidently, would you be a dear? His wife is a real vindictive bitch and may have found out about it. If anyone comes looking for me tell them I’m on the flight to Aldebaran Three, over there. Her brother is a security cop and I don’t need the hassle.”

“I know what you mean.” she answered with a wink. “Angry wives can be a real bummer.”

Her ID chip cleared, Alexis picked up the purse and headed for the flight at a rapid walk. “So far so good!” she thought. Once the boarding shuttle cleared the terminal she would be home free.

Taking a window seat she watched the security gate she had just cleared. Suddenly two security cops ran up to the blonde pointing and talking rapidly. “Good girl!” she said out loud as the blonde pointed to the other boarding shuttle and the cops took off at a run. The shuttle doors spun shut just before they got there. The Blonde looked at her shuttle and gave a thumbs up. “Sometimes you need a little impromptu luck to complete even a good plan.” Alexis thought as she leaned back in her seat for the short hop to the IS craft.

As the shuttle lifted off she began dreaming of happy times on Stentor Seven with the fortune the mask would bring on the open market. She wouldn’t even have to share it with Schad as planned. The Telurian mask stared up at her and seemed almost to smile in spite of the Zepok fasteners that held it seamlessly flush on the front of her purse.

____________________________________

The Switch

Timothy O'Brien never expected to find himself in such circumstances. Whoever would? He paused on the narrow path on the side of the gray granite mountain, the wind pressing on his backside as if it wished to push him to his death on the ragged rocks half a kilometer below. A sound caught his attention over the rush of wind..... a sound that made him shudder and heightened his fear responses. “How could they have found him?”

The sound was now unmistakable. Vordanay thrusters had a unique noise profile and the only units that used these old but effective thrusters were Old Earth military police RG vehicles. Relatively hard to handle in Earth gravity, RG vehicles would be fast and quite maneuverable in the light gravity of Stentor 7 where he had hidden successfully for nearly seven years.

Tim looked for a place to hide, but saw none. In a panic he started running down the path as fast as he could. The light gravity stretched his running steps to nearly thirty feet, but he had to plan a landing place for every huge step. One misstep and he would be off the path with only 30,000 feet of air between him and the rocks at the base of the huge cliff. His mind raced trying to find an answer, but none was forthcoming. When he came to a slight curvature to the right on the almost flat and vertical granite face of the mountain he shortened his paces to stay on the path.

On his third huge step he misjudged and missed the path by several feet. Suddenly he was hurtling away from the cliff at a slight angle and beginning to drop. Even in the low gravity of Stentor 7 he would be falling fast enough to be smashed to pieces after falling for 30,000 feet. For a moment he wondered if terminal velocity would be low enough to let him land without being killed. That was his only hope so he spread his arms and loosened his shirt to slow his fall.

Suddenly he realized the sound of the Vordanays was coming closer. “They’ve spotted me.” he muttered to himself as he tried to look in the direction of the sound. Shit!” he said out loud. “Even if I survive the fall, they’ll have me. They’re in my blind spot above and to my rear.” Bang! Something flat and very heavy hit him with considerable force and he was knocked unconscious.

When he came to Tim realized he was out of the wind and in the vehicle with the Vordanay thrusters. He opened his eyes and looked into the face of his bride of six weeks, Enid. She had her finger to her lips, the universal request for silence so he complied lying still and quiet. Enid pulled a Gleary laser pistol, leveled it at his head and said, “He’s coming to. I’ve got him covered.” to the pilot. Looking at me she snarled, “Lie still and don’t move.”

I was devastated! My sweet lady had sold me out and was collecting the 400,000 credit reward for my capture. Something was not right. This was impossible. Then I noticed her little finger was frantically waving in front of the pistol. The safety switch, right where her finger was pointing, was on. With the safety on it was as harmless as a toy.

The pilot said, “Lady, I have no idea what you have against this guy, but I sure appreciate your help. We’d never have caught him without your tip. He’s in for some very rough treatment when we get him back to Earth. I’d rather have just blasted him when we found him and only had to return the body. Now he’ll get prisoner treatment and that means a lot more work for me.”

“I have my reasons for wanting him alive. You can’t possibly know why.” Enid said, winking at me. “I’m sure not going to tell you, Jack.”

“I can say one thing,” Jack remarked, smiling. “I’m sure glad you’re on my side. I’d hate to have you working against me.”

I had no idea what was going on, but that safety was certainly reassuring.

Jack glanced over his shoulder. “Watch him closely. He’s the only one ever to escape our holding center. Incidently, how are you going to get us past security here at the terminal? He destroyed his ID chip and mine’s very specific.”

“You leave that up to me. I’ve got connections.” Enid said, smiling knowingly.

“Well, you got me in so I suppose You can get us out OK. We’re approaching the terminal now.”

“Remember what I told you.” Enid ordered. “Set her down outside the confinement zone so we can change clothes. When we walk into the zone, security will think it’s Tim covering you, the renegade Earth agent, and let all of us through. Once through security we’ll be in International territory and your jurisdiction will take precedence. Then we split the reward, you can retire here like you planned to and I’ll have my revenge. Tim will be shipped back to Earth and after that, who cares.”

“Lady, I sure wouldn’t want you working against me. You have a very devious mind.”

“If you only knew.” Enid thought to herself as they started the set down sequence.

As soon as we landed, Enid ordered, “Come back and cuff him to the hand rail. Then you’ll be able to change clothes without danger. I’ll sit back here and cover you.” Then she moved to a seat in the rear of the vehicle. It took about ten minutes for us to change clothes, everything including underwear which I thought a bit much.

Jack turned around and went to the front to retrieve his own pistol before getting out. As he did I noticed Enid releasing the safety and cranking the control on her pistol up to max. As soon as jack turned around, one blast from her Gleary caught Jack center chest. He was dead before hitting the floor. In an instant, Enid handed me her pistol, took a knife out of her pocket and began slashing Jack’s chest open.

“What the hell?” I shouted. “He’s already dead!”

With a flourish Enid held up a small ID chip. “This is the key to the success of our mission. You are now a free man with a new identity no one can crack. All we have to do is get this inside your chest, a minor inconvenience.” With that she took the pistol out of my hand, cut the power to half and seared closed the open wound on Jack’s chest Then she hit his face with enough wide laser spray to make it unrecognizable. She handed me the pistol as sirens of approaching security announced a tense visit shortly. In a single motion Enid grabbed Jack’s pistol, set the control on low and blasted my left shoulder enough to burn Jacks uniform and sear my skin a bit.

“Sorry about that.” she muttered as she replaced the pistol in his hand.

As soon as she stepped back the door was jerked open and two uniformed officers of Stentor 7 security entered, pistols drawn. “Don’t anyone move. Touch the trigger on that pistol and you’ll be fried.” one said to Tim who immediately dropped it on the floor.

“He’s a security agent from Earth.” Enid panted, feigning fright. “His prisoner managed to grab one of his pistols and burned him. Jack had no choice but to terminate him. Scan him with your ID reader you’ll get his ID. That one probably doesn’t have an ID, but check him anyway.”

“Both of you stay still while we check this out. You know you’re on sovereign Stentor soil and your special privileges don’t amount to anything.” He said looking at Tim.

With that he activated his scanner and read the ID chip in Tim’s breast pocket. “Jack Evans, EAPD 17685 it says. It also says you’re retired. What’s that all about?”

“He’s a bit dazed after being zapped. This was his last assignment. It was planned to get him here to Stentor 7 to end his stint and he planned to retire here. I’m his fiancé and can probably answer most of your questions. Can’t you get him some medical attention?”

Getting into the act and thinking about the bloody ID chip in his breast pocket Tim protested, “I don’t need a medic. It’s just a slight burn. He shot before turning up the power and mostly missed me anyway. I didn’t miss him.”

“You sure didn’t” the second officer muttered. “Even his mother wouldn’t recognize him now. How are we going to be sure of who he was?”

“The word of a field agent of the Earth Allied Police Department should be good enough for that. Besides, We still have to ship the body back to Earth on the next flight.” Enid remarked. “That will save you a whole lot of paperwork. All you have to do is move us inside and we can do the rest.”

By nightfall of Stentor’s thirty hour day, Tim and Enid were sitting at the table in her apartment. Enid explained the entire plan and how she had arranged so much.

“My position at Nebson Security Research gave me not only the information, but enabled me to
pull this off. Did you know it was Jack Evans that offed your brother? That’s why he wanted you so badly. Poetic justice don’t you think?”

“I have one comment.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“To quote one Jack Evans, “I’m sure glad you’re on my side. I’d hate to have you working against me.”

Enid grinned.

____________________________________

The Hike

Timothy O'Brien never expected to find himself in such circumstances. Whoever would? He paused on the narrow path on the side of the gray granite mountain, the wind pressing on his backside as if it wished to push him to his death on the ragged rocks half a kilometer below. A sound caught his attention over the rush of wind.....

At first he thought he knew what it was, a small animal moving through the bushes on the ledge just below where he stood, but as it grew louder he realized it was coming from above. It sounded like many irregular hoofbeats, the sound a herd of horses or even buffalo would make running in a panic. He leaned harder against the rock away from the sheer drop on the other side of the path as the sound grew louder and louder. Suddenly he was horrified when he realized he cause of the sound. It was an avalanche of rock plummeting down the mountainside above him.

He realized how exposed he was on the narrow ledge with no protection above. Thinking quickly in that time slowing pace of near panic, Tim remembered passing a deep indent in the path with a substantial protective overhang. He hurried back toward the safe haven as quickly as he dared on the narrow path. If only he could make it in time. Small rocks, dislodged by the vibrations from the approaching mass of plummeting rock began pelting him as he ran. “God! How far back was that spot?” he thought as he rounded bend after bend without seeing the safe haven.

Finally! There it was on the opposite side of a deep ravine that cut back into the mountain. He immediately knew it was much too far to reach in time. Then he noticed a narrow break in the rocks just beneath the path about fifteen feet in front of him. By then the small rocks dislodged by the earth-shaking deluge far above were falling more often and getting bigger. One hit his arm and drew blood - then another. He ran to the edge above the break looking for a way to get himself into the crack. It would be very difficult. One slip and he would drop to the jagged rocks below. A huge boulder bounced on the path a few feet from where he clung and he knew the main part of the avalanche would soon be smashing into him.

Grabbing a small rock hand hold on the edge of the path he rolled over the edge and into the crack. Suddenly he was dangling in space inside the crack, supported only by the handhold. He searched the sides of the crack for another handhold or foot support. The sides of the crack were smooth. Then he realized the crack narrowed both downward and inward. If he could swing far enough in he would be able to jam himself into the crack and hold himself there by pressing against the sides. After swinging several times to gain momentum he prayed and let go as he swung inward. Just as he let go a huge piece of rock smashed on the rock he had just been holding, smashing it and a piece of the path into small pieces, showering the area with small, jagged projectiles. He was now deep inside the crack, but slipping downward. He dropped at least twenty feet before he was able to stem his fall by jamming his legs against one wall and his back the other. He was about ten feet inside the crack and under the path when the massive avalanche crashed onto the path where he had stood just moments before.

The mountain shook, dust filled the air and the sound was deafening as the main part of the avalanche thundered by just a few feet from his refuge. Suddenly he couldn’t breath because of dust whirled at him by the air blast from the avalanche. He used his free hand to pull his shirt out and over his face as a filter to keep the dust out of his lungs and eyes. Breathing was difficult, but not impossible and the shirt kept the choking dust out. “How long would the thundering continue?” he wondered. Then he felt himself slipping and pressed harder with his legs, jamming himself tighter. “Would the thundering never stop?” he wondered. Suddenly everything began quieting down. The thundering was rapidly moving down the mountain and the dust was settling. He slowly eased his shirt off his face and surveyed the scene before him. There was still a pall of fine dust in the air and an occasional small rock plunged off the shelf above him, but at least he was still alive. Looking up about thirty feet he noticed the crack was now open at the top. The avalanche had obliterated the path that capped the crack. He wondered how much of the path still traversed the mountainside and if he could use it to get down the mountain.

His legs were beginning to ache from pressing so hard against the sides of the crack. He would have to move into the narrower section of the crack and jam himself in so he could rest his legs or they would eventually give out. It took him about fifteen minutes to move far enough into the crack so he could wedge his hips and rest his legs. As he relaxed a bit he began examining his body. Blood oozed from several cuts on his arms and legs and when he wiped his forehead his hand came away quite bloody. Fortunately he was not losing much blood, just a bloody mess of small cuts and abrasions.

As he rested, Tim considered his predicament and options. “At least Alicia wasn’t with me so she was safe. By now she would be frantic and asking for help. Surely the avalanche was big enough and near enough to alert people back at the lodge and Alicia would be after them to find me. Well, I might as well start finding a way out. Any help is surely hours away.”

With that thought Tim decided he should work his way up the crack, keeping to the narrowest part so he could rest periodically. After about an hour he was only five feet below the open top of the crack. Unfortunately the crack narrowed at that point in such a way that his only way up was out beneath an overhang with a long drop below. One slip and he would fall at least a hundred feet. He decided to rest for awhile to prepare for the exertion he was about to have to make.

Fortunately his hiking boots were very strong so he decided to use them to grip the narrow portion of the crack as he worked his way out almost upside down. He jammed one boot into the crack and swung the other around and jammed it into the crack about three feet ahead of the other. Four maneuvers like that and he should be able to reach the top with his hands and pull himself up. It would be difficult, but doable. Each maneuver took him farther away from the wall, hanging above a huge drop. If he missed . . . well he just couldn’t. After the fourth maneuver his feet were jammed into the crack just a foot from the top. He would rest again for the final move where he would fold his body forward and reach for the top with his right hand. Once he had a hold he could release his farthest foot and pull himself onto the path. It had taken him nearly three hours to get this far and he wasn’t taking any more chances than he had to.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, Tim started making his move. He bent forward as far as he could and reached for the edge. It was just a few inches out of his reach. Carefully he repositioned his feet to get a bit closer. Once more he bent up and reached for the edge. A third try provided a precarious hold as his fingers finally caught the edge. He worked his hand around the edge until he found a decent hold and began to release his left foot for the final move. Once it was released there was no way to put it back. He would be holding on by one foot jammed into the crack and a very precarious hold on rather smooth rock with his right hand. He couldn’t move far enough into the narrow part of the crack to jam his torso without releasing his other foot. That would leave him dangling with but one tenuous hand hold as he swung his other hand up to search for another hold. If there wasn’t one, he was done for and he couldn’t see where he had to reach.

He took a deep breath, released his other foothold and quickly reached over the edge of the crack with his left hand searching with his fingers for any projection or small opening he could catch with even one finger. With his elbows over the edge of the crack he held for an instant, but knew he must find a hold or he would slip off the edge. Frantically his fingers probed the smooth surface searching in vain for anything to hold. Suddenly his right hand began losing its grip and began slowly sliding toward the edge. He was losing it, “Damn!” he said out loud. In a few seconds he would be waiting for that crushing pain as his body hit the rocks below. He thought of Alicia. “Damn! I hate losing!”

As his slipping gained speed it seemed as if time was slowing down. Was he imagining things or had he heard a voice from above him. His left arm suddenly slipped off and he hung for a moment with one hand. As his grip began ever so slowly to slip he knew it was all over. He was astonished when he didn’t fall. Something had snapped around his wrist just before his hand could slip over the side. He looked up to see two faces above him Jack had grabbed Tim’s hand just before it disappeared from sight. He had ropes and was secured by them to others on the path.

“Hang on there ole buddy.” Jack said as he reached down with his other hand and grabbed Tim’s left. Slowly they pulled him up over the edge to safety. As soon as he was safely on the ledge Alicia was sobbing and holding him like she would never let go.

Back at the lodge, showered, cleaned and patched up, Tim sat with Alicia and his friends and ran through the days adventure. Alicia wouldn’t let him out of her arms.

Jack reported, “This gal of yours was a whirlwind when we heard the avalanche. It was less than a mile from the lodge and when we heard it she shouted, ‘Tim!’ and got us going right away. We were headed up the mountain before the avalanche stopped, I swear.”

Rory added. “She ran up that mountain like a mountain goat. We had a hard time keeping up with her.”

“Don’t you ever go anywhere like that without me.” Alicia ordered, her dark eyes flashing.

“I don’t plan to.” Tim smiled thinking what a lucky guy he was.

____________________________________

The Gold Feather

Draxel studied each passenger who came through security and into the waiting area for the shuttle. Force of habit from years as undercover security for various highly sensitive projects taught his trained eyes to look carefully for anything unusual. On his first vacation in years, he was headed back to his favorite place in this quadrant of the galaxy. Officially “on vacation” he was still an active agent for the Eegis project and acted as such. He watched fascinated as a tall, and very beautiful redhead strode catlike into the waiting area and flowed into a seat. From the snakelike way she moved he was sure she was a rare, homo sentient from the old earth. He knew about this advanced human sub-species, but had never seen one. Her simple, reddish-amber dress clung to her like a second skin, moving flawlessly just enough to show it was not attached. As she sat, their eyes met and locked for a moment. He was startled by intense mental pleasure as he imagined her sinuous body moving against his. It was more emotion than thought and caught him quite off guard. He was never caught off guard and it really bothered him.

When they called his group to board, she stood and walked toward the gate right in front of him She was very slender, almost fragile His eyes would not leave her body and its fluid movements as she walked down the ramp and into the shuttle. He had never seen anyone whose body moved so smoothly. She almost seemed not to have joints in her limbs.

“This is really my lucky day.” He thought to himself as he realized she was taking the seat next to his. As soon as he was settled in his seat, she turned and looked directly at him while liquid words emanated from the fullest, reddest lips he had ever seen.

“I’m Leura Clauson. Who are you please?”

Her directness and musical voice surprised him even more than her exotic appearance. “Uh Draxel, Draxel Sil. Call me Drax.” He was terribly uncomfortable and completely unnerved. He was sure his words betrayed him..

“Have you been to Stentor Seven before?” her silky voice chanted softly. “ I’ve never even been to the Vegan star system.”

“Been there several times.” He struggled to say. The barely detectable smell of her sweet breath was like warm milk. She wore a perfume that hung on the edge of his awareness. He knew it was there, but as soon as he thought about it, it was gone. Drax had never experienced such a woman. He was in very unfamiliar territory, struggling desperately to find a mental footing. “I’m going on my first vacation in years and this is my favorite place to visit. Are you on vacation?”

“No, I’m a botanist on a research project. I plan to study plants growing in the low gravity and artificially controlled atmosphere.”

The lilt of her speech enthralled him. It wasn’t really an accent, just different and very musical. “A scientist! I’m impressed!” He smiled as he spoke thinking that was the understatement of his life. “How long will you stay? On your project, I mean.”

“At least one earth year. My grant may be renewed for an additional year. It’s my first major assignment. What was that little smile about?”

He was amazed at her perception. “Just a little private joke, on me.”

“A secret?”

“No just a laugh at myself.” Her directness, too, surprised him.

“Tell me.”

He was a tiny bit irritated. “Let’s say it’s just something I’d rather not tell someone I’ve just met.”

Disregarding his irritation, she switched the subject smoothly. “What’s your profession?”

“I’m a gravity propulsion engineer. Do design work on the propulsion systems on craft like this one we’re on.” He said, repeating his usual cover story. “This vacation is long overdue and Stentor Seven is my favorite place to visit.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve seen the digirecords, but those are really quite bland. No beauty or poetry. You said you’ve been there?”

“Yes, and it certainly is beautiful, spectacularly beautiful.”

The shuttle’s engine hum increased and it rose slowly from the pad to start the two-hour trip. The motion was quite noticeable, but would disappear as soon as they cleared the atmosphere and the main drive kicked in.

“How did it come to be? The records were very sketchy about the planet’s origins.”

Drax was beginning to be more comfortable, since he was now on familiar territory. “Originally it was a small, sterile planet about the half the mass of your earth’s moon and just the right distance from the red dwarf star, Stentor. Focused gravity beams were used to tow huge ice planetesimals in from the nearby ring. They melted and became oceans and an atmosphere. Temperatures, pressures and everything else was adjusted for human habitation. Since then, many life forms were introduced and soon flourished. The combination of optimal rotation rate and distance from Stentor, along with lots of work over the years gave us a semi-tropical paradise covering the entire surface.”

“It sounds wonderful.”

“Because of the low gravity, plants grow to immense size and spectacular proportions. That, I trust will be the focus of your research project.”

“You are correct. Please tell me more.”

“In this gravity there are stable mountains rising seventy thousand feet with sheer cliffs and unbelievable waterfalls. The muted sounds of the slow waterfalls and of the unusual rivers are like a chorus of musical mumbles. Waves on the oceans can be huge, yet they seem to roll in slow motion. The surf is spectacular with thirty foot breakers tumbling slowly and gently onto the sand.”

“I can see why it’s such a popular vacation spot.” He was beginning to grow accustomed to her soft, musical speech.

“Buildings are constructed in ways unimaginable on planets with normal gravity. Giant overhangs, huge spans, delightfully fragile overhead structures with plazas, walkways and open spaces.”

“How about the weather?”

“The weather is marvelous. Mostly sunny and warm with fractal-like white clouds moving slowly across a deep blue sky. In order to have adequate surface pressure, the atmosphere is kept many times deeper than on your home planet. Clouds can be hundreds of miles high and the winds are always gentle. Then there’s the rain, the unbelievable warm rain. Because of the low gravity, raindrops fall slowly, congealing into large blobs which grow to near tennis ball size before they are blown apart by the air as they fall through it. It’s a most delightful feeling to be softly pelted by the big blobs of warm water.”

“I heard about the rain. I can hardly wait to experience it. I want to run through it.”

Draxel decided he would like to see that, but wouldn’t mention it. Her next comment drew him vivid, erotic mental pictures.

“If the chance comes up, could we run through the rain together? I’d really like that.”

It was said so innocently, so matter-of-factly, he was speechless. “Uh - yeah - sure, “ he struggled for composure. “That sounds like a great idea.”

After a silent pause to calm his imagination, he continued his description. “If you like water sports, you are in for a spectacular treat. Watercraft of all kinds ride very high in the water, skimming over the surface with little effort. Man powered craft like kayaks can fly over the waves, and sailing, even with a light breeze is a totally new experience. Becoming airborne is the rule in all but the biggest craft. Many a sailor has experienced the thrill of being taken aloft for hundreds of feet by sail alone.”

“I love sailing. My father taught me when I was very young. It’s one physical thing I can do very well.”

Drax made a mental note, then continued. “Scuba diving is another thrilling sport. Dives to a thousand feet or more are easily attainable. Underwater cliffs have abundant sea life with gorgeous colors. There are no man-threatening species in the ocean. There is no danger of the bends under any normal diving conditions no matter how fast one rises to the surface.”

“It sounds like a real paradise. I hope I can spend my leisure time enjoying a few of the adventures you describe. Would you be able to show me some while you’re on vacation? I don’t mean to interfere with your plans, but I know no one else here.”

Drax’s good fortune was beginning to overwhelm him. “Why, yes! I would be delighted. I have no specific plans at all.”

“Wonderful. I won’t have much to do for the first few weeks so you can show me around. I’m certain there are many new things to experience.”

“High on my list of marvelous adventures is rafting down softly running rivers with fantastic fall slopes. Doing that is almost an out-of-body-experience.”

“It all sounds so exciting,” she said just as the main drive took over and the hum and vibrations ceased. They finally cleared the atmosphere and were on their way.

Over the next hour Drax relaxed completely as they talked about their families and friends. She drew pleasant experiences out of his memory and shared her experiences as a child and about growing up. There was an unusual quality to her stories. They were very softly emotional. Drax could almost feel her joys and pains as she described them.

After a rather long pause in their conversation he realized she had fallen asleep. To his pleasure she leaned her head against his shoulder, snuggling down against him several times during the flight. He started examining her closely. Her hair was extremely fine with individual hairs growing unusually close together. It was very red with no hint of a color change near the roots. If it was dyed it was an absolutely perfect job. She turned a bit and put her hand ever so gently on his right arm. Her pale amber skin was baby soft and unflawed. When he touched her hand it felt like satin, almost frictionless. By now Drax decided she was far too perfect to be a normal human. The “scentars” as those rare advanced humans were called by some, were reported to have unusual emotional abilities.

He noticed a gold pin high on her dress, the only adornment she wore of any kind. It appeared to be a feather, about an inch long and quite fragile. It looked like a real feather, but very tiny and reddish gold in color.

A slight bump was followed by vibrations and the hum of the landing drive. Leura sat upright without the slightest hint she had been asleep. “We must be arriving.”

Drax looked almost blankly at her. “You slept the last hour almost without moving. I sure wish I could do that.”

“Just concentrate on pleasant thoughts and close your eyes. You’ll go right to sleep.”

Drax smiled at her easy answer. He was still concentrating on the lovely gold feather pin. “What’s that pin your wearing? It’s quite beautiful.”

“A gift. My mother gave it to me when I completed my studies. It’s the only jewelry I ever wear. It’s supposed to signify fidelity.”

“That’s one I never heard before.”

“Actually it’s a special kind of fidelity. Fidelity to a common, usually treasured experience with someone you love. My mother loved me very much, and I her. It’s about the wonderful life we spent together before I left home. Specifically, it’s commemorating our last day together. That experience will never happen again.”

“That’s really beautiful, sad, but beautiful.” Drax felt undeniably and strangely unhappy as he spoke.

“Yes, I gave her a similar pin. It’s a family custom. We both knew we would never see each other again.”

Drax was shocked. “Why not?”

Her voice had changed almost painfully. “It’s a bit complicated. We just knew our paths would never cross again.”

The sorrow within him became almost overpowering. “How can you be so sure?”

Leura had the tiniest hint of melancholy for just an instant. “Please, I’d rather not talk about it any more.”

Suddenly Drax experienced an intense change to terrible anxiety. It almost overwhelmed him and then, just as suddenly, it was gone and he felt fine. “What was that all about?” he said out loud in reaction, but really to himself.

“What was what all about?” her clear silky voice had returned.

“Sorry. I just had a very strange feeling for an instant and it startled me.”

Once more Leura shifted mental gears without hesitation. “Would you be able to help me to my hotel? This is all so new to me and I’m a bit nervous about going there alone.”

With his luggage scheduled to be delivered, Drax was quite free to go where he wished. “I’d be pleased to.”

“You’re sure it won’t be an inconvenience?”

“Positively. I’d love to see you to your hotel.” Once again he could hardly believe his good fortune.

The air car dropped them at level 196 of the hotel. It landed smoothly on the cantilevered plaza. Leura picked up the one small bag she carried and danced across the plaza right to the edge. To Drax she seemed like a little girl spinning with excitement from one side of the outside walkway to the other as he led her to her room.

“I’ve never been up this high in the hotel. How’d you manage such a room? I thought the upper floors were reserved for foreign dignitaries?”

“And foreign botanists.” She quipped as she flipped her hair and, with a flourish, hand-printed the door which slid soundlessly into the wall and then closed silently behind them after they walked inside.

Drax was dumbfounded. The room was decorated in shades of the exact same colors as Leura’s dress and hair. “This can’t be an accident. How’d you get your room decorated to match - you?”

Her look and demeanor changed and she laughed in that sensuous, lyrical way, no longer the little girl. He decided her voice sounded almost like a flute or muted violin.

“I plan on being here for at least a year so they let me have my choice of decoration. Do you like it?”

“It takes some getting used to, but it certainly is beautiful.” Once more he smiled as an intense feeling of warmth and pleasure flowed through his entire body. “Wow!”

Leura stepped lightly to the entrance and turned on music like Drax had never experienced. In it’s unusual tones and mixed rhythms he sensed more than heard the plaintiff cry of a loon, the rustle of pine trees in the wind and the crashing of waves on a rocky shore. It bordered on being visual and very pleasing. Leura smiled as she switched the glass outside wall from clear to one way. They could see the beauty of Stentor Seven stretched out before them, but no one outside could see in. Once more he became aware of her delicate perfume, just on the edge of his senses as she walked over to him and looked straight into his eyes. The warm milk-like fragrance of her breath also caressed his sense of smell, almost intoxicating him. She reached up and gently placed her wrists on his shoulders. Her hands hung loosely, just touching his back. He hated the shirt that lay between her hands and his skin.

“Now, Mr. Sil, I want us to dance together. Is that all right?”

Drax felt he was now completely out of his league and on the edge of losing any hint of control. What the hell is happening? he wondered to himself as she slipped her silky fingers around his neck, took his hand and moved to the music. As he looked directly into her eyes, he realized they were a dark blue with just a hint of red to the black of her huge pupils.

“Pull the little ring at the back of my collar,” her soft voice commanded.

When he did so her dress changed from the amber-red to an iridescent blue-green. She began moving rhythmically against him to the hypnotic beat and sound of the strange music. The sensation penetrated him as his whole body flushed with warmth.

“Now, dear Drax, I want to show you my appreciation for what you are going to do for me.”

She pulled him gently into the bed where cool, satin sheets caressed his skin. He could hardly tell the difference between those sheets and her silky dress. Something akin to fear, but not really fear, surged through his being. Drax was perceiving everything with intensely heightened senses and enjoying every delicious moment.

“Lay on your stomach. I want to give you a massage,” she urged.

Ecstatic, Drax complied. Her long, slender fingers were soon working up and down his spine, around his shoulder blades and neck and finally down the back of his legs. He had never felt so good in his entire life. Just when he felt his body had turned completely to jelly, she stopped the massage and began dragging her fingers lightly over his bare arms. Suddenly he realized her lips were moving up and down the back of his neck. The stimulation to his skin was ecstatic. Finally, she stopped and lay down on her stomach beside him.

“My turn.”

Drax was flabbergasted. “What do you want me to do?”

“Just do to me what I did to you. Don’t you think that’s fair?”

He remembered a line from the distant past and uttered it under his breath, “Resistance is futile.”

He began in the middle of her back. The fabric of her dress seemed just like a second skin. Unbelievably soft and satiny, it moved smoothly to his touch. She had no taut muscles. After he massaged her for quite a while she rolled over on her back and looked up at him.

“Tickle me please. Slide your fingertips slowly and gently over my skin. Just barely touch me. Just like I did to you. You liked that didn’t you?”

“I prayed you’d never stop.”

“Do it until I can’t stand it any more. Then we can weep together.”

“Weep? What do you mean, weep?”

“Weep for joy. Ultimate joy.”

“I have no idea what you mean, but I’m game. Joy sounds pretty good right now.”

“You’re doing wonderfully. When both of us are completely out of our minds with joy, then we will weep.”

Drax felt like he would explode. Every touch of his fingertips on her drove him to new heights of ecstatic pressure. After what seemed like hours Leura rose slowly, slid over beside him and began brushing his hands and arms with her fingers as he continued touching her. Finally, he could stand it no longer so he stopped moving his hands.

Leura sensed the change and rolled ever so slowly onto her back pulling Drax down with her.

Those dark blue eyes bored into his and her soft voice hummed quietly, “Weep my love. Weep for all time,” - - - Her voice trailed off into silence.

His mind and senses virtually exploded, a long, delicious explosion of complete abandon. Drax lost his sense of gravity as he seemed to float in the midst of the continuing soundless explosion. He had never before felt such intense pleasure. The center of his being separated from his head and floated through his body. He was in his arm, then hand, foot, leg, abdomen and back to his head in rapid succession. Intense feelings ricocheted between joy and melancholy, pleasure and despondency, never remaining for long in any single state.

After what felt like an eternity, Drax heard Leura’s near whisper. “Thanks dear Drax. Thanks for life and love.” He opened his eyes and looked at her for an instant. He was surprised to see a narrow stream of tears running from the corners of her eyes. His eyes again closed and he drifted once more in complete, all-engulfing, feeling-filled silence.

Suddenly he realized things had changed ... drastically. Normal gravity had returned. When he reached for her all his grasping hands found was a slightly damp, rumpled cotton sheet. “What the...” he thought as he opened his eyes to a bright, sunlit window in a beige room. He was alone and in a different bed in a different hotel. Outside, the sun was rising over the unmistakable skyline of Cleveland Ohio. “My God!” he said out loud. He was incredulous! “I never ... almost forgot who I was.” he muttered aloud as reality crept back into his senses.

A flash of reality brought him to check his watch. He saw he had barely enough time to get to his breakfast meeting with the NASA engineer who was working with him on the Eegis project. He dressed quickly, grabbed his suit coat and headed for the dining room. Jack Conrad was waiting as he walked in.

“Right on time. I like people who are punctual.”

“I almost wasn’t. You wouldn’t believe the wild dream I had last night or rather this morning. At least, I think it was a dream. It seemed so unbelievably ... alive.”

“Sometimes dreams can be very real.”

“This one sure was.” Drax shook his head, still bewildered. “Well, let’s get down to business. That’s reality.”

“Certainly.” Jack paused and gazed intently at Drax’s jacket. “What’s that lapel pin you have on? You weren’t wearing it yesterday.”

Drax glanced at his lapel. Firmly attached was a tiny gold feather...


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