Chapter 7

Matt and his wife Mary were to join my ladies and me for dinner at my home. We had to discuss the trading hop and to make plans for outfitting Matt and Mary for the trip to Vora. Mary turned out to be a moderately attractive redhead in her mid-forties, with the lithe muscular tone of an athlete.

Betty had been in her element all day for she had been busy preparing our meal. My ladies tolerance to sugar had increased, so I had cleared them for eating a wider variety of foods. Betty was making the best of the situation and had prepared us a gourmet meal. She had been grousing all afternoon because she didn’t have the herbs she wanted to use, so in her mind the meal would not be up to her normal standards.

I expected our meal to be excellent for I had been salivating from the aromas that wafted out of her kitchen. Carol had been helping Betty prepare the meal. I heard Betty smack Carol’s hands on more than one occasion and tell her to stop sampling the food. I was confident that Matt and Mary were in for a special dining experience.

The doorbell rang, and Rita answered the door. I had helped her practice the words of welcome that she would use to invite Matt and Mary into our home. I could hear her say in her heavily accented and broken English, “Good evening. I am Rita. Welcome to our home. Please come in.”

I approached the front door slowly in order to allow Rita to be the center of attention. As she finished welcoming Matt and Mary, I made my appearance so Rita would not be caught in a conversation that was over her head.

“Evening, Matt, I assume this is your wife Mary. Mary, I’m Doug and this is Rita. My other three ladies are in the kitchen putting the final touches on our dinner. Let’s go into the living room until they finish.”

As we started for the living room, Mary said to Rita, “I’m surprised, Rita, Matt told me that you and the other ladies didn’t speak English.”

Rita looked to me for help with a quizzical look on her face. I translated Mary’s words and Rita smiled. In faltering, broken English, she said, “I am learning. I speak a little English.”

Mary gave her a warm smile and a friendly hug as we entered the living room.

“Matt, Mary can I get you something to drink?”

“Yes, I would love a beer if you have any, and Mary prefers mineral water or any of the bottled waters ... preferably unflavored.”

I told Rita what Matt and Mary wanted and she left to get their drinks. Matt and I started discussing the trading hop. Rita returned with their drinks, and she also brought me a beer. She told me she was going to help Betty with the meal, and would let me know when everything was ready.

Looking at Mary I said, “I’m curious about how you feel about this trip, Mary?”

“It seems a little scary to me, but I am looking forward to it. Matt and I visited with Bill and Sue last night, and they told us about their experiences. Sue also showed me the rings and pendants she brought back from Vora. They’re exquisite, and I hope I can find something like that to give as gifts and keep as souvenirs.”

“I think we can arrange that, Mary. Did they tell you about their experiences and would you care to do any of them?”

“Yes. They told us that if we get the chance we just had to try an ash bath. The static jumping also sounded interesting, but I’m not sure I could do something like that.”

I jokingly said, “What if Matt and I were each to hold one of your hands all the way up and then all the way back down?”

Mary’s eyes went wide and a startled look came over her face at the thought that she might make a static jump. “I’m not sure; I’ll have to think about it.”

“It’s okay if you decide to pass on that, Mary. What about you, Bill, anything you might enjoy doing?”

“The ash bath and static jumping are both on my list, and I would really enjoy sampling the Multiverse’s cuisine. I like to think of myself as a gourmand in the making. The only thing that keeps me from weighing five hundred pounds is my physical fitness tests. If I let myself go and ate all of the foods that appeal to me, I would have to lose an immense amount of weight and exercise like hell every year in order to pass the test.”

A smiling Mary, added, “I keep telling him that he could have little samples every so often, work out every day, and he would be okay. Unfortunately, Matt is one of those people who have difficulty limiting themselves to just small amounts. He will eat everything in sight, and then want more.”

Rita and Cindy came into the living room to let us know dinner was ready. I took the opportunity to introduce Matt and Mary to Cindy. They escorted us to the dining room and made sure we were seated in the appropriate places. I’m not sure why the seating plan was important; it didn’t seem important to me, but I didn’t think to ask. The two of them returned to the kitchen to help serve.

A few moments later, Carol, Rita, and Cindy came out of the kitchen, each of them carrying two small plates. Betty followed with a single plate. When the plates were distributed and everyone was introduced and seated, Betty informed us that this was our appetizer course. She told us it was a dish that was very common in the Multiverse. She also told us that she believed it would be very tasty, but unfortunately, she didn’t have all the ingredients she needed to prepare it properly. Of course, I had to translate her words for Matt and Mary.

I could see Matt inhaling deeply and smiling with Mary looking on in bemusement. “Well, Matt, why don’t you go ahead and try it and let us know what you think.”

After a small taste, Matt said, “My compliments to the Chef. This is superb.”

“I don’t doubt that, Matt. Betty studied for three years in one of the Multiverse’s better culinary schools, to become a Gourmet Chef. I was in the right place, at the right time, and was very fortunate to be able to buy her.”

The look of shock on Mary’s face told me that no one had told her how I came to have four women living with me.

Before Mary could recover, I said, “I’m sorry, Mary. I thought that Matt, Bill, or Sue would have told you about the fiasco on Slave World.”

Matt had a worried look on his face and said, “I’m sorry dear. I’ve been trying to find a way to bring up the subject and explain it in a way that you will understand. I talked with Bill and Sue about it, but I’m not sure I fully understand slavery in the Multiverse. I was hoping to get Doug to explain it to us after dinner.”

I could tell that slavery bothered Mary, but she didn’t have the fire in her eyes that Sue did when she first learned about Multiverse slavery. During the Soup and Salad courses, I explained a bit about our legal system and why we offered criminals the option of slavery in place of a sentence on a prison planet. I also explained the precautions the Multiverse took to ensure slaves were not abused or stuck in a situation they found unacceptable. I think they were more accepting of the idea than Bill and Sue based on the contemplative looks on their faces when I finished the explanation.

Mary started a conversation with Rita to learn what she thought of being sentenced to slavery. She was very confused when Rita told her that she had not been sentenced to slavery; she had voluntarily submitted herself to me to avoid the horrors of living on the street as a sugar addict. I then had to explain sugar addiction to Matt and Mary, and I translated Rita’s explanation of how she had become a sugar addict. That took us through our main and desert courses.

As we sat in the living room drinking our coffees, Matt and Mary let Betty know that the food was superb. I was explaining the future trading venture to Mary, when she asked, “Doug, when you hop from one planet to another are you limited by weight or volume?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“Well, it seems to me that you can transport a lot more merchandise in a small storage container than you can put in a backpack, and it would be a lot easier on you than carrying a heavy backpack.”

“Yes, I was thinking about that on the way back from my last trip. Did you have an idea in mind for the type of container I should use?”

“No, Bill and Sue mentioned how much they carried for you. It got me to thinking about why you transported only limited amounts of merchandise. It sounds as if you could get one of those shipping containers they use for ocean freight. Then you could put large volumes of merchandise in the container and take it to Vora to sell. Fill it up there and bring it back here to sell.”

“You’re right, Mary. I was thinking of doing something like that, but hadn’t gotten around to setting it up.”

“What’s to set up?” Mary asked. “Just buy a container and go for it.”

“Well, assume I filled a shipping container with sugar. If I tried to sell it all at once, I would depress the price of sugar in the Multiverse and that would possibly destabilize the sugar market. If I did that, I would be in a lot of serious legal trouble. I need to sell a large shipment of sugar in small amounts over a period of time.

“I haven’t thought it out yet, but I have a cousin that might be interested in branching out to more than just the Specialty Woods market. If he is interested, I was thinking of setting up a warehouse and having him sell off the merchandise at a rate that doesn’t depress the marketplace. I can also have him be my buyer. I could tell him what I need, and he can buy large quantities over a period of time so he doesn’t drive up the prices. I can do a similar setup here on Earth, and then I only have to worry about the transport of the merchandise and how fast I can sell it off without destabilizing the market.”

Matt interrupted, “Are you planning on using a container for this trip?”

“No, I’m not; at least, not on the outbound trip. We will be carrying merchandise in our backpacks on the outbound trip, but I may buy a storage container and use it for our return trip. My ladies have an extensive shopping list, and a container would be ideal for keeping everything together. My main purpose for this trip is to make a series of arrangements regarding my Ambassadorship, and the home I’m building. I will also be talking with my family about becoming involved in high-volume merchandising.”

“Matt, I’m not trying to change the subject, but I talked with Phyllis over at HRD. She is estimating that to provide an adequate area for the house and our defensive perimeter we will need an area slightly larger than one mile by one mile. Does that sound right to you?”

“I’ve had a little training in this area, but I am not an expert, Doug. Personally, I don’t think it’s adequate. I think you need to sit down and talk with an expert. You mentioned the National Forest, but that type of terrain would be very poor for security purposes.”

“Oh, why is that?”

“The size of the property for defensive purposes will be dependent on the terrain. It needs to be large enough to prevent an attacker from attacking you from outside your boundaries. I would avoid hilly areas for an attacker can assume an elevated position to look down into your defensive perimeter. Keep in mind a really good sniper can hit his target from more than a mile away. Avoid rolling ground, broken ground, and terrain with trees, bushes, and brush. These types of terrain provide cover for an attacker to approach your defensive perimeter.

“My personal opinion is that the best terrain for a high security facility would be flat and open with no cover for at least a mile. I would look for that type of area and get a plot that’s at least two miles by two miles. If I recall correctly, you mentioned a tower in the inner perimeter. That’s a good idea. It would provide you with a clear line of sight for comm links to an outer defensive perimeter. You could also install a camera system that would allow you to zoom in on any of the surrounding areas, and a long-range weapons system.

“However, don’t rely solely on my input. You really need to consult a security company that specializes in designing defensive perimeters.”

“I am planning on doing that during our trip, Matt. Some D-Hoppers open planets that are inhabited by primitive beings. The D-Hopper establishes contact with the local authorities, but not all of the locals agree with the decisions of their rulers. The situation on these planets is mostly peaceful, but on occasion, a few of the locals become hostile. When that happens, the Multiverse police force, which is stationed on the planet, intervenes to restore order. On problem planets, the police install permanent facilities and they design them to withstand an armed assault. I am thinking of hiring a firm that has experience designing the police’s facilities to design my security system.”

My ladies had finished cleaning up the mess from dinner by the time we had finished talking about my home, so they joined us in the living room.

“Matt, I need to get you and Mary outfitted for the trip to Vora. The clothing and stuff I got from that surplus store for Bill and Sue seemed to work out okay for them. When would you and Mary be able to go shopping and when would you be ready to leave on our trip?

“I can take tomorrow off for shopping and I don’t think Mary has anything planned. As far as a departure date, I have made the necessary arrangements for my absence. So with a little advance notice, we could leave at almost any time. What about you honey, do you have anything planned for the next six weeks?”

“No. Tomorrow is good for shopping, and I cancelled the appointments I had for the next two months. Give me enough time to pack and put things right at home, and I will be ready to leave.”

“So our schedule is tomorrow morning we go shopping, and we will leave after breakfast of the following day.”

Mary looked over at me and asked, “Doug, how long will it take to get to Vora?”

“Well, our first stop will be on a planet I call Wayside. The ladies and I will pick up our traveling equipment and get ready to make the next hop. The trip requires a total of thirty-one hops, and I need about an hour of rest after each hop. My rests will take up thirty-one hours, so we can figure on at least one night of sleeping outside; however, if I am exceptionally tired, we may spend a second night enroute, sleeping out. Therefore, our total travel time should be between thirty-nine and forty-eight hours.

“When I took Bill and Sue, I had forgotten how tiring hopping can be to someone who is not used to it. They were exhausted when we arrived, but I didn’t notice it, so I took them to get their splinters. My Mom was upset with me for not being more attentive.

“For this trip, we can go straight to Vora so you can sleep in a bed, or we can plan on a second sleep period before we make the final hop to Vora. I think it’s best if we make that decision during our trip.”

While I talked, Mary had said something to Matt. “It’s getting late, Doug, so why don’t Mary and I head home. We would like to have you come by for breakfast at eight, and we can leave from our place to go shopping.”

“We would like that, Matt, but my ladies are still eating a special diet, to increase their tolerance to sugar. We’ll have to take a rain check on breakfast. We can pick you up around nine, if that’s convenient.”

The next morning, my ladies and I arrived at Matt’s place a little before nine. Matt and Mary were waiting on their porch for us. As soon as they got in our van, we left to go to the surplus store.

We outfitted Matt and Mary with the same equipment that we got for Bill and Sue. I also stocked up on the ready-to-eat meals that the military forces provided for their soldiers. I had eaten them, so I didn’t blame Matt for the look of dislike that came over his face at the sight of this so-called food. Mary said she was eager to try the food, for she didn’t believe it could be as bad as Matt said it was. Matt said, “I didn’t say it was bad, I said it wasn’t good.”

I told Matt to remind me before we returned to Earth to purchase a large number of prepackaged meals in the Multiverse. During the years I spent D-Hopping, I had existed on those meals. I was not looking forward to eating them again, but they were better than Earth’s ‘ready-to-eat’ meals.

I dropped Matt, Mary, and their equipment off at their home. Then we headed to our place for a lunch of soup and sandwiches. I had an appointment with HRD at one o’clock, so we had to rush through lunch to be on time.

William was waiting for us in the reception area when we arrived. After getting us refreshments and seating us in a meeting room, William said, “Doug, Phyllis is busy with another customer and will join us shortly. In the meantime, I’ll go over our concept sketches for your home and other structures.

“As you can see in this sketch, we have the main house, a swimming pool, a recreation building, twelve triplexes, and an apartment building with twelve 2-bedroom, units. Your garage and utility buildings will be behind the apartments.”

“Well, William, for a first cut, I like it.

“I talked with Matt and he had some recommendations. He feels that our outer perimeter should be as far as possible from the inner perimeter; a mile would be his minimum. The area between the two perimeters should be flat with nothing that could be used as cover by an intruder.

“I’ve been thinking about my staff and their families also. We are going to be in an isolated area, so I need to provide their kids with somewhere to play. I was thinking of a small landscaped park with barbeque pits, tables, and playground equipment for young kids. The swimming pool needs to be an indoor pool, so we can use it year round. The recreation building should have what I said before plus a fitness center with saunas and steam baths. I am also thinking of an ash bath, which is very popular in the Multiverse. I’m thinking that the triplexes and apartment building will need basements for utility rooms, storage, and other uses.

“Matt told me a good sniper can hit a target from a mile off. That got me to thinking about our buildings. I only want a single story to be above ground, so if the structure is to be multistory, the other stories need to be underground. The inner perimeter wall needs to be high enough that a sniper cannot see into the occupied portions of our compound and strong enough to stop a bullet. If we need to have buildings taller than one story above ground, then we need to increase the height of our inner defense wall.

“I would like to have a landscaped courtyard for our main house. The main house could be a hollow rectangle or a ‘U’ shaped building with the courtyard in the hollow or between the rear facing wings.”

Phyllis had come in while William and I had been talking. She listened in to my design changes with a thoughtful look on her face. When we were finished, she said, “You seem to be making sure that your staff is well taken care of. Most of our customers are more concerned with their own wellbeing.”

“We are just getting started, Phyllis. I suspect that my next set of changes will be targeted at the main building. As far as my staff goes, I will be bringing most of them here from the Multiverse. The least I can do is to make sure they have a nice place to live, since it will be essentially a one-way trip for them and their families.”

“You do realize that these changes will have a significant impact on cost,” Phyllis said.

“Yes, I do. I am not out to just throw money around, but I’m more concerned about the comfort and safety of my staff, myself, and our families. If you think the HRD’s portion of the design and the construction costs will exceed one hundred million, then I might become worried about cost. Until then, just keep me informed by providing me with an updated cost estimate.

“I will be leaving tomorrow morning on a trading trip. While I am gone, I will consult with a security company, and get back to you with their recommendations. Is there any specific information that I need to provide to you at this time?”

Phyllis looked to William, and he said, “Yes. I am doing a preliminary layout of the buildings, so I will need the footprint and technical specifications of the equipment you will be providing.”

After William explained footprint, I said, “All right, I’ll check on that during our trip. Do you have any preliminary estimates of the loads the utility systems need to support?”

I glanced at the papers William handed me and put them in my portfolio; I wasn’t an engineer so they wouldn’t mean that much to me. We said our goodbyes, and my ladies and I headed home.

The rest of the day was spent preparing the house for our absence, and packing our backpacks. I had purchased eighty pounds of sugar for each of us as my trade merchandise, earlier in the week. When Matt and Mary arrived in the morning, they could load their portion into their backpacks and we should be ready to leave.

Matt and Mary arrived early the next morning, and parked their car in my driveway. Everyone had eaten, so I helped Matt and Mary load their backpacks. As we were doing this, I had the ladies go through the house and make sure that everything was ready for our departure.

As usual, there were a few minor things overlooked. The biggest was Betty had forgotten to remove the perishables from the refrigerator.

When everyone was ready, we held hands and I hopped us to Wayside. My ladies and I retrieved our equipment from the storage shed and then sat back to wait for me to recuperate. Matt and Mary had talked with Bill and Sue about the trip, so they weren’t that surprised when we armed ourselves.

Matt offered to help with the defense duties if I let him use Bill’s weapons. Mary was a little rattled about the possibility of danger during the trip, so I explained that I didn’t expect any problems during our journey. I thanked Matt for his offer, and told him I would see that he, Mary, and my ladies received training in the use of Multiverse weapons before we returned. I also let them know that I would see that they got their own weapons if they wanted them.

Matt and Mary’s reactions to hopping were the same as Bill and Sue’s reactions. They experienced excitement at first, but then just boredom.