Chapter 7: Houston

“Let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for, from tomorrow, you live forever!”

—Jason Kargo.

“We are throwing this party in honor of Jason, who is in the vanguard of those who will return to the Empire. Without further ado, I’ll ask Jason to address you. Jason, please carry on. In twenty minutes, we’ll have our starter. Afterward, talk for another fifteen to twenty minutes, and we’ll have our entrée; perhaps you can take questions. We’ll place desserts on the buffet tables. We are all sorry to hear about Sarah and the circumstances of her death; please accept the condolences of the entire family,” said Great Uncle Cletus.

Jason looked around the room. All the people born in the Empire were still alive, including his Uncle Cletus, who had introduced him. Many generations that followed died.

The room was in the family food business’s corporate headquarters and comfortably held a hundred and fifty people. Photographs of family members and company executives adorned the walls.

“Dear family, I’m delighted to be in your company again, though I’m embarrassed to be the one asked to return to the Empire. The Empress sent a battleship to take me back to help my great-great-grandfather. An AI called Stan took our family to the ship. I am eighty and was in terrible physical condition, ready to die. Most of us younger ones, and I use that term lightly, felt abandoned by the Empire, and I’m angry with the Empire because my parents and my grandparents died. Only the first of us to come here is alive. Sarah would be here with me if Stan had arrived a few weeks earlier.”

“Two days ago, they fixed all my health problems, and I’m becoming a young man again. They tell me you don’t die in the Empire of old age. I’ve ensured you all visit the battleship, and you will not die of old age.”

Jason received prolonged applause and some whistles and cheers from the younger people.

“I spoke to the Empress yesterday. She sends her best wishes to all of you. She assures me she had no idea so many would die here. My great-grandfather, with many greats, is ill. I will refer to him as my grandfather in the Empire to simplify what I say. The Empress wants me back because only a Kargo house member can discover what is happening. She believes someone is poisoning my grandfather. Aunt Alana, the Empress, believes I am the most suitable person to do the job. There are malign influences in the Empire, the population is declining, and she believes they will face another war soon.”

Jason paused and looked around the room at the interested and eager faces.

“With current technology advancing on Earth and increasing paranoid security in society, it’s increasingly difficult to live to a thousand and explain it to others.”

“Can any of us go with you?” Asked one of the younger family members.

“No, not on this trip. I intend to create a pathway for those who want to return. The Empire faces serious problems. Fertility is declining. There are fewer men, and they are not healthy.”

Jason paused and looked around the room.

“The Empress believes the priests are behind what is happening. They involve themselves in nefarious activities and plan insurrection. You saw on the news that aliens attacked Lauren and me. They were priests. On the ship, they blocked communications and tried to prevent Stan from finding me. I will face enemies on the ship. The trip back won’t be a holiday.”

“Do you go directly to the Duchy to help your grandfather?” Asked a young woman.

“Stan, our AI contact, will take me to Emperor Cassius, my great-great-uncle, and Aunt Alana, so I can learn what I must do to help unravel the complexities of my grandfather’s position.”

“We heard the police arrested you. We saw the fight in the jail on TV,” said a young man.

Jason paused and shrugged.

“After Sarah’s suicide, a detective convinced himself I am a murderer. I’m out on bail and report to the police weekly. If it gets to trial, I must explain why I did not kill her and why I look like a twenty-year-old.”

“Can you explain what happened?” Asked one of the youngest.

“A week before her suicide, Sarah’s doctor confirmed she had dementia. Sarah accepted what the doctor said and gave no hint she would kill herself. I arrived home after cycling two weeks ago to find Sarah hanging outside the balcony of our bedroom. After I got her down, I called Lauren, my daughter, and emergency services. I had a heart attack shortly after they arrived. Soon after I returned from the hospital, the detective came after me. Dan, my son-in-law’s lawyer, says I have no case to answer but must go through the motions.”

“When did the ship contact you?” Asked Cletus.

“Stan, an AI and the ship’s pilot, presented himself at the door to speak to Lauren when I was in hospital after I was arrested, then beaten up in jail. He gave Lauren the spiel about my grandfather in the Empire asking for me and arranged to meet me after I came out of the hospital. He then took us to the battleship. They sorted all of us out, fixed Chloe’s diabetes, and tuned everyone’s genes so we could live forever. I’ll revert to how I was in my twenties. It will take over six months.”

“Uncle Jason, it sounds like you are going!” Shouted one of the younger cousins.

Many laughed.

“At first, I didn’t feel like going anywhere. I am eighty but felt a hundred and eighty. I had pains in my pains and could only walk twenty paces before I was breathless. They perform miracles on that ship. I feel younger and more energetic.”

“Do you think the priests will try to kill you again?” Asked one of his cousins.

“Yes, they will try something. I’ll be armed, and I’m taking my dogs. I’ve never backed down from a challenge. Not only that, but I want to help my grandfather.”

“Are you still angry with the Empire?” Asked one of the young women.

Jason nodded. “The Empire could’ve fixed my parents and Sarah. They sent us here but just left us. There was no communication from the Empire and no timeline for a return. We are all supposed to be royalty, yet here we wait. My parents, many of the second, third, and even some fourth and fifth generations died needlessly. My logical side knows they tried to protect us and insulate us. They are so used to the medical care; they didn’t think about what we would face.”

Jason wiped his cheeks and blew his nose.

“The battleship is massive, and sending it would cost a fortune. It has a crew of thirty-thousand! I’ve lived a long, happy life, and if it all goes to hell, so what? If it doesn’t, I’ll open a path for you all to return if you wish. I’ve arranged to transport you to the battleship this evening. There they will sort out your physical problems and tune your genes. I guarantee it’ll be a treat.”

“Uncle Jason, what can we do if we can’t go? Some of us have big exams tomorrow. Those in college are in the middle of exams.”

“The ship will be here for two weeks. If you want to see the ship, I will create the opportunity. Let Uncle Cletus know when you can go. Immortality and perfect health is not a gift to be sneezed at.”

“When do we come back?” asked another.

“A shuttle will be returning before dawn, but those who want the longer ship tour and time in the learning machines will return tomorrow evening. You will learn Empire Standard overnight, and you can ask for any education you wish while on the ship. The learning systems are remarkable. That’s about as much as I can say for now. Let’s eat, drink and be merry, for, from tomorrow; you live forever!”

Jason sat and demolished his prawn starter.

“Dad, this opportunity shocked me. I don’t know what to say. The boys are flying in early tomorrow morning; they don’t want to miss the battleship. You and Chloe are wonderful examples of what the Empire can do,” said Craig before facing Cletus. “Uncle Cletus, what do you think about Dad’s comments?”

“I remember the day we left the Empire. The Mob War was never-ending, and things were bleak. We were winning at a very high cost, and our advantage was slim. The Emperor is my great-grandfather with several greats and is your great-uncle with several more greats. I remember him saying that the Empire was under threat and wanted to send some outstanding people away to another galaxy in case things went badly. He suggested that we get involved with food production and information technology, which is how our family has made money. We adapted easily to Earth, as we had so many advantages. Cassius forgot or did not know that each generation must optimize its genes. Sadly, many intermediate generations died. At least your great-grandparents are alive and will be here in time to go to the ship for a checkup,” said Cletus before turning to Jason. “Jason, there was no malice involved. The Empire was in the midst of war.”

“How old is Cassius?” Craig asked.

“Cassius was at least sixty-thousand years old when we left. A couple of thousand years is nothing to the Empire. He said the Empire would use our companies or recall us to the Empire. Cassius had concerns that extended beyond The Mob. He was concerned about the diminishing numbers of males in the population, particularly those less affluent. Cassius is a great long-term planner and a fine man. Alana is an outstanding woman who is formidable in her own right. Jason, I’d encourage you not to be bitter about the Empire. Though I’ve been happy and fulfilled here, my memories of the Empire are wonderful. I’m sure they wished us only the best. The Mob Wars were awful.”

Cletus shook his head as if to clear it.

“I had hoped to be recalled within a hundred years, but as time has passed, I must say that I’ve enjoyed my life here with the one reservation, and that was the fact that all generations following us died. The ship will now rectify the problem. They’re making a massive purchase of food from us and even taking live animals, which they’re putting into stasis. We will make a fortune from this deal, as will your good daughter. They intend to send cargo ships if our food product goes down well in the Empire. We cannot undo what they and we did. We can only go forward.”

Cletus pointed behind Jason.

“Here are your Grandparents, Jason!”

“Hi, Grandpa and Granny,” said Jason, fondly greeting his great-grandparents, who looked in their thirties and were fit and healthy. “You will look even younger soon,” said Jason.

“We were so sorry to hear about Sarah and wish your parents could have been here,” said Bert Kargo, clutching Agnes’s hand. “Your mother’s great-grandparents are a few minutes behind us. Here they are!”

“Hi, Mort and Jane! Jason is over here.” Agnes hugged Jason before Jane hugged and kissed him, and Mort shook his hand.

“Momentous times, my boy; sorry about Sarah,” Mort said as he shook Jason’s hand firmly.

Bert went on to say, “Today, I met several farmers and chefs from the ship. They love our spicy food. We gave them a one-week intensive chef’s program, agricultural programs for those growing crops, and a new animal husbandry program we developed recently. They converted our materials and inserted them into their education machines. The chefs bought every reputable recipe book they could find as an e-book. They’ve had an AI translate it and rebuild the book. They said it’s a bit slow ... it takes about a tenth of a second for each book and all the illustrations ... but they converted the pictures into 3-D holograms. We connected them into our computer systems with many of our clients so that they can order ahead of time, and we can line up deliveries.”

At the end of the evening, while waiting for the shuttles, Jason stood to answer questions.

“Ask me anything you will. I will be here for another five days. I’ll stay with my son Craig, sister-in-law Jeanette, and my grandsons Sean and Harry. Likewise, I will also spend time with my grandparents. Do we have any questions?”

“How big is the ship?” Josh, a nineteen-year-old cousin, asked.

“My grandson, Chuck, tells me it goes into battle with a crew of two hundred thousand and a hundred thousand Marines, some of whom defend the ship, and others assault a planet or a space station or board another ship. You will have the opportunity to ask those questions when you are on board. You will see the massive ship; it looks many miles long. In the past, the ship carried twice the crew and marines.”

“How do they do the medical treatment and gene optimization?” Jenny, a sixteen-year-old cousin, asked.

“I don’t understand what they told me. Whatever it is, and however it’s done, they do most treatments in minutes. The machine had a lot of work to do on me, and it took six to seven hours, but for everyone else, it was less than thirty minutes, and the pod cured Chloe of her diabetes. The machine removed twenty-five pounds of fat from me over two days. It’s the fastest weight loss program I’ve ever been on. There’s no pain or discomfort, and I was asleep much of the time I was in treatment. I’ve had aches and pains since then, but every day I feel better. The AI delivering the treatment has a haughty bedside manner and thinks she’s the bee’s knees,” Jason explained.

“How did you react?” Asked one of the early teens.

“I didn’t react, but my granddaughter Chloe gave her a piece of her mind. The other AIs and doctors are pleasant and easy-going. I suggest you ask them your technical questions or ask the learning machines to help explain. We’ll leave for the ship in two hours, so ensure everyone who wants to go along is here.”

“What do you see on the tours?” One of the other youngsters asked.

“You see the ship. The tour is mind-boggling, and I’m sure you will enjoy it.”

Servers moved around the tables carrying trays.

“Our entrée has arrived. I’ve said about as much as I can. The learning machines will teach you the language, and you can ask questions from the guides on the ship, usually AIs. I absorbed a small fraction of the extensive tour of the ship, and I can’t say I know a lot about the Empire. If you want to know about the Empire, ask the learning machine to provide the history or ask Cletus or one of the other oldies such as my grandpa and grandma Bert and Agnes or Mort and Jane. They lived in the Empire and knew much more about it than I’ll know for some time.”

“Lord Kargo, how may I assist you today?”

“I’ve lost weight since I was in the pod. I’m sagging everywhere, and the skin folds are trapping sweat. Houston is hot and sticky. If I wait it out, will everything tighten up, or can you do something to improve the situation more quickly?” Jason asked. “Can you also check how my heart is progressing and perhaps arrange more rehabilitation? My muscles are aching after some of my exercises, and I feel tired.”

“My Lord, I will easily solve your problems. Please wait a minute while I evaluate the situation before I implement the solutions.”

A gong sounded.

“I completed your evaluation and will commence your treatment in five seconds. I’ll provide you with some samples of popular classical music of the Empire while the treatment is in progress.”

Jason listened to the music. Despite its strangeness, he enjoyed the three short samples.

“I’ve completed your treatment. I’ve tightened the muscles and the skin all over your body, re-contoured your subcutaneous fat, and removed five more kilos. I reviewed all your blood vessels and removed small traces of plaque and calcification. Furthermore, I have further cleaned up your brain cells and optimized your neural connections. Your heart is doing well. It has been my pleasure to provide this service today. Please talk to the doctor, who will arrange a rehabilitation pod.”

The AI hesitated. “I have tried to improve my bedside manner. Young Chloe was critical of me when she was in the pod, and I also heard you commenting adversely. I appreciate the feedback. I acted on it immediately. The pod is opening; a rehabilitation pod awaits you. Have a productive day.”

“Thank you very much for your work today. I’m delighted you have improved your bedside manner. I enjoyed the music,” said Jason, laughing.

Jason’s cell phone rang.

“Hi, Lauren; it’s good to hear from you.”

“Yes, I’m on the ship.”

“I agree the technology is terrific. There’s no delay, and I can hear you perfectly.”

“I brought the extended family to the ship; most are in the pods. How are you doing on your end? Hang on, Cletus is with me and wants me to put you on speaker,” said Jason.

“Hi, Cletus, I hope you’ve had a second rejuvenation and look even younger,” said Lauren.

“Hi, Lauren; I’m doing well. The pod said she did extensive maintenance work on me. She told me the systems continually improve. Thank you for sending so much business our way. How are things on your end, Lauren?” Cletus asked.

“The crew rapidly mastered the Internet and ordering systems, searched for what they wanted, and ordered through my company. They were unhappy with my computer’s security and installed their own. Their AI is mighty powerful, has some special software, including a whole range of games, and powers thousands of learning machines. They gave us holographic projectors to play 3D games. Cletus, they tell me they have done the same at your end?” Lauren asked.

“Yes, they did, and it’s funny to watch my staff playing with their holograms and doing the ordering alongside the ship people. It’s going smoothly. We are way ahead of schedule. Please excuse me, Lauren; the children are calling me over. I’ll speak to you later,” said Cletus and hurried off.

“Lauren, you sound worried?”

“Jason, the priests attacked us several times via the internet. We don’t think they got in. I am worried about you, alone on the ship. There is no one to protect you,” said Lauren worriedly.

“I knew I was heading for trouble, but it all comes at once,” said Jason. “Lauren, I must go. I won’t let those bastards get me down.”

Four days later, just before sunrise, Jason, carrying a small overnight case, unlocked the door to Lauren’s house shortly before 6:00 am.

Jason strolled to the kitchen table and extracted the New York Times from a carrier bag.

Lauren walked into the dining room at 6:00 and hugged her father.

“Dad, you look great. You look like you were when I was a child. How do you feel?”

“Lauren, I am feeling excellent. I used the gym Craig goes to daily, and I am getting stronger. I can bench press twenty percent of the weight I could lift in the army.” Jason laughed. “I’ve improved, but I have some way to go.”

“Have you decided if you are going?”

“Yes, I will go. If I stay here, I face the Clarke saga. I’m getting younger every day! How will I explain what is happening? They will think someone else substituted for me. I didn’t anticipate the profound consequences of the battleship’s medical treatment. I must go. Stan assured me I could easily get back to Earth in the future,” said Jason. “I’m going to the police station to check in; I will spend a few days with you before I head off. Who would believe getting younger could cause a disaster, or is it an opportunity?”

Jason grinned.

“What did you think about the conversation with your Aunt Alana?”

“I liked her, but I felt she was constrained and cautious. It was as if she were concerned someone was listening in,” said Jason, his brow furrowed.

“I liked her and found her genuine and welcoming. I also had an odd prickling. Something is not right in the Empire. You are heading into trouble, and I sense it is bigger than we expect,” said Lauren.

“I will make sure we maintain contact and visit when I can. Stan says it’s a three-week trip at normal speed, but we will take three months to return. Usually, it is six months at the slowest speed, but the Empress wants me to hurry but not go full speed. The theory is that fast space travel interferes with fertility and selectively damages males. They want me in pristine condition.”

“Bizarre!”

“How is Chloe?” Jason asked.

“Dad, she is better every day. I took her twice a week to the ship. She is producing insulin and is a new little girl. Every day I bless the gift of Empire medicine. Dan and I are more energetic and full of the joys of life. I’m in better shape than I have been for years. We are both exercising daily in a gym the engineers built. We are stronger and faster because we had the Marine officer gene optimization—I have grown several centimeters.”

“Have you used the learning machines and simulators?” Jason asked.

“We are all using them every day. Chuck and Chloe love the military simulations,” said Lauren. “Chloe picked up far more than I expected during her ship visits. She learned women dominated the Empire’s military. She understood everyone spent twenty years in the military, and she decided she would become an admiral. Chuck looks at the simulations as games. They stimulate him and give him opportunities to fight aliens.”

“Have the engineers finished the hangar?”

“Yes, it took a day to build the hangar. The team decided to surprise us and added on what they thought we needed and would enjoy. We now have a large gym and a space to learn martial arts. The engineering team also doubled the size of our house. We have a lounge and guest facilities downstairs behind the hangar. The whole process took two days and a night. The hangar extends under the fence, two hundred meters to the park, a hundred meters under the park, and has an exit between the trees. Let’s wait for the children to get up. They will enjoy giving you the grand tour. Tonight we can open the doors in the garden and the park. The engineers created holograms that hide everything, even from a satellite directly above us. We have a shield, missiles, and a pair of cannons. The ship is taking the threat of attack seriously,” said Lauren.

“Did they train you to use the missiles and cannon?”

“No, Dad, an AI watches the sky, monitors threats, and deals with them. The AI controls two drones that load missiles and maintain the equipment.”

Jason smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help you today?”

“Today, you can relax. I’ll drop you off at your new place. I suggest you take your car, visit some friends, and say your goodbyes to them. I suggest you stay here until you leave,” Lauren suggested. “The children would appreciate your company before you go.”

“I am happy to do that,” said Jason.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to the bank to discuss Craig’s intervention,” Lauren added.

“The bank sent you a giant basket of wine and fruit after your jail disaster,” said Lauren, “and the bank president called daily to ask how you were.”

Jason and Lauren rode up to the top floor of the bank in the elevator that serviced the penthouse boardroom, the offices of the board of directors, and the senior executives. They slowly walked to the boardroom, Jason pausing every fifteen to twenty-five paces. The ship created a hologram disguise to make Jason look old. Jason then slowly and deliberately walked into the large room to meet and greet several people he had known for half a lifetime.

“Jason, that was a terrible business,” said the President. “Please sit down. I am delighted to see you are looking better than when we saw you last on TV.”

“Thank you all for your support. I regret to say today will be my last meeting with you. Today I wish to bid you all farewell and thank you for being excellent clients and good friends. As our First Nation people say, I will soon leave this Earth to join my ancestors. I had a heart attack after Sarah’s death and another after my prison beating. I had heart failure after the first, which worsened after the second. Losing my wife has been a terrible blow. I know I am leaving you in splendid hands. I have enjoyed our meetings and our friendship for forty-five years. Thank you for your support and best wishes after my recent misadventures.”

“Jason, we thank you for your exceptional service to the bank. We want to present you with a small token of our appreciation for the outstanding work you have done over many years,” said the Chairman and handed Jason a box. The Chairman nodded and mimed opening the package. The board members watched Jason closely as he opened the ornate box. Inside, he found a magnificent but rare Swiss watch.

“Thank you all for this wonderful watch. I appreciate it and will treasure it.” Jason shook the Chairman’s hand and slowly walked around the table, shaking the hands of all the board members. He returned to his seat and faced the board members once more. “Please tell me how our intervention worked. My dear daughter refused to steal your thunder,” said Jason, smiling and looking at each beaming face one after the other.

“Craig is an outstanding young man, and Lauren is a magnificent young woman. We see Lauren regularly. We don’t see Craig that often, but he makes an impact when he visits. He set up our penultimate security system seven years ago,” said the CEO. “Craig and Lauren brought in a team of new hot shots from your office. Lauren said they were so good; they were beyond this galaxy. We laughed politely. They spent a day installing new software. It has an interface we can understand. That in itself is a miracle. Most computer interfaces are inscrutable.”

The chairman laughed. “For the first time, we can understand and watch what happens. You know the current climate! State-based hacker attacks have increased in intensity and sophistication, as have the attacks from organized crime. Recent cyberattacks have come close to overwhelming us.”

“We know we face well-funded opponents rather than maverick hackers. Our new software is way ahead of anything we previously produced. It is our first generation of high-level AI-based software,” commented Jason.

“We faced a major sustained attack while your team was with us. Your new software warned us long before the bastards penetrated the new firewall. These guys asked us to leave the server room as they said they had equipment that could explode if the enemy got through. We could safely watch what was happening on our monitors,” said the president. “We saw our new software push back the invaders, capture some, and then we traveled back to the perpetrators in cyberspace. We battered them. It was better than watching the football,” he said, waving his arms like Chuck.”

“We bombed the enemy, and they went down in flames. We did the same to many attackers over the last week. Now it’s quiet. We have had not a single attack of any significance. We went from multiple serious attacks a day to nothing in a week. You guys put in new predator software that attacks the attacker. Our guys can’t even see the software!”

“Where are the attacks coming from?” Jason asked.

“The attacks came from North Korea, China, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Russia. We’ve also had some hackers from the USA. They are hitting all the banks,” said the bank president.

“A friend of mine in ASIO, a top cyberwarfare guy, says the bad guys suffered major setbacks worldwide. There are suicides of high-ranking officials in Russia and China. North Korea is silent. My friend believes a powerful new player is fighting on our side, but they don’t know who or where they are! Criminal gangs are also attacking each other. None of the intelligence services know which service is doing the deed. However, we know!”

The president and the board laughed.

“We asked Lauren if she knew what was going on. She said, ‘No Comment’ and grinned. The ASIO guy says they held you guys in very high regard and said you are in a league of your own. So, Jason, what can you tell us?” asked the CEO.

“Well, I can tell you that my family has extensive connections with some great people, and when we say we’ll get the job done, we do it. Few would believe we use our contacts from another galaxy,” laughed Jason. “Most times, we hold back and act defensively, but sporadically, we must teach the bully and his mates a lesson they won’t forget. We struck them hard, so they won’t learn what we could do. Occasionally, we cut the head off the spider or encourage the snakes to fight each other. Consider this a parting gift from me; you are the first to receive our next generation of software and systems.”

Jason slowly nodded, gently rocking in his chair and gazing upwards.

“My time here on this Earth, I fear, is limited. They wait to take me to another world to join my family. I wish you all well, and I hope we may continue to help fight this war against those who hope to steal from us or attack us and threaten the foundations of our society,” said Jason. He slowly rose and strolled around the table to bid farewell to his clients and friends, shake hands, and smile. Some he hugged.

Jason waved and walked with Lauren out of the boardroom. He paused to rest every few paces before reaching the elevator and punching in the code for the basement. They strolled to the car and parked close to the elevator door. Lauren drove out of the basement and onto the road before laughing uproariously.

“That was cleverly done, Dad. You told the truth, but no one will believe what you told them; they will see it as a metaphor,” said Lauren, lightly punching Jason’s shoulder. “The guys from the ship had a great time.”