Chapter 1

Rubbing his hand over the armrest of an old brown leather chair, Professor James (Jim) O’Neal Flowsman sat at his desk early one evening. Taking a moment to look around his apartment, he sighed. He took comfort from the familiarity of the things around him, even as he marveled at their age and wear. Still, it gave him a sense of comfort. His home had not changed much in over thirty years. Ever since he got his current position at the college, He reflected for another moment. The place looked as old as he felt. The furniture had last been replaced when he had first moved in.

He shook off his melancholy and returned to the task at hand. He would be done with any luck grading his graduate students’ mid-term test papers by nine that evening.

The memory of grading papers as a teen crept into his thoughts and brought a smile to his face. It had been so many years ago when he was a child prodigy. His abilities were such that he received his PhD in theoretical physics at 19. Compared to his current age of 83, it seemed like yesterday to him. Now, he was considered the foremost authority in his field, even though the rest of academia considered his theories made him a ‘crackpot.’

‘Odd,’ Jim thought, ‘even science is ruled by politics.’

He took comfort in the fact that the same group of ‘politically correct’ scientists also once believed the world was flat and the center of the universe. It was science based on the popular vote.

‘Some day,’ Jim thought, ‘another man will prove my theories to be true.’

If only he weren’t so old now. After all, real technological breakthroughs were showing up on the market daily. Personal PC’s with the power to crunch numbers, fuel cells that could power household systems, lightweight plasma display units ... These were to name a few. Somehow, he knew the fuel cell would be the real breakthrough.

Jim, however, believed in the truth of his theories. Most of all, he knew they were correct. Jim dallied in his thoughts again; he remembered the time he argued them with the great Einstein himself. That had been nearly 60 years ago now. He had almost won that debate if only he could have tested his theories.

Science is based upon observations, first and foremost. Jim’s theories could not be tested until humanity got into space—except for his anti-gravity theories. With that theory, the current level of technology was holding the testing back. The power needed to prove it was astronomical compared to the technology available.

His memory of the two hours alone in debate with Albert Einstein had caused Jim to lose a lot of respect for the man who had been his idol for many years. There was, after all, nothing special about relativity. It was only a tiny portion of his theory. The thought then passed into Jim’s mind. Maybe that was it. Perhaps he had inadvertently challenged the man’s ideas. Who wouldn’t hold close their ideas? Understanding finally came to Jim 60 years later.

It was a shame that life was so short. By the time one figures most things out in life, one runs out of time to practice what has been learned. It is the same old story repeated over and over throughout the ages. Then Jim’s thoughts returned to his theories.

Outer Space. Professor Flowsman had tried to reach it. At the beginning of the space race, he had gone so far as to get a job with the fledgling NASA agency. However, NASA’s ‘political science’ had labeled his theories a waste of time. It was the ‘Einsteinian curse’. The solution ‘E=MC² was one possible answer Jim saw in Einstein’s equation. Everybody else considered it to be the only answer.

NASA was only interested in hard math for their rockets. Jim gave them the hard math they asked for. It was child’s play to him, considering thrust to weight vectors on paper. Escape velocities were simple calculus matters; who needed a physics professor when any second-rate math teacher with a BS degree could calculate it all? Jim grew more and more disillusioned with NASA each day he worked there.

Why use rockets when anti-gravity would have been so much more efficient? Politicians could be so short-sighted sometimes. From Jim’s perspective, it was ‘all of the time’. Then again, history taught that over and over, as well. The only good politician Jim could remember in all his years had been that Timothy Ford fellow. Well, there were exceptions to every rule.

Jim eventually lost his job when he pushed his idea to warp space as a way to travel faster than light. That, plus the fact that they had made him the scapegoat for the Mercury launch failure, ended his NASA career.

It was probably the best thing to happen for him at the time. Nobody there took him seriously, anyway. NASA’s sole interest was in the complex math that facilitated space exploration. Jim’s other theories were far too advanced for them. No one wanted to listen to him about anti-gravity systems any more than they wished to hear about warp drives. Jim had become convinced that humanity was its own worst enemy.

His brief relationship with Wendy was the only high point in his stay at NASA. God! He remembered each physical encounter he’d had with her as vividly as he did his first love, Ann. Ann had been his teacher, and his thoughts drifted to when he was thirteen. He smiled, thinking of Ann as he graded the test papers.

His thoughts returned to Wendy. He had always wished Wendy had joined him when he left NASA. She didn’t, but that was something he lived with. She had made her own choices in the matter, and that was something he could live with. Wendy had been the longest-running and most satisfying of his relationships. She had been as intelligent as she was beautiful.

Jim was a good teacher. He liked teaching far more than ‘playing politics’ with the ‘brown nosers’ at NASA. Therefore, Jim was still teaching at the age of eighty-three.

He still had to grade his papers most of the time. He had just reached the end of the exam stack. He had only two more test papers left, and then he could sleep for the rest of the night. He checked the clock on the wall, surprised to see it was only 8:20 pm. At least it would mean a good night’s sleep for him. There was plenty of time to rest this night. Not too bad, he thought to himself.

He still wished he had that one assistant to help with this. Of course, that young fellow had acted more like a son than an assistant. Jim briefly tried to recall the young man’s name. He should have recalled it, as the young man always reminded him of himself. He sighed and returned his attention to the remaining tests.

“Ah,” he said aloud, “Jennifer Roddenberry’s paper.”

Then he remembered that Gene fellow and wondered if some relationship existed. He began to examine her paper and noted she had even included an attempt to answer the extra credit question. He had promised an ‘A’ for the year for anyone who solved the equation correctly.

The Professor sat bolt upright when he realized it was the only question she had tried to answer. All three pages of her mid-term exam in Creative Astrophysical Mathematics were nothing but his pet questions. He looked at the first page.

‘Someone looks like they have a chance,’ he thought.

By the time he got to the bottom of the first page, he knew he had found a new assistant after all these years without. He would offer her the position in the morning. Maybe one out of every 5,000 students could get this far into solving the problem correctly.

He looked at the second page. His heart skipped a beat as he got to the bottom of the page. She had figured it out! The answer, or dare he hope for answers, on the next page should tell him how far she had taken it. He turned the page and scanned it. There are three possible answers. He looked at the first one.

Equals: E=MC²2

Ahh! The theory of spatial relativity. He thought he would have to give her that “A” he had promised. Now, what were the other answers she came up with? His heart skipped a beat as he stared in amazement.

Equals: C=M²3³*E (or: Speed = Mass Cubed, times energy).

“My lord! She’s got the formula for warping space!” he said, then wondered what the third answer could be. He looked at it.

Equals: T=CE²²2

(Noted the possibility of more answers. Request a private discussion about answers and about the possibility of Jump Movement)

The aged doctor was up all night looking at that last equation. His student had solved not only for the ‘reality’ of relativistic speed but also for FTL. But even more amazing to him, she had introduced him to the possibility of a ‘jump’ and the theory behind it.

The math was correct, but it was something he had never seen before. He tested the math over and over again. He was giddy with adrenaline overload. He even had a painful erection in his pants (which was worthy of note at his age!). Soon, it was morning and almost time for him to attend his first class. That’s when he finally looked at the last line on the page.

It was a fourth answer! It was the one that he had hoped he would see someday. It was plainly stated.

Equals: ‘reality’ = an infinite number of answers.

‘My God,’ Jim thought, ‘she does get it!’

Jim grabbed the stacks of test papers and left for class. He hadn’t slept all night but didn’t even think about it. He was overcome with joy at finally finding another person who understood his theories, even more than that, the math behind them.

Something was nagging as he stepped out into the chilly fall air. However, he wasn’t able to put his finger on it. It was soon forgotten in his excitement as he rushed to the university. His mind was racing through possibility after possibility as he drove.

He was so distracted that he failed to note the leaves changing colors as he drove. It was most uncharacteristic of him not to take the time to appreciate the natural beauty around him. He didn’t even realize he’d run a red light. Fortunately for him, no one else noticed it, either.

As class began that day, he started by having one of the department’s grad students hand out the mid-term test papers.

He began by saying in a most excited tone, “Good morning, students! It’s a wonderful day for your test results.”

He was noted for his dry humor, though some would feel he was making fun of them.

He continued, “Now and then, a student will surprise me and understand what I endeavor to impart to your young minds.”

His statement was met with a few low moans of agony as students checked their grades. Jim was used to it. They had all passed, but some barely passed. Some would even retake his class to raise their GPA.

Jim was infamous for refusing to grade on a curve. He figured that either you learned the material or you didn’t. Besides, mathematics didn’t allow for anything but a correct answer. Jim looked out at his students, making eye contact with many of them.

Then his eyes met Jennifer’s confused look. He smiled briefly at her, which only added to her perplexed look. He decided it was time to take pity on the young woman.

He said, “The individual who did not get a paper returned should come to my office after the class because I have a job to offer.”

The relieved look on Jennifer’s face turned to a smile as Jim watched the recognition of what he had just said sink in. The rest of the class time was spent going over the other equations on the test. When the class time was completed, he watched as the students filed out of the room.

Jennifer was walking with another girl. Jim looked in amusement as both of them looked excited.

‘Well, her friend is happy for her,’ he thought.

Jim packed his briefcase and headed to his office. To his surprise, not only was Jennifer there, but her friend was also there.

‘Oh, yes,’ he thought, ‘Annette something-or-other.’

That’s when it dawned on him that he’d forgotten even to look at her paper. Darn, he muttered to himself; that’s what the nagging feeling was when I left this morning.

Nevertheless, he ushered both of the young women into his office. Jim wondered how best to handle this situation. They both took seats across from his desk. Both were smiling, expecting to get jobs, and the professor explained that he had messed up.

He had not graded the final paper, he told them. He was so excited by Jennifer’s paper that he had forgotten about it. Jennifer’s smile was from ear to ear about this. Oddly, the professor noted (with one raised eyebrow) that Annette was also beaming.

‘Well,’ Jim thought, ‘I might as well look at it right now.’

He said as much as he opened his briefcase. Jim pulled both exam papers from it. He took the second one out and read it. To his shock, Annette had also answered only the bonus question.

However, Annette’s paper had four pages, not three. He turned to the last page and looked.

Equals: Infinity = all possibilities.

He turned back to the third page. It was full of about 20 notations. FTL, Warp, Hyper ... and Time Travel?

He looked up and said, “Time Travel?”

“Yes, Professor,” Annette said. “If you enter folded space in a warp field, you will effectively travel forward or backward in time. Of course, the direction and quantitative dilation of time are pronominal to factors I have not yet been able to put into a theorem.”

His eyebrow went up again.

He said, “Are you related to that author? Oh, what was his name? Was it Ray, something, or something else?”

Annette giggled, “Yes. Grandfather Gene said your eyebrows went up just like that when he was talking to you. We now know where he got the idea for Mr. Spock.”

Jennifer giggled, “I always thought he was joking when he told us that story!”

The professor looked at the two of them as though perhaps they were from Mars. He had only watched the TV series once, and then only because he had been paid for his opinion on the ‘video special effects’ of the ‘warp drive’ used. He had, after all, been consulted on the effects of a warp field. Well, his error of confusing Ray with Gene was at least understandable, as they were both giants of Science Fiction.

He stared into the eyes of one girl, then the other, for a long moment.

Both girls laughed as they said, “Sorry, Professor, we are cousins.”

The professor nodded as if that explained everything. Then, he shook his head to clear it.

“Do you two study together?”

The girls spoke together again, “Not since sixth grade.”

He looked at them again, the question visible in his eyes.

“We used to get into trouble because the teachers would think we were cheating. We didn’t, of course, but how else do you explain both of us coming up with the same wrong answer, derived in the same way?”

He nodded his head in acceptance. That was a central concern when children did something like that.

“So, tell me, what are your majors?”

“I am going into space engineering,” Annette said.

He smiled, thinking that she already had the equivalent of her BS and maybe her Master. That could be quite an asset in the future.

“I am majoring in advanced mathematics,” Jennifer said. “You could say I was hoping to be a professor someday.”

He stifled the laugh he felt.

‘You poor child,’ he thought. ‘You don’t know the problems you will face now that you see the truth in this formula.’

“I see. Well, I did promise you jobs. Even with my blunder, I really can use two assistants.”

The two girls asked, “On what?”

“Warp was always my favorite,” he said. After a pause, he added, “Annette, can you build a prototype for testing?”

“Depends on what kind of power source we have to run it.”

“Whatever power source we use, we can’t test a warp device on the planet,” Jennifer said.

“Yes,” said Jim, “Why don’t the two of you look at this.”

He reached into his briefcase and took out the drawing of his latest brainchild. The drawings were the plans for a spacecraft powered by a powerful anti-gravity system.

The girl’s mouths dropped open in stunned comprehension. The professor had worked on this problem for years. He was farther along than he had ever let on to anyone else.

“Amazing,” said Jennifer.

Annette said, “Run the fuel cell’s power into the warp core and make it work like a huge energy capacitor. Then, use the power, as needed, for the anti-gravity drive units. I am impressed.”

“Think you can build it?” Jim asked.

“I can probably come up with something if I have more information.”

“Yes, it will take years. I am old now,” he said as he laughed at a thought that went through his mind.

“What?” Annette said.

“It was nothing.”

“Please tell us what was so funny?” Jennifer pleaded.

“Well, maybe. But please don’t laugh too hard at the passionate thoughts of this old man.”

Annette crossed her heart, and Jennifer lifted her right hand as if in a pledge of honor.

The professor smiled and said, “Well, it’s like this ... I have waited most of my life to find someone who could understand mathematics and my life’s work. Now, I find two very attractive ‘someones’ on the same day, yet I am far past the stage where I could pass on my genes.”

The girls cracked up, and the professor was now embarrassed. The young women could see the deep reddening in his cheeks.

“So, you think you are too old to have kids?” Annette asked with a peculiar grin on her face.

The professor nodded yes.

“I doubt that,” Jennifer added.

The professor smiled at them, even as a blush crossed his face.

“I kind of like the idea. I mean, to have the child of perhaps the greatest mind of the 21st century? The idea has some real appeal to it.”

“Yes,” Jennifer concurred. “I could see the benefits for the children. It would be an opportunity I could not pass up.”

Jim stared in disbelief at what he was hearing. He was no virgin, but he also had never married. The thought of having sex with young and beautiful women in their mid-twenties had a predictable effect on his libido, and a painful one at that.

“Am I to take that as a ‘yes’? I mean that you are both offering to have my children?”

The women smiled and looked at each other as if communicating telepathically. They nodded a ‘yes’ to each other.

Annette said, “It would be a great honor to both of us to be allowed to bear and nurture your children.”

Jennifer just smiled and nodded her head ‘yes,’ as well.

Jim thought about how he would keep up with two women, much less one. He got a look of genuine concern on his face before he spoke.

“I am sure the honor will be all mine,” he said. Then he added, “I only hope I live through it.”

The girls giggled at his comment.

Jim then considered the problems that the three of them would face if one or both of them became pregnant simultaneously. The scandal at the college could destroy their chances for a future, not to mention cost him his career. He spoke again.

“Perhaps it would be best to put this off ‘till after you graduate in your fields.”

Jennifer asked, “Why is that?” with a puzzled expression.

Annette was quicker in coming to an understanding.

“I think he is worried about the scandal it could cause.”

“Oh”

Annette, “So I guess that means we will have to keep him healthy until the time is right.”

Jennifer, “I am on the pill. Why do we have to wait?”

“So am I,” Annette countered.

Jim gulped. He became lost in thought, totally oblivious to the conversation before him. It was unreal to him that they would want to have sex with him for any other purpose other than getting pregnant.

Jim’s thoughts corrected himself, ‘Well, prostitution is not the case here.’

The fact was that for the last twenty years, that was the only way he had managed to have sex. He couldn’t bring himself to spend time wooing little old ladies into his bed.

Besides, most ‘little old ladies’ could be boring the rest of the time.

He briefly recalled one of the young prostitutes. She had been a student at the college. The scandal when she became pregnant could have been worse. At least he wasn’t the father, or so he hoped.

“Will that be acceptable, Professor?” Annette asked.

Jim shook his head to clear his thoughts and replied, “I am sorry. Could you repeat that?”