Chapter 30

The Doc was a good choice but he was also prone to work with the authorities. A few weeks ago, I managed to get a communicator into his head and that of his wife. A few days later I phoned:

"Hi Wally, how are you doing?"

"Not bad. Are you chasing Irene around?"

"That is none... How did you know?"

"Mr Watson, you told me that you were shooting live rounds. If you are a human male you will want to shoot them where they belong."

"Your right Wally. Now what can I do for you?"

"The illustrious Swami says that we have to take a short vacation, just you and me."

"Where are we going?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not. What do I bring?"

"Bathing suit, mosquito spray, sun tan lotion and some camping clothes. I bring all the rest."

"You're bringing food?"

"I have to eat too Doc."

"Ok, when do you want to go?"

"Saturday morning. We'll come back Sunday around six in the afternoon."

"That is kind of abrupt. I have patients."

"It will be worth your while."

"You don't sound too eager."

"I am hiding it well."

"I'll get my appointments cancelled."

"Thanks Doc. Don't bring any fancy duds."

"Can I tell Irene where I am going?"

"Nope, and your cell phone will not work."

"Ok, but I am trusting you a lot."

"I am trusting you with even more."

"I'll come for sure in that case."

Five days later, the Doc pulled up and I had him park his car in the 'Garage'. He did not see the Curiosity because she was in orbit again. The Beagle was the only other thing in the garage.

I shook hands and said, "Thanks for coming Doc. You might think of your coming as a momentous occasion in later life."

"What is going to happen?"

"Let me have your equipment and I will show and tell."

The luggage went into The Beagle. All but the front two seats had been taken out to give us room. "Will you get in Doc and I will start to explain?"

"This thing is too small for me. I am not as young as you guys."

"Bear with me Doc and try."

The doc got in and I turned on the small interior light now fed from the accumulator. I turned off the garage lights and opened the single door in the garage. "Buckle up Doc. It is Star Fleet regulations."

The man went along with the game. His eyes went to the windshield as the view started to change. The garage door closed behind us and I turned to show him that this was the case.

We were a kilometre away when I started to gain altitude of only thirty metres and headed north.

The Doc was quiet all the time and I knew his mind was going crazy trying to come up with an explanation. "Where are we going Wally?" he said in a quiet voice.

"To any remote area so we can camp and talk."

"What are we going to talk about?"

"About you joining Star Fleet."

"But that's for children."

"That is what I wanted everyone to believe. Events have changed and we have to grow. I need a headshrinker to help me weed out the recruits that will not work."

"Are you human, Wally?"

"Just as much as you are."

"How is this craft flying?"

"How am I controlling it or how the craft moves."

"How about both?"

"I will give the full story. It won't be done until well after we land unless I can speed things up. You will pilot this craft back by the way."

"Me!"

"Once upon a time there was this king. He ruled the world of..."

We went north about 800 kilometres. In some cities along the way I had the power broadcasters installed. I didn't need them but it was good to have them ready. With some tweaking of the system we were making nearly a hundred and fifty klicks and it was in a straight line.

After ten minutes I was talking directly to his communicator. The last hour the Doc was piloting the craft himself.

We both searched for a nice place and he set the shuttle down on her small skis.

"So we really are going to camp for two days?"

"Why not? Its fun, the only distraction is the bugs and I brought you another rod and reel."

"Ok, have it your way. So where is the Curiosity?"

"Call out to acting Captain Erin Pallo and ask."

"But she's a child."

From far away we both heard, "And you're an old goat. You think only adults can think. Most of them will be running around in circles like a mad dog trying to bite the base of their spines. I thought that you may be different and use your mind and not your faulty preconceived ideas. I see that I can be wrong too."

"I am sorry young lady..."

"Call me Erin, or Private Pallo. I do not like your condescending attitude."

"I am sorry again Erin. I had noted before that all of you are exceptionally bright. You have to admit that few eight year-olds could do what you are doing. I just did not know how well you hid this fact from me."

"We try Doc. We have to act a part that adults want us to play."

"I was asked to find out where you currently are?"

"I am sitting in the command chair of the Curiosity."

"Where might the Curiosity be at this moment?"

"We are 745 kilometres and roughly over Nairobi."

"May I enquire into why you are in such a place?"

"We are checking on some nasty people that live in the area. Our findings go on the web and Interpol and other organisations learn some facts from us."

"I have heard of that website that cannot be traced or shutdown. An army of the best people are trying to figure out how it's done."

"Nadac is pretty slippery. He likes to taunt the cops a bit. Not all of them are honest and quite a few politicians and other criminals log onto the site too."

"You are obviously a very bright young... cadet. What do you see wrong with your affiliation with an alien race?"

"We only know of Nadac and King Rontem. They are mean and despicable and therefore very much like humans."

"Why do you say that?"

"You are still talking like a shrink. Ask yourself some of the questions. I might point out that the king could at least bring some order to this planet of ours. I do not mean martial law but make us finally see that we are not alone in the universe. One set of laws would govern us all. The Aristis had people of wealth but there was absolutely nobody that was poor."

Doc said, "The servants did not seem to be appreciated."

"They got the short end of the stick but they have the robots to boss around. Look at what is in the world now. There is so much misery that it would take the Aristis people thousands of years to equal it. They are not perfect by any means but they are a lot better than we are even without their technological advantage."

I set up camp and got the Doc to help as he talked more with Erin. After she finished giving him a piece of her mind, Liza and Patricia started in on him. They sure did not sound like ten year-olds.

Betts started then and I expected her to be reasonable. She almost bit off his head and spit out the bones. She wanted him out of his comfortable surroundings so he would have to think outside the box.

Sam turned out to be more diplomatic but I cut the conversation off so that the Doc could think.

We made a meal and as we ate. The Doc said, "Where are you going with this Star Fleet of yours?"

"A lot of social reforms that will take a long time to come to fruition. One world government sounds good to me. Everybody has communicators like we do. Anybody can still lie but it's harder. Computers can be asked questions like, 'How often has the candidate lied to us?' or 'Who have benefited by the way he has voted historically?'"

"That's good but I could see that abused too."

"Possibly but I would have somebody sneaky like Nadac running this. He likes to shaft the bad guy or even the pretentious one. He is not egalitarian but he is not fully behind the establishment."

"What about a king doing what he wants instead of what is right?"

"Humans are not Araistis though we are not that much different either. There are a lot of ways to keep a natural entity honest when he or she is in a computer. King Rontem has some experience in this. They can do some of the nitty gritty planning while the humans find goals that keep the rest of us working."

Doc said, "They could fight? We have done that for as long as there have been people. So far it has been us against nature which is like shooting yourself. Or us against ourselves,"

"We find external threats like the Aristis did. There are a lot of nasty races that would love to fight us just for the fun of it."

"That sounds counter productive."

"All of human history says you are more wrong than right, Doc. In any case we need a planetary defence. That means ships, weapons and people. I want the right people to help and not some wacko. The weapons we will make would make a fully armed submarine with hydrogen warheads a toy by comparison. I will be able to make antimatter by the tonne. Do I have to tell you what a gram will do?"

He didn't answer and asked, "What if you are the unstable one?"

"Then prove that assertion to the rest and get me removed. My real claim to fame is my ability to manipulate certain crystals and a temperamental ability to see a small portion of the future."

We went fishing and it was an hour later that the Doc said, "Are you going to keep Connie as a wife? She's a lot older than you."

"Doc, we can get our bodies worked on and we will have long productive lives. We can change bodies if we want to grow new ones. It may sound unethical but there is nobody hurt. We are not robbing an entity of its body. We are just not giving room to those younger than us to move up. After saying all that the universe, not the galaxy is large. I could be almost immortal and as long as I kept moving I would hurt no human."

"So Connie would go with you?"

"I have no idea. She is not much older than me if I am five hundred and thirteen and she is five hundred and twenty-six."

"When will her mind start to improve?"

"Connie chose me. I'm jail bait to her. This says she is unstable at least about some things. She likes pain and being abused. An officer on a battleship may have to be nuts but want to inflict pain not receive it. I need warriors."

I added, "It was a choice between you and Connie of who among the older group should be informed first. I love Connie though not as much as Betts and Erica. In time this may change one way or another. If we make a ship like the Fonduush or even larger, we would need a shrink onboard. We may need two. Don't forget that telepathy could be developed if we try to find out a way."

"Why do you want me now?"

"Doc, the adults need to be informed. Not because they are normally brighter but because sometime we are going to get caught. I want you to help me find a way to bring Connie into the fold without her going off the deep end."

"That may be difficult. She has had a... troubled life."

"Does that make her unsuitable to join our organisation? Remember she would have a position similar to yours."

"It is possible but I cannot be sure."

"In place of telepathy, I am able to eavesdrop on all of the adults through their communicators. I suppose I could still do this after you have been awakened but I don't. I can give you access."

"That sounds... unethical."

"It appears that way simply because humans could not do this before or not consistently. If and when we develop telepathy, then it will be the same thing. Even our police will need to read minds. The shrinks can use this ability to heal and weed out those from responsible positions or keep them from getting in that position in the first place."

"Telepathy sounds more... natural in a way and less intrusive. Will real telepathy allow a person's deepest thoughts to be read?"

"Talk to Nadac. Nadac I want to introduce Doc. Be nice to him and he will not shrink your head."

I could concentrate more on fishing now.

Later, Doc talked to me about himself the way I had talked to him. Those that were not busy took some of their time to talk to the Doc. That night, while sitting around a small fire, he said, "The young adults are very stable even those that were hurt by Carmen Caputo. They had healed more with you than with anybody else I know. It does not seem to be magic just being around a supporting group that has a strong leader."

"That was what I intended. I think love and sex have a lot to do with it too."

He chuckled and said, "That may be a factor as well. I was concerned with all the sex and found that you have stopped the girls' periods. They gave me a lot of data that they collected to show that this is safe. That could make you a rich man and help keep the population down."

"I know what you mean Doc but I am already rich. I don't really consider the money mine. Nadac and Rontem helped clean up a small portion of our world. The guys helped too. I think of myself as the head of Star Fleet with large reserves of funds to continue the goals of a united earth."

"You sound like a politician but I see no reason for you to lie. I just hope that as you age, you do not see the money as your own."

"The urge to use it for just me is bad. An unknown fraction of the money, I want as my own. I own a share in my home. I more or less help Nadac who manages almost everything. I am supposed to learn business practices and this is a good way. Right now some of the money is going out to get ship components built. We have demonstrated that we can build so now we just assemble."

"How do those shops not see that they are building space ships?"

"They do know." The doc was surprised. "They think we are a making a film and they are constructing portions of an elaborate prop. We could get them to build a complete unit but then it would be hard to transport and if it disappeared off their lot then that would raise a lot of eyebrows."

"The logical solution is to get adults to build a ship someplace in secret."

I said, "I think you are saying adult so that children have a chance to go to school. Have you considered what the academy can and does do to educate a cadet? We are specialised but I think Nadac can find a way of teaching us everything we need to know or even wish to know."

"You're right. School is also for social interaction and an academy has that too. Is that why you are still in school?"

"Partially. Nadac can upload everything they would teach me in a hundred years and I would have the knowledge of how to use it. Instead I plod along with the rest and watch my crop grow."

"Wally, I just had an idea. You own land and have lots of money. Start an academy in the open. There will be teachers and lots of students. Behind the walls there will be spaceships instead of books."

"Doc, that's a fantastic idea. Will you help me staff it?"

"Me?"

"The head of the school can be a headshrinker and people will look favourably upon that. I want you to help me and that means that more and more of your time has to go to our goals. What better way to be the headmaster of a school."

"I'll have to think on this."

"Doc, have you decided to help or not?"

"I would not miss this for the world."

"Do you think you can keep your practice and still help?"

"I was hoping to slowly taper off."

"Is a year suitable to do this?"

"Yes, though some people will have ongoing problems."

"That processor in your head will allow you to think better and help more as you and it mesh. Take the headmaster job and get the school built. We will all help and we can load up Nadac a bit more. I'm sure that King Rontem will not mind since it will be partially modelled after Aristis schools. While the building is constructed, you have a chance to slowly disengage."

"I was hoping to retire before I learned of my cancer."

"Doc, don't you realise you will live productively up to two hundred or more. Medicine will ensure that you are able to move around easily and the processor will store many of your new memories in ram."

"What about Irene?"

"The benefits extend to her but I want to get her involved too."

"What doing?"

"What does she do?"

"She is a lawyer and served on the bench for ten years before she had her own problems and stepped down. She is mostly into family law now."

"Usually I check out people a lot more and your wife slipped through the cracks. I had no idea she was a judge. In my position I am usually more watchful about what I say around them. If you do not mind my question, why did she step down? She's still young."

"Stress."

"Explain."

"Some of it was from people like Caputo. Some was from politicians and some of those were from the same people but doing the work of the criminals."

"Would your wife fit into our plans? You would not have to hide anything from her then."

"There are lots of places she would fit in. One could be the headmaster of the school."

"You are trying to weasel out of the job, Doc. How about the two of you just take over the job and fight it out?"

"How much do we get for a budget?"

"How much do you want?"

The Doc was onboard. We fished on Sunday while he did some thinking. The med unit came out of my pack again and it worked on him to make his life better. He was going to be sick again but he was happy to purge the fat cells and build up his joints and the discs in his back. The best thing would be that he would not have to wear glasses anymore.

My knee had never been repaired though the rest of me had so I started the repair work and would have to remember to fake it later.

We flew home early only so the Doc could get some flying time in. I could see no difference between him and Erin when they first flew. The Doc resented this and told Erin. She said that she was far too young to act that foolishly.

The Doc stayed for a visit and talked to Connie and the rest to get a feeling about how they thought in relation to Star Fleet. He was anxiously waiting for the Curiosity to arrive. Erin came in and hugged the Doc like a grandfather. The adults smiled at this. A little later the munchkins alone took Doc for a private lesson. What he thought about an eight and two ten year-old girls piloting a space ship with him in it could only be guessed at.

The Doc asked his wife if she would pay a visit but come to the garage at Gail's house first. The Doc was back just before she arrived. By this time the entire cadet population was back but in civilian clothes.

Irene inspected The Beagle and said, "You guys did very well in building this. I don't know much about welding but it looks neat and strong."

Paul was coached and said, "We made a larger one out of aluminium. You can walk into it as easy as walking into the garage. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure, where is it?"

"Outside the door there," he said as he pointed.

The unsuspecting woman followed the cadets as they walked into the now visible shuttle. Irene stopped to admire the ship and saw the words Star Fleet and our logo, not that one seen in the movies.

"Now this is nice. It must have cost a fortune. Did you guys build this too?"

Paul said, "We sure did but some of the portions were contracted out. The inside is neat."

We all got in and sat down. Since Irene was the only one standing she too sat.

Doc said, "You want to go for a spin?"

"Don't tell me you are starting to act like the children too?"

"A little I guess. You didn't answer the question?"

"Ok, have it your way. Take me into orbit. I want to dock with the Enterprise."

"The Enterprise has not been made yet and the Fonduush is not here, but we can go into orbit. Please look at the screen. I'm the one controlling this vessel at the moment."

The shuttle left the shelter and tipped back and the back of our seats now took our weight. We rose nearly vertically and Irene screamed, "What's happening?"

Paul in a reassuring voice said, "Nothing much. We are going into orbit. It's a lot of fun."

"But, this is impossible."

"No it's not. Doc's been taking lessons from Erin."

"But, this... toy can't fly."

"You see the screen of the sky. The view is changing. You are pulled back into your seat just a bit more than what gravity would. Sounds to me like we must be doing something and flying straight up sounds the most reasonable."

"Ro... od, what are you doing?"

"I am flying into orbit like you asked."

"I don't want to go into orbit now. Put me back on the ground."

"We have to complete the trip before we come back down," he lied smoothly.

"I don't want to be flying."

"It's too late. Erin. Will you take over Honey. I need to talk to Irene and somebody has to fly this."

Irene screamed, "She's a child Rod!"

"She may be but she taught me how to fly. Not much too it once you have mastered the basics."

Irene complained and threatened until we reached orbit. We increased thrust to get into position sooner but it still took nearly an hour. Erin levelled out and said, "Do you want the ship back now or are you going to talk?"

The Doc said, "Maybe we have a minute or two to talk." He undid his seatbelt and floated over to Irene. He simply held her hands lightly so he could remain stationary. "We have a lot to talk about. The first is that the Star Fleet wants to set up a school. Outwardly it would look normal but within the walls it would teach the children how to fly, manufacture ships and to protect this planet."

"Are you crazy Rod? We can't do this."

The Doc said, "She's too upset. Can you calm her down?" The med unit came from behind Irene and in a few seconds the cords in her neck began to relax.

"Are you feeling better now?"

"A little. What did you do?"

"Just a bit of sedation. I want to mention that all the children with us have a communicator inside them. Part of it is a small computer. Over time the computer models itself after the brain it is near. The result is that the person gets to be more intelligent. I have one now and so do you."

"I am not more intelligent now only more upset."

"That is because your computer has not been allowed to assist. We can turn it on and I can think my words to my communicator and it talks to your communicator. Your computer tells you what was said."

"I think you are out of your mind Rod."

"No, I'm not and I can prove it."

"How, by talking to me?"

"Yes, that is the simplest way. It works much faster than speech and there is less confusion."

"That's impossible."

"You are still upset. You need to relax."

"You didn't move your lips."

"I haven't for a while now."

"But that's... I guess it is possible. How do you do it?"

"I told you already. Just like using the internet to talk."

"Talk with your mouth. This silent talk is driving me crazy."

"Ok. We came up here to show you a fraction of the possibilities. You are a very pragmatic woman and need to see with your own eyes. First are we in free-fall?"

"Since you are floating around, I guess we are."

"Second, did I use my radio link to talk to your mind without my mouth working?"

"You know you did. Why do you ask?"

"I want to make sure you recognise the facts later. Now keep your lips closed and talk to this young man beside you."

"Why?"

"So you will learn. You're not too old yet, are you?"

"I am angry at you for saying such a thing."

"Then talk to him. He is the same young man that we knew before and so are the rest of these young people."

Irene would not talk so Paul said, "Do you hate me now? I just tried to be a friend."

"I don't hate you. I am just angry and confused."

"We were luckier. Wally got us to believe all this in small steps. Adults are usually smarter but also set in their ways. We wanted you to help us."

"Help you do what?"

"Well, I want to learn. I have a communicator too and I'm a lot smarter than I was before. School is so boring. All of us have to do other work and still pretend to listen to the teacher. That's hard."

"What can I do. I'm not your teacher."

"We want to start a real school. The Doc thought of the idea. The teachers will be like you and know what is going on. That way we learn a lot more and a lot faster. To start a school we need legal help."

"I don't know much about starting a school."

"But you know more than us. We can't do it alone. The Doc said you could be the headmaster..."

"He did!"

"Yes. We need both of you badly. Not all of us were thinking straight but now we are a lot better. There are a lot of others that need help and we can help them. Do you remember what I used to be like?"

"Yes, you were a sweet boy that was hurt and abused."

"Well, I am a lot better now but there are a lot of others that need help too. Talk to Erica. She can tell you what it was like and how we are coping now."

Erica immediately said, "Hi Mrs Doc. This is Erica. We really need your help."

"To set up a school?"

"That and a lot more. The school need to be run properly. We need concerned adults. Some could be teachers and some could be administrators. We have to set up the Star Fleet Regulations that all of us have to follow. Who better than a lawyer to do this. If the regulations are adopted by the rest of the planet then your wording is very important."

"Why would your regulations be adopted by other humans?"

"We have spaceships now. We are going to manufacture antimatter to provide cheap power for humanity. That same power makes an atom bomb look like a firecracker. We need controls on its use. We can design ships that go many times faster than light. Humanity will spread across the galaxy. We need a common set of laws to regulate how we get along with each other."

"That would take decades. I don't have that much time."

"You are mistaken. We have great medicine. The Doc is going to lose his glasses as his eyesight improves. The worn parts of his body are getting slowly repaired. He can have children now. We want the same thing for you. You would be young again. The Doc will end up making you pregnant so you better watch it. You will not need glasses either soon. And best of all is that you will be a lot more intelligent than you are now."

"I'll have to think about this."

"Why are you afraid?"

"I am not afraid."

"You're lying. Are you afraid of me? I'm the same person you met months ago."

"I am not afraid of you."

"Are you afraid of Erin? She is the youngest member."

"I am not afraid of Erin either."

"Are you afraid of Wally? He killed some bad people that would have killed or hurt us. He would never hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of anybody here."

"But you are afraid."

"I'm not."

Erin swam over to Irene and held her chair. "You are afraid. You are just starting out and you cannot hide your feelings well. You are petrified of us. I would never hurt you or allow anybody else to hurt you either."

"I'm not really afraid of you it is just so new to me. What you people can do frightens me though."

"Mrs Suffolk, that is why we asked you to help. We have our own fears. We need more people that understand us. They have to help us make the rules all of us will live by. You are the one that has to help us. You will not be afraid and neither will anybody else if we all follow the same sort of rules."

"I am not competent to draft those rules."

"Do you think I can do a better job?"

"No, at least not now."

"You are our best hope. We are not asking you to do this alone. All of us will help."

There was a long pause until Irene said, "I can help as long as I get the needed assistance." Erin moved in quickly and hugged the woman and Irene had to let go of her husband to hold the child.

It was Erin that talked Irene into changing chairs so the two were side by side. She then talked to the woman as she made her decent. Everything she was doing was mentioned just as or before it happened.