Underwater section of a floating sea city on Oceana (Gliese 581d).
CHAPTER 11 – A NEW ERA FOR HUMANITY
09:52 (Universal Time)
Monday, May 31, 2320
Corporate headquarters of the Vesta Consortium
City of Kirkland, Vesta asteroid, Main Asteroid Belt
Solar System
Karl Langemann, the powerful CEO of the Vesta Consortium, was reviewing production and costs numbers on his personal computer when his personal aide and confidante, the beautiful Agneta Braun, entered his office, a printed message in her hand and confusion on her face. That last point immediately put Langemann on alert: his personal aide and secret lover was a highly intelligent woman with a strong character. For Agneta to be confused took quite a lot.
‘’What do you have, Agneta?’’
‘’A message that doesn’t make sense, Mister Langemann.’’ replied the aide, who called him by his first name only when in private. ‘’We just received a message from Callisto Prime, inviting you to an urgent meeting of the Spacers League Council.’’
‘’So?’’
‘’So, that meeting is to be held on Callisto Prime tomorrow morning, sir.’’
‘’What? There must be a mistake about the date of that meeting: it takes a fast ship a minimum of six days to go from here to the Jupiter System.’’
‘’That’s what I thought as well, so I sent back a confirmation request. The problem is that the offices of Governor Robeson just sent back a response, confirming the time of the meeting for tomorrow morning at nine. It also said that a shuttle will arrive shortly here on Vesta to pick you up and requested that you bring with you one prefabricated structures senior engineer and a production manager.’’
Langemann sat back in his captain’s chair, truly intrigued.
‘’What the hell kind of game is Janet Robeson playing?’’
‘’A highly sensitive and urgent one, if I can judge from her message. Here it is.’’
‘’Thank you!’’
Reading quickly the short message, Langemann then raised his nose to look at Agneta, some misgivings on his face.
‘’This message still doesn’t make sense. However, if Robeson has sent us a shuttle that is about to arrive here, then any lateness to this meeting on my part will be on her. Have my suitcases made for two weeks of travel and tell George Melville and Tran Li to pack their suitcases and work laptops as well…quickly.’’
‘’Right away, sir.’’
The 42 year-old blonde then walked out at a hurried pace, leaving the 61 year-old industrialist and geologist to wonder what this all meant.
Some seventy minutes later, Karl Langemann was arriving at the underground hangar of the Kirkland Astroport reserved for the use of Vesta Consortium executives, accompanied by Agneta Braun and two senior experts. They found one personnel shuttle waiting for them there, with a number of people standing outside the craft in order to move a bit around before departure. Three of those persons were evidently crewmembers of the shuttle, including a ravishing young Asian woman who got a warm smile from Karl. The others were however a real surprise for Langemann: they included President Claudia d’Arcy of the Earth’s Northern Alliance, Governor Charles Watts of Mars, Toru Tomonaga, the CEO of the Ceres Consortium, Gregory Mishkin, the CEO of the Sverdlovsk Group, based on Hygiea, and Jacobus Stein, the CEO of the Pallas Mining Industries, plus a good dozen aides. In addition, there was a large group of 25 Koorivars, led by their political leader on Earth, Sheraz. Taking the time to shake hands in succession with everybody around while presenting his aides, Langemann then asked a question in a low voice to Sheraz.
‘’I knew that the Koorivar community established on Vancouver Island is now an official member of the Spacers League, but why such a large delegation, Administrator Sheraz?’’
The Koorivar political leader, who was much shorter than Langemann, like all Koorivars, smiled in response.
‘’Oh, I only brought two aides with me for the meeting. My other people are here because they are going to embark on the KOSTROMA later on.’’
‘’Aah, the KOSTROMA. So, that is how you all could be here so fast.’’
‘’Uh, not exactly, Mister Langemann. This shuttle does belong to the KOSTROMA but the KOSTROMA is still 22 light years away, in the Gliese 581 system.’’
‘’But, how…’’ could only say Langemann, stunned by that declaration. In response, Sheraz gently led him by one arm to the front of the landed shuttle, where he showed him a sort of small dome at the front that could split open in two.
‘’This is a Koomak Interstellar Drive device, Mister Langemann, a Koorivar invention. This shuttle actually travelled by itself between the Gliese 581 system and our Solar System.’’
Langemann was left speechless for a moment before he could regain his wits.
‘’That’s it? The famous Koomak Drive can be this compact?’’
‘’Yes, it can! In fact, the new capabilities that it is bringing to your Humanity and to the Koorivars will be one of the main subjects of discussion at tomorrow’s meeting.’’
‘’Well, I’ll be!’’ said Langemann, whose mind was already filling with dreams of producing dozens of starships and new space installations for burgeoning Human and Koorivar colonies around the stars. He then excused himself with Sheraz and nearly ran to Agneta Braun and his two experts, to tell them about the Koomak Drive mounted on the shuttle. That is when the pilot asked his passengers to board his shuttle for the trip to the Jupiter System. Fourteen minutes later, the shuttle was emerging at the surface of Vesta, on top of a giant elevator linking the surface landing pads of the large asteroid to the underground installations of the Kirkland Astroport and of the city it served. The craft then took off directly from the elevator pad, using its gravity sail propulsion system. Langemann, with Agneta Braun sitting beside him, was settling into his seat for a trip of still unknown duration when a short orange flash filled the cabin for a fraction of a second. Before he could ask what had happened, the voice of the pilot came out of an overhead speaker.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, we are now inside the Jovian System and in sight of Callisto. The orbital approach procedures and our landing on Callisto should take approximately forty minutes. Government limousines sent by Governor Robeson will be waiting for you at the Callisto Prime Astroport and will then drive you to your quarters at the guest house of the Government Convention Center.’’
Governor Charles Watts, of Mars, who was sitting across the aisle from Langemann’s seat, then extended out one arm to gently pat the shoulder of the stunned executive.
‘’Welcome to our new future, Karl.’’
17:04 (Universal Time)
Suite 304, Guest House Annex
Callisto Prime Government Convention Center
Callisto Prime, Callisto moon
Jovian System
Agneta Braun was the one who answered the light knock on the door of the suite given to the Vesta delegation. She then found herself facing a young female government page who smiled to her and presented her an envelope lying on a silver tray.
‘’Good afternoon, miss. Governor Robeson is inviting the members of the various Spacers Leagues delegations to an informal group supper tonight at six thirty, in the banquet hall of the convention center. The dress is to be relaxed.’’
Taking the envelope from the tray, Agneta then bowed her head to the page.
‘’We will be glad to attend. Thank you very much!’’
Closing and locking the door, Agneta returned to the main lounge of the suite, where Karl Langemann was reviewing with George Melville and Tran Li production statistics for the Vesta Consortium, in advance of tomorrow’s meeting.
‘’Mister Langemann, we have an invitation to attend an informal group supper at six thirty. It will be relaxed dress.’’
Her last words made Karl smile in amusement as he took the envelope offered by his aide.
‘’Janet Robeson always hated strict protocol procedures. I must say that it suits me just fine. I can bet that the menu will be a help-yourself buffet, rather than a sitting service.’’
‘’A help-yourself buffet for the heads of the Spacers League?’’ said George Melville, Karl’s top design engineer. ‘’Wouldn’t that be a bit too, uh, informal for such a high-powered supper, sir?’’
Karl grinned widely in response.
‘’If we were not so many, Janet could even have invited us to a home-cooked supper at her residence. Her husband Gerald is said to be a very good cook and the Governor’s apple pie is supposed to be sublime.’’
‘’Aaah, apple pie!’’ sighed Agneta. ‘’I haven’t eaten that in a long time.’’
‘’And what’s stopping you, my dear Agneta? We do produce apples in the hydroponic gardens of Vesta.’’
‘’It’s a self-inflicted wound: I am trying to prevent gaining weight, so I have been avoiding pastries for the last few months.’’
‘’I see nothing wrong with your waistline, Agneta. Indulge yourself tonight: it would make me happy.’’
‘’Thank you, Mister Langemann. About the invitation, it says ‘relaxed dress’. What should I prepare for you to wear for this supper?’’
‘’Make it an informal suit with no tie. As for you, how about something light and sexy, instead of those formal gowns used for government ceremonies?’’
‘’I will think about it, Mister Langemann.’’ replied Agneta, a slight smile on her lips.
When the time came to go to the banquet room of the convention center, Agneta appeared in an outfit that made Karl Langemann smile, while George Melville and Tran Li sucked air in. The tall blonde wore a short pleated skirt made of purple silk, knee-high black shiny boots and a silk golden blouse that left her shoulders and much of her back bare. A set of discrete but fine jewels, light makeup and a few drops of perfume completed her outfit.
‘’My dear Agneta, you are just perfect!’’ said Langemann. ‘’I am sure that Governor Watts’ eyeballs will fall out of their sockets when he will see you. Well, since we are all ready, let’s go!’’
Going out in the main hallway of their floor, the three men and one woman walked towards the lobby connecting the guest house and the convention center, in which the banquet hall was situated. Having attended a number of political meetings of the Spacers League in the past, Karl Langemann knew where to go, soon arriving at the entrance of the banquet hall with his group. On the way, they met a number of people from the other delegations and exchanged pleasantries with them as they approached the hall. Agneta Braun suddenly came to a dead stop as they were about to enter the large room, while fixing something to her right. Looking in that direction, Karl himself stopped abruptly, while his heart accelerated: three alien creatures were approaching, escorted by Gerald Holmes and by a Koorivar. The aliens were best described as being like mythical centaurs, but of the size of ponies. Their nearly human-like heads had soft, delicate features, a flat nose, yellow or green eyes, long pointy ears and a blond mane that ran from the top of their heads to their back, ending in a thick tail. The aliens wore what resembled skirts running around the whole length of their lower bodies, with one of them also wearing a blouse covering what had to be a pair of breasts. Gerald Holmes smiled to Agneta and Karl, trying to reassure them and the other guests present.
‘’Don’t be afraid of my friends, people: they are Hoshis, the indigenous race living on Hyanesu, the moon of Gliese 581c. They came as representatives of their race for tomorrow’s meeting and were chosen for that role by their elders because they can speak Koorivarese. They were given Koorivar translation units, so they will be able to converse with us tonight.’’
Agneta couldn’t help stare at the three Hoshis, captivated by them.
‘’They are actually a beautiful race, I must say. Are they herbivorous, like our horses?’’
One of the Hoshis took on him to answer her, with his translation unit repeating in English what he said in Koorivarese.
‘’Our race was strictly herbivorous at first, long ago, but we evolved and are now omnivorous. We however still prefer what you call a vegetarian diet but eat fish and meat from time to time. Since all the compatibility tests have not been completed yet, we will restrict ourselves here to your cereals, fruits and vegetables. By the way, my name is Ibi.’’
‘’And my name is Agneta, Agneta Braun.’’ said Agneta, stepping forward to shake hands with the aliens. Ibi bowed his head in salute, then pointed his two comrades.
‘’Pleased to meet you, Agneta. These are my friends Noshia and Hotona. We grew together in the village which sheltered the four Koorivar survivors of the destroyed shuttle from the SHUNDAR.’’
Those last words made Karl Langemann, who had also stepped forward, look sharply at Gerald Holmes.
‘’The KOSTROMA found the SHUNDAR?’’
‘’Unfortunately no, but it found traces of its passage on Hyanesu. My wife intends to show to everybody after supper a video prepared by Captain Forster, which will resume what the KOSTROMA has found to date during its interstellar trip. That way, everybody will be level with recent events before starting tomorrow morning’s meeting.’’
‘’A fine idea. I can’t wait to see it. Well, let’s enter the banquet hall: I am starting to get really hungry.’’
Entering the large hall, they saw that a relatively small table sufficient for forty persons had been set up near one extremity of the room, which could normally accommodate over 200 persons. Lined up along the three walls surrounding the table were a series of tables supporting a multitude of covered service pots, trays and steam tables. That sight made Karl Langemann grin.
‘’I told you that she would go for a self-serve buffet. Let’s find our seats first, though.’’
A majordomo and valets helped them do that, telling them also to be seated for a welcoming speech by Governor Robeson. Janet Robeson, already in the banquet hall, looked at her guests around the table before starting to speak.
‘’Welcome to you all to this supper prior to tomorrow’s meeting. For your info, breakfast will also be served here tomorrow morning before we move to the conference room next door. I would like first to present to you the three representatives from the Hoshis, the native race of Hyanesu, the moon of Gliese 581c. They will attend the meeting tomorrow and will speak for their race. I thus present to you Noshia, Ibi and Hotona.’’
Polite clapping greeted the three Hoshis as they bowed their heads in turn. Janet Robeson then continued on.
‘’After this supper, which is meant to be most informal, we will view together a video report prepared by Fleet Captain Tina Forster, of the KOSTROMA. You will then see that a number of grave events have happened to date during her mission, through no fault of her own. I will however leave it at that for the moment. Now is the time to eat. Many of you will be pleased to learn that me and my husband Gerald have personally contributed to the menu which will be served tonight. With this said, you may now take the buffet tables by assault.’’
Karl Langemann was among the firsts to get up, but then gallantly helped Agneta by pulling back her chair and accompanied her to the start of the buffet tables. Like many of the other guests, they first walked down the line of tables to see what was on the menu, prior to start serving themselves. Karl’s eyes opened wide on seeing and smelling the content of a particular steam table tray.
‘’Beef Bourguignon! I’m going to stuff myself with it.’’
‘’I prepared it myself, Karl.’’ said proudly Gerald Holmes, who was nearby. ‘’Knowing your love for Beef Bourguignon, I made an extra large batch.’’
‘’An excellent idea, my friend.’’ replied Karl, most pleased. On her part, Agneta swooned over the collection of freshly baked pies laid on the desserts table at the end, eyeing in particular six apple pies sitting next to a few cherry pies, pecan pies, cherry cheesecakes and other various cakes, all truly appetizing-looking.
‘’Oooh, screw the diet for tonight! Those are MINE!’’
They then returned to the first buffet tables to start serving themselves, beginning with the soups on display in steaming pots. At that point, Karl noticed that the Hoshis and Koorivars present understandably raided in priority the well stocked salad bar. However, he also saw that the Hoshis were not shy about grabbing a few vegetarian pieces from the sushi bar. He then returned to his seat with his first serving, a bowl of steaming lobster bisque soup which soon proved to be exquisite. Overall, the dress for the occasion may have been most informal, but the menu was proving to be truly royal.
The meal part of the event turned out to be longer than Karl expected, for the simple reason that nearly all the guests kept returning to the buffet tables to try more of the dishes. He himself finally had to sit back and push himself away from the table, being close to bursting but also being quite happy about his meal.
‘’God, I’m stuffed! This must have been one of my best meals in a long time. Gerald, your Beef Bourguignon was sublime.’’
‘’Why, thank you, Karl!’’ replied Gerald Holmes, pleased with himself, who then looked at the three Hoshis sitting facing him, who were all devouring pieces of pies overlaid with ice cream.
‘’You do seem to agree with my wife’s pies, Noshia.’’
The Hoshi had to swallow first before he could answer Gerald.
‘’I must say that what you call pastries are absolutely delicious, especially those that ally fruits and a flour crust. Your available choice of vegetables, roots and fruits is also surprising to us for its size, variety and taste. If some of your people would open vegetarian restaurants on Hyanesu, I am sure that they would prove popular with my people.’’
‘’Talking about exchanges between our two people, may I ask what kind of currency you use between yourselves?’’ asked Karl Langemann, who was sitting next to Gerald Holmes. Noshia put down his fork and thought carefully before answering.
‘’I must be honest here and say that our society is quite primitive in many ways compared to yours. We do not have any so-called heavy industries and have no artificial sources of energy except fire. All that we use and consume is produced locally in our villages and hamlets and we have nothing that could be called true cities. What we can’t produce or find locally is brought by traveling merchants pulling small chariots along the trails linking the various settlements of our people. The quantities they can carry are however quite limited, especially when compared to your own transportation vehicles. As for the currencies we use, barter is still a popular way to exchange goods and services among my people. We also use rare or attractive objects like pearls, stones and small metal pearls or coins made of silver, gold or copper.’’
‘’So, this would place you at about the level of our own past Early Antiquity or Early Middle Ages. On this subject of currency, I must be frank with you: our history from a few centuries ago concerning trade between the more advanced countries on Earth and the less developed ones is not a very nice one. The so-called ‘civilized’ Europeans often cheated the indigenous people by trading nearly-worthless junk, while taking valuable metals from the locals. Thankfully, trade is a lot more regulated these days, but you still can find a few swindlers from time to time. However, if your people ever end up trading with the Spacers League, be assured that we have very severe laws against fraud and commercial abuse.’’
Noshia made a slight smile before replying to him.
‘’Thank you for your frankness, mister: it is already one good point in your favor. I must say that the incredibly vast range of products that you could offer us, including all sorts of metal products and tools, would probably overwhelm the average Hoshi if he doesn’t show restraint. In return, I must say that there is little of real value to you that we could offer in exchange. Even the silver and gold we have is produced in only small quantities.’’
‘’Well, any future colonists on Hyanesu could always pay a rent to the local elders in exchange for the land or seafront used by the colony. Since the rent would probably be paid in silver or gold, that would create the base of an exchange currency.’’
Noshia caressed his chin with one hand in a very human-like gesture.
‘’Hum, a very interesting and practical concept. I will certainly present it to our elders on our return to our village. And your name is, sir?’’
‘’Langemann! Karl Langemann, CEO of the Vesta Consortium, situated in the Main Asteroid Belt of this solar system. As our specialty, we produce all kinds of metal products and structures, but we also produce our own food locally.’’
‘’Decidedly, the way your race has adapted to life off your home planet is simply astounding. To see for example the kind of city you built here, on an airless moon, makes us Hoshis truly wonder. When we saw for the first time your giant ship, the KOSTROMA, we could not believe at first that you could produce so much metal. That the captain of your ship treated us as if we were equals came as a huge but also very pleasant surprise to us.’’
‘’Aah, but you were lucky, in that you dealt with one of the most decent, respectful and honest person I ever met, Noshia. She also happens to be a great friend of the Koorivars.’’
That was when Janet Robeson rose from her chair to address the dinners.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, coffee, tea and digestives will now be served, following which we will view together the recorded video report made by Fleet Captain Forster, of the KOSTROMA. I hope that you enjoyed your meal.’’
A concert of satisfied remarks answered that last sentence, making Janet grin.
‘’Excellent! Majordomo, have the beverages served!’’
Some seven minutes later, with everybody having been served drinks, Janet started playing Tina Forster’s video report of her mission to date on a large holographic screen hooked to a wall of the hall. That viewing brought many surprises to the attendees, along with anger and indignation when Vorlak depredations were shown. When the video file ended, Janet Robeson had the lights of the hall returned to normal intensity and looked around the table with a somber expression.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, I already had time to view in advance and analyze this video report by Fleet Captain Forster, and I judged her conduct to date during this mission to be most appropriate, measured and responsible. Do any of you here have any objections or critiques to present about her actions?’’
Toru Tomonaga, the CEO of the Ceres Consortium, spoke up after a couple seconds of silence.
‘’My predecessor at the head of the Ceres Consortium would probably have found something to criticize, out of his pacifism at all cost attitude, but it would take a highly hypocritical person in my opinion to find any fault with Captain Forster in the manner she handled her mission. Those Vorlaks got what they deserved and can count themselves lucky to have paid such a limited price for their genocidal actions. I fully support a permanent space ban against them, to be enforce by the Spacers League Navy in order to safeguard Hyanesu and Oceana from future Vorlak depredations.’’
‘’I also support Captain Forster’s action and her request to restrict the Vorlaks to the surface of their planet.’’ said out loud Langemann, quickly imitated by the other leaders present. Sheraz, the political leader of the Koorivar settlement located on Earth, was the last to express his approval of Tina Forster’s actions. Most satisfied by this, Janet then declared the supper and presentation over and invited her guests to come back the next morning for breakfast, to be followed by a policy making meeting. Agneta Braun sighed while getting up from her chair, patting her full stomach.
‘’My god, what a meal that was! It will take me weeks to spend all those extra calories.’’
‘’I could help you spend some of those extra calories tonight, my dear Agneta.’’ replied in a low voice Karl Langemann, a sneaky smile on his lips.
09:00 (Universal Time)
Tuesday, June 01, 2320
Conference room, Government Convention Center
Callisto Prime
‘’Welcome again, ladies and gentlemen. Yesterday evening, you all got a copy of a short list of subjects to be discussed this morning, so that you could discuss in advance its points between yourselves. Now that we have had a chance to sleep on them, we will start discussing them together, starting with the one point with the most implications for Humanity as a whole: how do we manage our entry into interstellar travel or, as my dear husband said, how do we prevent that from becoming a chaos that would make the Klondike Gold Rush appear like a well organized venture?’’
There were quite a few short laughs and giggles around the table at that question from Janet Robeson, who paused for a second before continuing.
‘’Jokes apart, that question is a primordial one and has the potential to fuel endless future headaches for us if mishandled. For one thing, we certainly want to prevent unscrupulous commercial conglomerates or groups from raiding the resources and real estate where alien races and species already live. The last thing I want to see is for us to act around the stars like a bunch of murdering, thieving conquistadores. However, I know you all well enough to be reassured about the future conduct of your various states and consortiums. What I am worried about mostly are Earth’s states and entities which are not members of the Spacers League and which have a questionable track record concerning respect of individual and collective r