The Starchild Compact, page 37
Jon asked his crew members to meet in his office so he could brief them on the general Earth situation. He took the time to detail how the Founders reacted to the turmoil their appearance caused, and how they eventually solved the situation. Then he leaned back and grew somewhat nostalgic.
"You are the very best crew I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. What we accomplished together, taking Cassini II from Earth into orbit around Iapetus – just think of that, we went farther, faster than any humans before us (yah, I know about the Founders), discovering what Iapetus really is, figuring out what the Founders had left us, and finally interfacing with the Founders themselves. Just look at what we have done. We're so far from home that light takes nearly one-and-a-half hours to get there from here." He grinned at them encouragingly.
"Now all these phenomenal accomplishments are lumped together into an historical side lobe, because those guys can make the trip in a half second subjective time. This means we have to move on to bigger and better things. For myself, I plan on helping the Founders build a larger, more accommodating starship, and when they leave, I intend to leave with them."
"Me too!" Ari said.
"And I," said Ginger.
Jon looked around the group. "Don't forget, when you go, you leap forward in time. You'll never again see your friends and loved ones, so don't make this decision lightly. You don't have to decide right now. There's plenty of time. We don't know where we'll build the larger ship – here, on Earth, or at El-four. The Founders obviously have full manufacturing facilities here – if they still work. There may be less of make-the-tools-to-make-the-tools-to-make-the-ship here than anywhere else." He paused. "We'll see…" His voice trailed off as he became lost in his own thoughts.
Female companionship had never been a problem for Jon, but this was different. Each of the Founders was paired except for Vesta and Aram, and they were unlikely to pair up. Furthermore, he'd gotten some feedback that Vesta and, perhaps a couple other Founders, might finally sink roots and remain behind. The Founder female selection was startling to say the least, but each was in a stable relationship, and Jon did not yet understand the sexual morays of the Founders. The only hint he had was when Ishtar enthusiastically returned Michele's kiss. He was glad that Ginger wanted to go, but he was also aware of her impact on all the Founders. In effect, the Founders had been together for a very long time. One or more of the clan might very well be ready for a change.
Jon sighed and looked over his crew again, pausing at each of the gals. It will just have to work itself out, he thought, smiling inwardly.
Chapter 33
Eber was troubled by the choice he had to make. He was very impressed by the founding documents of the United States, but far less impressed by the resulting nation he saw. Much of the original intent of the country's founders had been usurped by expediency and special interests, starting with the seventeenth amendment that changed the Senate from a body that was appointed by state legislatures to represent States' interests to a second body elected by the people that represented their interests, often in competition with the House of Representatives. From his perspective, the nation's founders had created a bottom-up system that maximized individual freedom, and minimized government interference in people's lives. He was genuinely disappointed, however, in what the nation had become – basically a top-heavy, centrally run bureaucracy that served the interests of the few at the expense of the many. Not that he hadn't met some good people within the American system. The question was, did he want to turn over advanced Founder technology to the Americans?
The other side of the equation was the Israelis. It was abundantly clear that they were lineally descended from his own family. That made them special by everything he valued. And yet, even though they were "family," and operated within a freely elected system, they were even more bureaucratic than the Americans, and they had limited resources. And he detected elements within the Israeli society that were as mindlessly militant as those within the Caliphate.
The Europeans were a joke with their failed European Union. The Russians seem never to have recovered from the break-up of the Soviet Union, from everything he could tell. The Asians under China's leadership seemed to have some cohesion, but he didn't trust their motives, and could not, in good conscience, give them a material advantage over the rest of the world.
Discussion with his brothers was fruitless. They each identified closely with Israel, without really seeing the downside of giving the Israelis their advanced technology. He was uncomfortable discussing this with the women because it seemed, in some subtle way, to be going around his brothers. So it was that Eber ended up in a private discussion with his grandmother, Vesta.
It was impossible for Eber to think of Vesta as pushing seventy years. Her beautiful face was without wrinkles, and she had the physique and tone of a woman a half-century younger. And yet, her decades of medical practice and her position as the elder of the family (and for that matter, the entire human race), gave her an untouchable gravitas. Eber conveyed his thoughts to her, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that she, too, had studied the founding documents of the United States.
"Why are you concerned about this at all?" Vesta asked. "Why not simply make the technology available?"
"I believe it would lead to a worldwide war that might destroy our species."
Vesta lifted her eyebrows.
"No matter who gets it, the others will want it – bad enough to fight for it." Eber spread his hands in consternation. "Israel is simply too small. America seems the best choice, but…" His voice trailed off as he thought about the many things that could go wrong.
"And who made you judge and jury?" Vesta's hazel eyes flashed flecks of green.
"Our sun going nova, the wholesale demise of our compatriots, the Universe…Hell! I don't know! But here I am, and I have to make a decision. I'm not staying here any longer than necessary to make sure those of you who stay have what you need, and to ensure that I have a worthy ship."
Vesta nodded. "Where will you build the new ship?"
"Frankly, it has to be here, unless I transfer our technology to Earth wholesale. No matter what, eventually they'll get it, unless we totally destroy the Arc with all its contents." Eber paused in thought. "I just can't do that!"
"I know." Vesta squeezed his hand. "So, what will you do?"
"Who's staying? Do you know?"
"I am…"
"I thought so."
"…and Lud and Shakbah for sure…Ishtar's going with you, but I don't know about Asshur. Azurad is staying with you, right?"
"Actually, I'm not entirely certain." Vesta looked at him sharply, green flecks flashing. "We get along fine. I'm just not sure she wants to leave Earth again."
"Arpachshad and Rasu'eja are going with you," Vesta continued. "And Aram told me he's staying – he mumbled something about Michele."
"So, it's you, Lud and Shakbah, Aram, and probably Azurad and Asshur." Vesta nodded. "I already know that Jon, Ari, and Ginger will be coming with us. Demitri and Noel are going home. Carmen's family obligations will keep her on Earth, but I don't know about Elke and Chen. She likes girls, you know, but I suppose that would not be a problem – Rasu'eja and Ishtar are fine with that, and if Azurad comes, she enjoys a woman's touch, too. I think Chen would be a problem, however, so I hope he is planning to return to China.
"With the lineup as I see it now, if Azurad stays on Earth, we will have no doctor. If it turns out this way, then we will need to recruit a doctor, and I am confident that there will be very high interest." Eber sat quietly for a few moments. "What all this means is that enough of you are remaining behind that we can decide on a way to do this, because, remember, once we leave, we are gone forever – at least from your perspective."
As Eber said this, Vesta squeezed his hand, and her eyes filled with a different kind of sparkle. Through her incipient tears Vesta asked quietly, "Do you think that I, along with Aram and Asshur and the others, will be able to implement the procedures we all agree on?" She gave him a tentative smile. "And what if we decide to do it differently? You won't be here, and can never affect what we decide – so why worry about it?" The green flashes in her eyes returned. Eber hugged her warmly.
"Here's what I'm thinking," Eber said, finally. "I have come to trust and admire Jon very much. The same for Ari – in fact, I find myself thinking of Ari as a brother. I'll present the problem to them both, and see what we come up with.
"Thanks, Vesta!" He gave her another big hug.
#
Jon listened to Eber describe the dilemma as he saw it.
"Eber," Jon said with a broad smile. "Have you studied the American Constitution?"
Eber nodded.
"Do you recall the tenth amendment?" Eber indicated he didn't. "Basically, it says that powers not specifically given to the federal government by the constitution are reserved to the individual states, or to the people." Jon paused while Eber digested this. "Granted, our nation has not followed this rule consistently, but it still guides. What we have here is a situation never envisioned by our founders. You guys have technology vastly beyond anything we currently have. You own it. You are under no obligation to give it to anyone."
"But, we want to!"
"Hear me out, Eber. I believe you should establish Iapetus as an independent federation, and ensure that the United States and all of its allies recognize you as an independent nation. You can pattern your constitution after the U.S. Constitution, and can set up a basic set of laws that will work for your circumstances as an independent nation within our solar system. Rod can assemble a group of constitutional lawyers who can structure this for you. Once your legal structure is in place – and this can happen within days of your recognition by the U.S. – you can create a corporation, a holding company, that owns all your technology. Then you can license the use of your technology to whomever you wish, for whatever you wish to charge – at least whatever the market will bear.
"Beside the remaining Founders, invite to your Board of Directors people that Rod believes will help you with the task of controlling the technology. Open Iapetus to immigration, but on a very strictly controlled basis, so that you can grow within the structure of your constitution without making the mistakes that America made. Consider the possibility of expanding Iapetus to include mining colonies in the Asteroid Belt, settlements on several of the moons of Saturn and the other gas giants, even Mars, possibly. Structure yourself so that new colonies can petition to become members of the federation.
"Licensing of your current technology will eventually run out, but by then you will have moved ahead with development, so that – with a little savvy – you will always stay ahead of the rest of the solar system."
Eber sat quietly, apparently digesting what Jon had said. "Do you think this is really possible?"
"I do. Coordinate with Rod, and he will ensure that the moment you announce your nation status, the United States will formally recognize you, as will several of its closest allies. That's all that matters, but the rest of the world will eventually follow. They'll have no choice."
"How long will all this take?"
"I'll put Rod on it immediately. He'll quietly assemble the constitutional scholars. You already have the framework for your constitution; all they need to do is modify it to apply to the reality of where and what Iapetus is. Give them a week of concentrated effort, and they will have the constitution ready. Give them an additional month to structure a basic legal framework. While they are doing that, Rod will work closely with the U.S. government to ensure the transition goes smoothly. Six weeks from today, you can have the Iapetus Federation accepted as an official member of the nations of Earth.
"When we return ten years from now your time, we will be able to see the fruits of your efforts.
"And who knows – if we announce our first destination, by the time we arrive there, Earth scientists may have developed some kind of warp drive that eliminates the relativistic effects of our current hyper-vee drive. They may be able to meet us at our destination a thousand Earth years from now."
#
The manufacturing facilities on Iapetus (Jon had real trouble thinking of Iapetus as the Arc) were incredible. The Ectarians had perfected automated manufacturing. All they had to do was create the design, not as finished engineering drawings, but as sketches that the massive Ectarian computers could manipulate to set up the manufacturing facility for production – of one or many. All the system needed was raw material. That was virtually unlimited on Iapetus.
The core group consisted of Eber and Jon, Arpachshad, Rasu'eja, and Ishtar, and Ari, Ginger, and Elke (who had finally decided). It took about a month to agree on a design that would accomplish their needs. It was still saucer-shaped, necessitated by the requirements of quantum physics. Since the Iapetus launch cylinders were fifty meters wide, the new starship was just less than fifty meters at the rim, and stood twenty meters or about five stories tall. It easily accommodated fifteen people, while able to handle fifty. Individual quarters could be merged to accommodate shared living arrangements. The vessel had a medical facility, bio labs, science labs designed to handle a variety of other disciplines, a small gym, an entire deck dedicated to a hybrid hydroponic system for growing fresh foods, an automated manufacturing facility that could create anything from a replacement part to a nutrient-rich, tasty meal replacement, a water and waste reclamation facility, and massive storage for mostly freeze-dried foods. In addition, the ship carried a space-worthy excursion vehicle – a saucer vessel similar to the Merkavah that formed the top of the ship, two vacuum-capable surface vehicles able to withstand a pressure differential of 600 atmospheres (as found at the deepest parts of Earth's oceans), and a suite of defensive and offensive short and long range weapons, based on the Merkavah laser, anti-matter, and neutrino beams.
Construction of the starship was not a trivial matter. Jon was fascinated by the automated process. He and Ari spent several hours each day studying the theoretical process, and more time observing how it actually happened. Jon's Systems Engineering doctorate from Cal Tech helped him understand how the elements came together, but did little to enhance his understanding of the underlying science. Ari's aerospace training at the Technion gave him a handle on some of the basics, but no more.
"We have our work cut out for us once we get underway," Jon told Ari. "Someone other than Eber has got to fix this thing if it breaks out there somewhere."
Initially, the manufacturing facility created the black hole core, accelerator ring, and associated shielding. Then it constructed the vessel from the inside out, so that a month later, the still unnamed starship was sitting on its launch cradle awaiting final outfitting and provisioning – like a great big empty house. As with the Merkavah, the ship's skin absorbed all impinging light. To look at it was like looking at a hole in the air. "The ultimate stealth vehicle," Jon commented to Ari. "Nothing reflects from it."
"Something else we need to learn about," Ari replied wryly.
#
Somewhat reluctantly Eber agreed to a planet-wide contest for the world's children to name the starship. As it turned out, he couldn't have chosen a better name than what came out of the contest: Starchild. The commissioning ceremony took place with the ship still in the launch cradle on Iapetus, but the holovision broadcast was seen around the world. The Founders were unfamiliar with Earth's tradition for launching a vessel, but when Jon explained it, while pointing out that since they were dealing with a starship instead of an ocean vessel, the ceremony would be more suitable as a commissioning instead of a launching, they were enthusiastic. Eber immediately assigned Vesta to the honors. A wine especially blended from the best vineyards on Earth arrived on Iapetus aboard Merkavah. At the assigned moment, Vesta, who was standing on a specially constructed platform, lifted the bottle, which was attached to the starship's ramp with a deep blue ribbon, and swung it against the deep black hull.
As the bottle shattered, Vesta intoned, "I christen you Starchild!"
As her image flashed into every home on Earth, a roar went up from around the world as people everywhere celebrated the event. To Eber's relief, there were no radical Muslim demonstrations. He was amused by the outpouring of love from the Raëlians. They danced in the streets of every major city on Earth, wearing white robes and singing praises to the Founders. The younger, pretty women offered themselves to the Founders, but when no Founder accepted their offers, they gave their favors to any and all. The French celebrated by naming Michele deBois France's First Lady. The Germans dedicated a statue at the Brandenburg Gate to Elke Gratz, and issued a commemorative stamp featuring her image superimposed on the Starchild. The Australians renamed the Lark Distillery in Hobart the Ginger Steele Distillery, and dedicated a national holiday to the statuesque space explorer. The Canadian parliament passed a resolution officially welcoming Noel Goddard home, but the Quebec assembly refused to ratify the resolution because Noel had not planted a Quebec flag during the Iapetus landing ceremonies. The Russian Federation President and Demitri Gagarin got drunk together, and celebrated the commissioning in a steam bath being rubbed down by nubile Ukrainian lasses. The Israeli Knesset dedicated a new building in the Haifa complex of the Technion to Ari Rawlston, and on a second vote, renamed the newest building in the Manhattan complex as well. The Indian Premier arranged for a weeklong tour of the provinces by Carmen Bhuta, accompanied by the Premier, of course, so that the common people could meet their new hero. The Chinese appointed Chen Lee Fong as China's new Science Minister and instigated major celebrations in his honor in every municipality in China. New York City organized a Fifth Avenue Ticker Tape Parade honoring Jon Stock, America's most famous space explorer.
