Beyond the Stars (12 page)

Regis laughed. “Yes, young man, it does,” he agreed. Noah gave us a curious smile before he ran away. Regis sighed as he watched Noah walk across the room. “Ah, he’s my favorite kind of person. Part of the so-called entitlement generation. Their high expectations and demands for a better life will make them our future’s saviors,” he said. We nodded our heads in agreement. “Hey, will you point me in the direction of your Space buddies? Maybe they will recruit me for their next mission,” Regis said cheerfully.

“Sure, you want to talk with that group right over there,” Jack said with a sideways nod directed towards our wedding party. Regis glanced over his shoulder to eye up his targets. “Look for the ones dressed in black,” Jack added. All of our closest friends were somehow involved in Space development. They all either worked or went to school with us.

“Thank you. Now, if you would excuse me.” Regis left, wasting no time while abandoning his wife with us.

“Once Regis gets an idea in his head, there’s no stopping him.” She quickly made an excuse for her husband’s sudden disappearance.

“Tina,” said Jack, trying to ease her discomfort. “Let me introduce you to Ryan and Emily, Sami’s parents.”

“That would be great,” she cheered. We went to join them.

The whole night went by in a blur. I had never planned on being pregnant at my wedding, but it had its perks. Jack no longer invited me to go on any of his rugged weekend adventures. Noah and Josh were more than happy to take my place. He would only take me places with no risk of being injured. Our honeymoon was at a cabin in the mountains. We took a week off work and spent the days walking, swimming, canoeing, and making love.

It was at my next doctor’s appointment when I discovered that I was pregnant with twins. I had Jackson and Leah four months later. They were a little early, but healthy and absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t think it was possible to top the way I felt for Jack, but my love for them was indescribable. Jack was an incredible father. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to help raise them. My parents moved close by and took on babysitting when I finished my maternity leave. The two of them had recently retired and devoted much of their time to their beloved grandkids.

CHAPTER 9

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years. How could life pass by so quickly? I watched my children grow into intelligent, magnificent young adults. Life was different. The world had changed so dramatically since I was a kid. Leah and Jackson were born into a time of unprecedented advancement. Technology was growing at an alarming rate.

The boundaries of our moral compass were truly being tested. At first, society seemed to struggle with the implications of advancement. Some people fought for new technology and all it offered while others felt threatened by it. In general, everyone agreed it was important to proceed prudently. Over time, we all grew accustomed to the rapid changes taking place around us. We started to expect it, even embrace it. We realized we had an opportunity to make our world a better place after the benefits of each new discovery became apparent. Medical advances were taking place at a miraculous rate. Breakthroughs in human genetic engineering helped improve our quality of life and cure disease. Receiving a diagnosis no longer meant a lifetime of taking medicine or a shortened life expectancy.

One recent topic of controversy of was our ability to purchase knowledge. The desire to create improved humans seemed like an unstoppable milestone. We discovered a way to learn at an accelerated rate with implanted learning systems. It was now possible to obtain and retain information with the help of microchips interweaved into our brains. The computerized data interfaced directly with the brain, where all memory was stored. Information could be delivered wirelessly right into the microchip. To fully assimilate the lesson into one’s knowledge bank, the participant would need to bring the concept into consciousness by an external trigger. Students could read, attend a class, or watch a movie to retrieve the information, depending on the subject matter. It was crucial to clarify any new downloaded information because the facts could become distorted and confused if the brain organized them incorrectly. Constructive learning only occurred if the person could obtain complete comprehension through personal experience. On occasion, a person’s memory would appear fragmented and only be able to retrieve parts of the program. They would have to reload and review the information a second time. Despite the rare glitches, learning something new was easier than ever.

Jack and I disagreed on letting Leah and Jackson try the new technology at first. I felt it was too new. Problems could arise in the future. What if the chips were used for mind control? Brainwashing? How could I be sure of
what
was being infused into their brains? I conceded three years later when the microchips proved to be safe and became mainstream. Then, it was almost impossible not to give in. I didn’t want my children to be inferior to their peers. They needed to be competitive to survive in today’s world.

Jack voluntarily underwent the procedure first. He gloated about his ability to retain new information. He said he finally felt like he was on an even playing field with me. The rest of the family quickly followed his lead. We let the kids get chips for their eleventh birthday present while I reluctantly joined them. It took some time to get used to the eerie feeling of déjà vu that arose while I reviewed the data after receiving a new download. I must say, I enjoyed being able to retain the subjects I studied in their entirety. It also changed everything for the twins. Although they naturally excelled in everything they did, the microchip implantation helped them master their studies at a remarkably swift rate. They even graduated high school at the age of fourteen. They were scheduled to complete their undergraduate work at the age of sixteen and would finish their doctorate degrees and internships at nineteen. Leah majored in technological agriculture and resource renewal and Jackson in aerospace engineering. I only hoped their maturity could keep up. Their quick flash to adulthood made me uneasy.

At work, everything went as planned. SIG had successfully positioned five solar power satellites, which helped to satisfy the world’s growing energy needs. The orbiting research and manufacturing facility had also been launched and was contributing to produce innovative pharmaceuticals and to support other scientific research. Components of the Space resort were now starting to be launched on an ongoing basis. Spacecraft capable of reaching Low Earth Orbit shuttled a limited number of passengers and supplies to and from the Space facilities regularly. But, we all agreed, in order to expand our colonization of Space, we required the development of a transportation system capable of delivering larger loads. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the drafted plans for the design of a Space elevator became a reality. Nanotubes were used in the construction of the elevator cables since they were about 180 times stronger than steel and capable of enduring the stress of orbit. The greatest minds of our times worked diligently to produce the durable material in a size that would be suitable for construction. Ironically, the gigantic carbon nanotubes were manufactured in Space. The absence of gravity allowed scientists to arrange chemical elements in new combinations to create it, along with dozens of other uniquely strong metal alloys that could not be produced on Earth. The development of the new alloys completely revolutionized the future of construction as we knew it.

The Space elevator carriage traveled from Earth to a shuttle terminal in Low Earth Orbit on a ribbonlike cable. The cable was anchored between a large counter-weight positioned in the higher Geosynchronous Orbit in Space and an ocean platform here on Earth. It was stabilized by four floating platforms that were stationed every one hundred miles. The platforms were outfitted with thrusters and designed with an infallibly accurate positioning system to ensure that the lift’s track was held in perfect alignment. This feature ensured the carriage a smooth, straight ride.

The lift was now complete and fully operational. It was one of the most amazing technological advances our world had ever seen, aside from the planned Space resort, of course. The two, however, would become interdependent. It helped solve one of the biggest problems: getting there and back. Its existence was crucial in providing an economical way to transport passengers and building supplies for its continued expansion. By eliminating the fuel needed for launching into Space, the elevator not only increased the safety of travel, but made Space development practical and affordable. The savings were phenomenal. The previous cost of Space transport, which averaged thousands of dollars per pound, had been reduced to just around one hundred dollars per pound.

Jack was busy working on the structural defense and propulsion system for the Space resort. Although most of the graveyard of orbiting Space debris left behind from old satellites and rockets had long been cleared, smaller objects could easily escape our existing collecting units. Even the tiniest of debris could be damaging if it crashed into something while traveling at speeds capable of exceeding twenty thousand miles per hour. He and others were trying to incorporate an encapsulating shield or force field around the resort to repel Space debris from haplessly crashing into its sides. The technology was already successfully utilized in our military planes but needed to be configured to accommodate the resort’s larger, multi-level architecture. Jack also continued to test aircraft on occasion. I had hoped that after becoming a father, he would tame his reckless ways. It was wishful thinking. He liked pushing himself to the limit. One of his most recent stunts landed him in the hospital with a broken left collarbone and arm. We didn’t even discuss what had happened. Did I
really
want to know? No. It would only leave me upset. He already put enormous pressure on himself. The last thing he needed was a guilt trip from me.

I spent my time participating in the worldwide collaborative effort to improve the design of artificial gravity for the living quarters of the resort. It was exhilarating to try and accomplish something that was once considered impossible. Although there was only a 2 percent reduction of gravity in Low Earth Orbit compared to Earth, the continuous motion created as the resort orbited the planet caused its occupants to experience a state of perpetual falling. The resort circled the Earth every ninety minutes, making it
seem
like there was zero gravity.

Currently, our Outer Space research facilities had a rotating wheeled station that provided the feel of one-third of Earth’s gravity. It worked using centrifugal force. We wanted to see if we could do better. Artificial gravity was
absolutely vital
to the success of the project. Hotel guests would require a break from the aimless floating in Space. Space sickness, the detrimental effects of bone loss, and muscle atrophy were things that we hoped to avoid. Being weightless for long durations proved difficult for even the most experienced astronauts, let alone an inexperienced traveler. We also envisioned the ability to allow guests to function as they would on Earth. They could bathe, eat, and drink as they did on land. The original plans to increase the rotation speed of the resort to simulate higher gravity raised debate on whether a person might develop physical discomfort after an extended period of time. It might feel as though the body was being pulled in the direction of the spin. The body’s equilibrium would also become disrupted from the continuous motion when one attempted to move about.

The solution to our problem came after a group of scientists developed a way to successfully detect gravitational waves. Knowing that light was not only a waveform, but made up of particles called photons, the scientists continued their search for the wave-particle of gravity. They found it! After they fine-tuned their instruments, they were able to isolate the once hypothetical particle believed to carry gravitational force, known as a graviton. Gravitons by themselves had little effect on surrounding matter. But, just as photons, the basic unit of light, exhibited electromagnetism when activated, gravitons exerted gravity when stimulated. We were able to develop a material that attracted gravitons like metal to a magnet. It caused the particle to mediate a force of gravity to all matter in its nearby proximity. We lined the resort floors with the material. The effects of gravity were inversely proportional to the distance from the floor. Its effects were weakest at the ceiling, but proved to be more than enough to serve our purpose.