Opening Earth Part 2Chapter 9 free porn video

By the time Sereine and I got to Wayside, we were both tired. We had let our egos control our actions, by hopping eight shipping containers to Wayside. Their combined mass and volume was more than the utility equipment we had hopped to Earth some months before, and we had been pushing our limits to hop that much equipment.

We decided to leave the shipping containers on Wayside, and hop them to the ranch, later. As soon as we had stored our travel equipment and rested, we hopped home. Since our party was too large to safely hop into the library, Sereine hopped us into our backyard in Denver. Yeah, it was the ‘cherry on top of the ice cream dessert’ for us. We arrived in the middle of a heavy downpour of rain. By the time we were able to get inside, we were soaked to the skin. Once we were inside, things got better. Betty and Carol sent our entire party upstairs to shower and change into dry clothing. Taking everything into account, it had been a lousy return trip for us.

It was late evening, but Betty and Carol headed for the kitchen to prepare fresh coffee and sandwiches. I remained downstairs, for I had a small problem to resolve. The only thing everyone wanted to do was go to bed, but that was a problem for Ken and Kim. The house had already been packed wall-to-wall with people, and there was no space for more people to sleep.

Ken and Kim had become very close friends during our trip, and I observed a few instances that suggested the friendship might be more than platonic. If that was true, I wished them both the best. I decided to resolve the sleeping problem by asking Ken to put Kim up at the ranch. They both agreed, so I hopped Sto, my bodyguard Tammy, Ken, and Kim to Ken’s home on the ranch. Personally, I didn’t think Tammy would be needed, but I was trying to adapt to the new concept of having more security than I believed necessary. If Kendrick had been there, he would have insisted on at least three bodyguards.

An hour after our arrival at the ranch, I hopped Tammy, Sto, and myself back to our home. After grabbing some coffee and a sandwich, we went to our rooms, to shower and go to bed. I had to climb over Rita and Betty to get to my usual place in the middle of the bed. Both Betty and Carol were awake and ready for me; however they both quickly realized I was very tired. As they snuggled up to me, Betty said ‘Tomorrow night you are ours’. I started to thank them for their consideration, but I fell asleep before I could get the words out of my mouth.

When I finally climbed out of bed the next morning, Cindy joined me in the shower. She knew I really loved it when one of my ladies washed my back with my low-tech bathing brush. I had bought it in a gentleman’s shop on Vora. It had been specifically designed for use when bathing. The stiff bristles were of medium length with finely split, flexible ends. It was almost like getting a massage when one of my girls repeatedly made small scrubbing circles across my back.

Betty and Carol had prepared a buffet brunch. It consisted of five chaffing dishes of food, sitting over low-heat burners. This was something new for us, so I asked Betty about it.

“Carol and I were watching one of the cooking shows to get a few ideas on different menus we thought everyone might like. The guest cook prepared lunch for the audience, and he put the food in pans like these. Carol said that was a good idea for a day like today, when everyone comes in to eat over a prolonged period of time. Mary took us to a restaurant supply store, and we bought these dishes, burners, and several other items of kitchen equipment.”

“If these items make your work easier, then good. Feeding this group is a major effort, and you deserve anything that will make your task easier.”

“Doug, Matt told me that he and Bill needed to talk with you as soon as you got back. I called him this morning to let him know you got back last night, but were still in bed. When you got up, I called him again. He said he would call Bill and they would all be here in about an hour and thirty minutes. That was almost twenty-five minutes ago, so I think they will be getting here shortly.”

“Alright, Betty. That saves me the trouble of calling to ask them to come here and discuss the status of our different efforts.”

Taking Betty and Carol into my office, I said, “I should have discussed this with you before I left, but I decided to wait until I returned.

“I had Kendrick research the legality of my marrying the two of you. He said it was legal, but I would have to get permission from the Slave World courts. I already asked Rita and Cindy to marry me, and they accepted. I informed my folks, and Mom is working on the arrangements for the wedding and reception. I plan to make the announcement of my engagement at this morning’s meeting.

“Will the two of you do me the honor of becoming my wives?”

Their replies of ‘Yes’ came at the same time and sounded like one loud exuberant shout! Then I had both of them in my arms kissing me. It was difficult to understand what they were saying, since they were talking in excited voices interspersed with squeals of joy. The one thing that was very evident though, was their acceptance of my proposal.

It took another forty-five minutes for my two ladies to calm down, and for me to eat brunch. Once everyone gathered together in the living room, I was ready to start our standard, post-trip debriefing. Looking around the room, I realized that we were missing Kim. On the spur of the moment, I decided that including Ken in the meeting might be a good idea. I called Ken’s place and talked with the two of them informing them of our meeting, and that they were invited. Ken said they would be ready to leave in five minutes. Excusing ourselves for a couple of minutes, Sereine hopped me to the ranch and I hopped the four of us back to the dining room. The living room was too crowded for a safe arrival. If we added any more people to our group, we would overflow into the dining room.

“Okay, now that we are all here, let’s begin. Cindy, do you have your lists available?”

“Yes, I figured you would want to refer to them, and have me add a few action items.”

“For everyone’s information, there are a number of things that are happening back in the Multiverse that will require me to return in about four weeks. I will address those items later in the meeting. Matt, Betty said you needed to speak with me about something important. What’s happening?”

“I have two items for you, Doug.

“Jack Tander’s people are almost finished with constructing our temporary living site. They finished prepping the pads and utility connections for the three items of utility equipment, the mobile homes, and the portables; and they’ve poured the concrete. All of the trenching is complete, and they are almost finished installing the electric, water, and waste lines. Jack said that they should be complete with that part of the effort by the end of next week. The concrete should be cured enough by then that it will be ready for installing the utility equipment, mobile homes, and portables on the pads. Once the temporary living site is complete, he will do the work for the outer perimeter, and the temporary inner defensive system and related equipment that you want him to install.

“I called our mobile home and portable supplier, and they will deliver and set up the mobile homes and portables starting the week after next. It looks like we will be able to move into the new site in three weeks, but our defensive perimeters will not be complete until Sergei’s people get here to install the remaining equipment.”

“That’s great news, Matt. Cindy, make a note for me to tell Sergei that we will be ready for his people to install the equipment when we return from our next trip. What was the second item, Matt?”

“Amir’s assistant Bashira Temba called to arrange an appointment with you at your earliest convenience.”

“Did he mention the topic Amir wanted to discuss?”

“No, he just said it was important to Amir.”

“Okay, call him back. Set up an appointment for you, Cindy, and me. See if you can find out what Amir needs to discuss with us, though.

“Does anyone have anything else for me? Yes, Sue?”

“I looked into selling medical equipment and medicine, here in the US, and in several other countries.

“What I found is that in the US, there are two paths for getting medical equipment approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration; we call it the FDA. The first is by comparison to an existing approved device, and the second is to prove that a new type of device is safe to use. I briefly reviewed some of the requirements, but they seem to vary according to the type of device you want to get approved. I didn’t go into the specifics to find out what is involved since I didn’t know what you plan to sell. I have no idea which classification would be appropriate.

“I think you will most likely need the assistance of a legal firm that specializes in the laws governing the manufacture, sale, and use of medical equipment. You may also need to have someone address the export requirements that relate to selling equipment that you import from the Multiverse. The other countries I looked at had import restrictions on the sale of equipment in their countries that you will need to address.

“The approval process for new medicines is even more complex and time consuming.”

“Thanks, Sue. That was pretty much what I expected.

“Anyone else aware of something happening that I need to be aware of?”

Looking around the room I saw no hands raised to get my attention, but I did notice that Sandy seemed on edge.

“Sandy, did you need to discuss something?”

“Yes, but it’s private. I want to speak with you after the meeting, if you have time.”

“Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem. I have a couple of personal items to discuss with you, also.

“It looks as if no one has anything else for me right now. A lot of things happened on this trip that we need to address.

“The first item is the sugar addicts that President Jenson would like for us to take to Earth. Andrew is having a few budget problems, and he would like for us to take them off of his hands as soon as we can. I told him I would do what I could.

“Abby, would you check with Ken at the State Department? See if he has heard anything further on the topic of Multiverse citizens coming to and living in the United States.”

Abby nodded her head Yes, so I continued, “Matt, if I remember correctly, Ken told Abby that he believed we would get permission for them to emigrate. So, assuming we do get permission, they will need a place to live. I am hoping we can bring them back with us when we return from the next trip.

“I am thinking of putting four people in a two-bedroom mobile home, so we will need at least eight more mobile homes and pads. Can we add more pads and mobile homes to our temporary living area, and if so how long will it take?”

“Yes, we can do that. I’ll get William to revise the drawings, and we will need to either revise our building permit or get a new one. I would estimate that the pads will be ready in four to five weeks. I will have to put in a new order for the eight additional mobile homes and I will check and see if they can be installed by the time you get back from your next trip. I suspect the manufacturer will need at least a ten week lead time to build that many units.”

“Yeah, that could be a problem. Let’s talk about that further after the meeting.

“Abby, I would like to get an agreement in place with the US Government regarding emigrants before we leave.”

“I’ll bring it up again with my boss and Ken. I think it will be best for them to approach Charlie, Aaron, and the President. Are there any specific requirements that we need in this agreement?”

“Yes, but we need to talk about that. For the moment, let’s focus on getting an appointment with Ken, to discuss the terms of an agreement. I don’t want to come on too strong by making demands, but President Jenson is running out of time.”

“Can anyone think of anything else related to this matter?”

Cindy said, “What about sleep learning machines? Do we have enough units for that many people?”

“Probably not. Rita, decide whether it will be best to buy additional machines, or spread their learning English out over a longer period of time. Personally, I don’t see a problem with a delay in them learning English.”

Rita nodded her head, and I looked around to see if anyone else had something to say. Bill caught my eye and said, “It seems to me, Doug, as if you should be addressing this issue with the United Nations, also. After all, they will be emigrating to Earth.”

“You’re right, Bill. Abby, which would be the best approach: address the issue separately with Amir, or ask him to have Bashira meet with Ken and us, so we can address the matter as a group?”

“Since you presented your credentials to the United Nations, I think it would be appropriate for you to discuss the matter with Amir before you discuss it with Ken. When you approach Ken with the matter, it would probably be best if someone like Bashira were to accompany you as Amir’s representative.”

“Alright, let’s arrange to do it that way.”

Since no one had anything to add, I moved on to the next topic.

“I have been thinking of what the traders who come here to trade will need. What I see as their basic needs are lodging, food, medical care, storage space for trade goods, translation services, and a place to trade. I decided that having the Embassy provide these things would be a conflict of interest, and the same would be true of me providing these services as a separate business. Therefore, I am thinking of someone setting up such a business. However, the only other person that I can think of who is capable of financing and running the business is Sandy. Would you be interested in going into business for yourself, Sandy? You can also continue in your current position with the Embassy, if you wish.”

“Yes, that might fit into my plans, Doug. We can talk, later.”

“Good, and if anyone else is interested, come talk with me after the meeting.

“As we all know, we need a Multiverse doctor for the Embassy. I discussed this with Doctor Misty Carr, and she has agreed to accept the position of Embassy Physician. She will be returning with us on our next trip.

“I talked with Kendrick and Chairman Smart about a Twixt System for Earth. Kendrick is going to start the process of surveying and installing a Twixt Network. It will probably take a year before it is operational.

“Chairman Smart is looking for a Field Representative here on Earth, for the Archer Conglomerate’s products. I recommended you for the position, Sandy, since you are the logical choice. If you or someone else is interested, you will need to go with me on the next trip, so Chairman Smart can interview you. I also made an offer of having any sugar addicts in the conglomerate emigrate to Earth. If Chairman Smart finds a suitable candidate in that group, he may have that person be his representative.

“Ken suggested that we set up a Sugar Addict Treatment Program in the Multiverse. Kendrick is going to hire people to do a study, and I talked with Councilwoman Stanton about the study. I suggested to Councilwoman Stanton that the program be run by the Multiverse Government, and that we would provide the sugar needed from Earth. Nothing definite will be done until the study is complete and the Government agrees to support the program; but that may be an option in several years for anyone who wishes to return to, and live in the Multiverse.

“We brought most of the equipment that Sergei will be installing back with us, and left it on Wayside. We also brought three storage containers of the items we requested Mom and Dad to gather for us on Vora. We left them on Wayside, also. We will bring the rest of the storage containers with us when we return from our next trip, and we will have to move all of the shelters to our new site, before Sergei’s installation team arrives.

“I brought back a copy of the current approved technology list. We need to go through it to see what can be sold on Earth, right now. Of course, I need to complete the technology evaluation of Earth, so I can assign Earth a rating. Until I complete that analysis, I will only be selling the technology that is authorized to all technology levels.

“While I was on Vora, I discovered that several things have changed that affect my security arrangements. Kendrick, Chairman Smart, Sergei Magnusson, Councilwoman Stanton, and others have been discussing my safety. I was informed that there have been a number of threats against my life from someone who may be living on Vora. Kendrick told me that Henry Archer’s death may not have been an accident, but there is no proof to substantiate that. I was also briefed on a ‘game’ to influence commerce that some of the very wealthy play. A few of the players will engage in illegal activities when they believe they can do so without being caught. As a result of several things, the Multiverse Government has defined me to be a person who is important to the welfare of the Multiverse.

“That designation means my bodyguards are authorized to carry and use energy weapons anywhere in the Multiverse while they are part of my security detail. The Multiverse Government has issued licenses permitting all of my Multiverse and Earth Security personnel to carry energy weapons. Tammy has your licenses, and Chairman Smart has made arrangements to have you trained on, and issued, the latest model of Archer Energy Pistol.

“We had a small problem with that, on Vora. When we arrived at Hotel Trinity, we had a face-to-face encounter with a celebrity’s bodyguards. It was them with stun guns, versus us with energy weapons; but they did not know that at first. I talked with Kendrick after that incident, for I did not like putting my security personnel in a position where the only option they had was the use of deadly force. I also agreed to have a larger security force with me when I go out in public.

“Bill, you are the Embassy’s Chief of Security, and you are more familiar with the different types of threats that we will be exposed to, than those of us from the Multiverse. I will leave the decision of how many bodyguards I will need in public to you, as well as the types of weapons they should carry. All decisions regarding the security of the Embassy and its personnel are yours to make. We will need to talk about the necessary security precautions to be taken on a day-to-day basis.

“There are a number of other major issues that came up during the trip. These include: currency exchange rate, Embassy policies, Trade Import/Export taxes, and many others. Cindy has a complete listing of these things. We will address them during the coming months.

“I am not certain who to address with this, but Ken and I were talking about Kastler, which is a sweet tasting grain. He thinks that it would be a good product for people who need to control the amount of sugar in their diets. I could import processed Kastler, but it would be better if it were grown here on Earth. I have heard that some states ban things like fresh fruits and vegetables from being brought into their areas. Would there be a problem if I were to bring Kastler seed to Earth and grow it commercially, like wheat?”

Abby said, “I suppose that would be me, Doug, since your question would probably have to be submitted to the Department of Agriculture. I will look into it for you. If they don’t have a problem with your importing the seed, you will have to check at the state level, also.”

Bill added, “I have heard about situations where people have introduced plants and animals into areas where they didn’t previously exist. In many of those cases, the new plant or animal spread without limits, and became a major problem. The rabbit problem in Australia and the deer problem in New Zealand are what I am thinking of.”

Abby said, “I would expect that the Department of Agriculture will look at that aspect of importing Kastler seed. Is there a problem with Kastler getting out of control in the Multiverse, Doug?”

“I haven’t heard of any problems, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any. If the Department of Agriculture approves growing Kastler, it might be a good idea to plant a small plot of Kastler on the ranch. Then we’ll see if it spreads naturally. If it looks like it might create a problem, we should be able to completely destroy a small test patch. It will also give us a chance to evaluate the quality of Earth grown Kastler’s sweetness.”

“The most important of the things that happened, started before I left on the trip and concluded this morning. Betty, Carol, Rita, and Cindy have agreed to become my wives.”

I had saved that for last, because I knew it would be the end of the meeting. No one would want to discuss business after that announcement. I had asked the people who went with me to not mention it when we returned, for I needed to ask Betty and Carol if they would marry me before word of my being engaged to Rita and Cindy was made public knowledge. Surprisingly, the announcement was either a complete surprise to everyone who had not gone with me, or they were better actors than I thought they were.

As the ladies in our group congratulated my four women, the men gave me their congratulations and wishes for a good future. Matt, Bill, and Ken were sitting together when I made the announcement, and they looked at each other, closed their eyes, and shook their heads. They reminded me of Dad.

“Okay, guys, I can tell something is wrong. Why the glum looks and head shaking?”

Matt said, “We are happy for you and your fiancées, Doug, but when word of this hits the media, there are going to be problems.”

“Well, I am not going to cancel the wedding, so how do we handle this?”

Matt smiled and said, “We did decided to test Kim on how she handles differences between Earth and the Multiverse. I suspect she and the paper she works for will be eager to handle the release of this news to the public, especially if she gets an exclusive story.”

Looking over at Kim, I could see she was in the middle of the women who had moved into the dining room, and they were discussing the upcoming wedding. I would wait to talk about this with her.

“Matt, we discussed what support to provide the traders who come to Earth to trade before I left. Have you had any thoughts on this since we discussed it, and what do you currently think we should do to support them?”

“Well, the first thing I would do is hire a lawyer or a legal firm to represent you and the Embassy. You are going to be doing business here on Earth, and that means you need to form a company and hire a number of employees. You will need legal advice on commercial matters, obligations of an employer, tax, and other matters. Your company will be doing business locally, throughout the US, and with foreign companies. That can be complicated in a legal sense, and it will become even more complicated for you will be introducing a new aspect to commerce by doing business with the Multiverse. The Embassy will also need legal representation for its legal needs.”

“Okay, Matt, you sold me on hiring someone. It actually seems like I will need a law firm or possibly two law firms. I can see one for my commercial needs, and the second for my diplomatic needs. I doubt that I will find a firm that handles both of those types of law. Who do you think I should task with finding me legal advisers?”

“Abby.”

“Yeah, Abby will probably be perfect, now that you mention it.

“What I was actually thinking about when I asked the question, was the facilities to support trade and the traders. I was thinking of the traders using the mobile homes as lodging and storage of their trade goods. I can’t see the traders conducting trade activities in the mobile homes and portables. I think we are going to need a separate building for that. We will also have to devise a means of tracking the sales, so we can collect import/export taxes, and any local taxes that may be applicable. Since merchandise will be imported to and exported from Earth, I suspect we will need to arrange for the conduct of business with the US Government, the United Nations, or both.”

Matt said, “Well, up until this morning I had been thinking support of the traders would be one of your businesses. However, I suppose you, as the Ambassador, will need to regulate the sale of merchandise on Earth, and as a trader you will need to be involved in the importation of the product, and its sale here on the ranch. Ah 

“Oh, Hell! It hadn’t occurred to me until now, Doug, but neither the US Commerce Department nor the United Nations are in a position to govern trade with the Multiverse. I doubt that the individual countries will want the United Nations to be in charge of galactic trade, and that means you, as the owner of your trading company, and as the Ambassador, will be involved in the negotiation of trade agreements with multiple countries. You’ll have to deal with their import/export departments. Shit! The more I think about it, the more complex the problem seems to be. I just thought about the trade that you will be doing here at the Embassy. If you do a business deal with a company based in Europe, the merchandise will need to be moved through the US. That means the US Customs and Border Protection agency will be involved.”

Looking at Matt, I said, “What do they do?”

With a startled look on his face, Bill asked, “Doug, how have you been handling the legal end of the trade you have been doing, up to now?”

“Ah, I haven’t done anything other than pay my income taxes. Why?”

“Ah ... oh, we definitely need Abby to get involved. Doug, the US Customs and Border Protection agency regulates the import and export of trade goods here in the US. The merchants are charged a customs duty, which is a form of tax on the merchandise they receive and ship. Knowing the government, they will be upset with you when it occurs to them that you have been importing and exporting merchandise without their knowledge.”

“Wait here a minute,” Matt said, “it looks like Abby is no long in the scrum, so I’ll ask her to join us.”

“Hi, Abby. Matt and Bill tell me I need to get you involved in a couple of things besides the sugar addict situation.”

“Okay, what do you need my help with, Doug?”

“To start with, the Embassy and I are going to need legal advice. Matt thinks you can recommend a good lawyer, or a legal firm. I will need advice to support my business, and the Embassy will need advice on its International Affairs. I doubt that we can find a law firm that does both types of law, so I will probably need two law firms.”

“The second matter is in the Multiverse, a trader carries merchandise to and from a planet and pays a planet tax on the planet where they sell the merchandise. I didn’t know that Earth was different.”

“Are you saying you haven’t been paying income taxes to the IRS?”

“No, I paid income taxes on all of my sales here on Earth. I had never heard of the US Customs and Border Protection agency until Matt just mentioned it. I wasn’t aware that I had to have approval for taking merchandise out of the country and bringing it into the country.”

“Oh, Frizzle! Frizzle! Frizzle!

“Doug, are you aware that in the US a business has to pay income taxes on the profits they make, regardless of where the merchandise is sold? That means you need to pay taxes on the profits you made selling merchandise in the Multiverse, in addition to the profit you made selling merchandise on Earth. I will look into the matter of you not going through Customs when you brought merchandise to Earth. I doubt they will be interested in the sugar and peppercorns you took to the Multiverse; however, the bullion and gems you brought back will be a different matter. Hopefully, we can work something out, so no charges are filed against you.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, that about sums it up. A good tax lawyer may help you keep the amount of income taxes you owe to a minimum. I doubt they will be able to help you with import duties. I will discuss that with Ken. Hopefully we will be able to work something out that will keep you from having to pay a large penalty, and import duty. Wait a minute  you paid personal taxes. Since you aren’t a business, you don’t need to pay corporate taxes. You need the advice of a tax attorney on that one, for your trade activities aren’t normal for Earth.”

“Does that mean I need three law firms?”

“I don’t think so, Doug. Let’s discuss this later. I am going to have to talk with Ken about these matters and get his advice. Right now, I need to get back and protect myself from the wedding plans Cindy is trying to make.”

“Protect yourself? What is Cindy trying to get you to do for the wedding? I thought they had everything planned out with Mom.”

“Oh, they do, but those aren’t the wedding plans she’s discussing. She’s talking about Sereine and me marrying you, and we aren’t ready to get married yet!”

Matt and Bill laughed, but I was too stunned to say or do anything. I would have to have a talk with Cindy about imposing her desires on Betty, Carol, and Rita. Uh, oh! I just had a disturbing thought. What if the four of them are working together to get me to marry Sereine and Abby?