Opening Earth Part 1Chapter 6
- 2 years ago
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During our ride to the Archer Conglomerate Headquarters, I noticed that Sandy turned her comm unit off. It had chimed three times, so turning it off seemed to be a wise move. I didn’t comment on it as it was evident she didn’t want to speak with her mother. Our driver dropped us off at the front entry and he went to park the limousine in the visitor parking area. The line at the front desk was short, and our driver had rejoined us by the time it was our turn to obtain help from the receptionist.
“Good morning, Miss. How can I assist you?”
“Good morning. I am Sandy Archer and I have an appointment with Chairman Smart at ten o’clock.”
“If you and your party will please take a seat, Miss Archer, I will let Chairman Smart’s secretary, Janice, know that you are here.”
We found a small group of seats and sat down. Well, we sat down and my bodyguards spread out to watch the area surrounding us. The name of Archer had its effect on the receptionist, but my bodyguards’ behavior obviously disturbed the receptionist, for she kept glancing over at our group with a concerned look on her face. I didn’t think she was accustomed to being near a large group of bodyguards. I was about to have Harold explain the situation to the receptionist when Janice appeared to escort us to Harry’s office. I noticed the receptionist had motioned to Janice, as she was passing by, and she quickly said something to Janice. Janice replied and a very wide-eyed young lady turned to stare in our direction.
“I’m curious, Janice, what did the receptionist tell you and what did you say to her?”
“Oh, she is a new employee. She was concerned that there was something wrong about your group and wanted to know if she should call our security department. I told her it wasn’t necessary for you and Sandy owned the majority of our stock and the men she was concerned about are your bodyguards.”
I would have to stop on the way out and thank her for her being an observant employee and for her concern about the welfare of those around her. On second thought, I decided to mention it to Janice. I wanted to tell the receptionist to contact security in a similar situation. Janice would probably be a better person to let the young lady know that the security department was there to handle situations such as a person or group of people who seemed wrong to her. Let the professionals handle the situation. Coming from me that may seem to her like a reprimand instead of friendly advice.
We were early, but Harry wasn’t busy and he came out to greet Sandy. I think all of us being there was a bit of a surprise to him. I told Harry that I thought that Sandy and he might touch on topics that would require my input, so I had suggested that I come with her.
Harry said, “That’s a good idea, Doug. I think Sandy and I will talk privately for a while, and if we reach a point where we need your input or point of view, we will let you know.”
My initial thought was that Harry was shutting me out. My second thought was this was between Harry and Sandy, so I should not be involved. Finally, I accepted that I did not need to babysit Sandy. She was a very capable adult. The way she handled her mother had shown me that she didn’t need me to take care of her. If she needed help, she would ask. So I sat back in my chair in the reception area of Harry’s office and daydreamed about the things I needed to do in the coming week. Actually, it was more planning than daydreaming, but it was a very casual, relaxed form of planning. After about a half hour, Harry and Sandy came out of the office with smiles on their faces.
Harry looked at me and said, “Thank you for recommending Sandy to me, Doug. I wouldn’t have thought of her, but I think she will be perfect for the position. My only concern is when can we begin trading on Earth?”
“I am working on that, Harry. You know that I have three years of trade rights on Earth. I need to discuss that with Maribel to get a ruling on whether Sandy can sell Archer products using my trade rights. Earth is not ready for me to open the planet to full trade with the Multiverse. However, a limited amount of trade would be beneficial. If Maribel concurs with my interpretation of trade rights, Sandy and I can come to an agreement on several items that can be sold on Earth, and she can set up business as a trader.”
I have been assuming that I had to be her partner or charge her a fee for using my trade rights to make the arrangement legal, but I may have been wrong. Harry took us down to the executive dining room where we all could relax and have lunch. Well, my bodyguards only got to relax while they ate, and they had to eat in shifts, so that didn’t give them a lot of time to relax. Harry talked with me about the progress of the Hopping Shelter and the Personal Body Armor projects. The design group had made a good start on the development of the shelter and expected that they would have a prototype unit ready for acceptance testing in eight months. The engineering staff was still coming up to speed on the work that had been done previously on the Personal Body Armor.
I asked about the length of time the engineers needed to build a prototype of the shelter. Harry responded, “Doug most people don’t realize how much work goes into making sure that a simple thing like this shelter is built to last and to be a quality product.
“Did you know that most of the cameras and lights used for similar purposes are sensitive to shock? We didn’t until we tried our first drop test of a shelter. We also checked after that test on the sensitivity of our electronic equipment to a high shock environment. Now we are designing shock mounts for all of the shelter’s interior equipment and for anything mounted externally. I don’t think it’s necessary, but even the chairs and beds will be shock mounted.
“This type of development takes time, Doug. We need to run a lot of different tests to ensure the shelter will perform to our design specifications. In the process, we discover flaws and fix them. But then, we have to redo our tests to ensure that the changes did not adversely affect our prior tests’ results.
“Doug, what needs to be done before Sandy can begin selling Archer products on Earth?”
“There are several things that need to be done, Harry. Sandy or more probably the two of us need to set up a business on Earth. She and I need to reach a determination as to what merchandise can be sold on Earth, without my first determining Earth’s Trade Level. You and she need to make arrangements for transportation of merchandise to Earth and payment for the merchandise. I am currently using an estimated currency exchange rate for my personal use. It would be preferable for me to determine an official currency exchange rate before you start trading. However, I am reluctant to do that at this time.”
Harry asked, “Why are you reluctant to do that, Doug?”
“Right now, the lack of an official exchange rate is one of the things that’s preventing the Trade Guilds from pressuring me into declaring Earth open to trade. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to protect the commercial D-Hoppers and traders from the hazards Earth presents to Multiverse citizens. I also need to prepare Earth citizens for the culture shock they will experience when I do open Earth for trade.
“By the time we move into the Embassy buildings, we will have resolved many of the current items that are keeping traders off Earth. Although I should qualify that by saying new things keep being brought to my attention that will need to be done, before I can declare Earth open for trade. So far, the only issue that can’t be resolved through diplomatic and political channels is the possibility of the traders becoming sugar addicts. The D-Hoppers and traders will need the services that a trader support company will provide to prevent that and other things from happening to them. That means Sandy will need to get the trader support company started before the traders arrive on Earth.
“I would like for Earth’s people to be more accepting of the Multiverse before we begin trading with them. The longer I can delay the start of trade, the more opportunity I will have to shape the opinions of Earth’s citizens.”
“I see. How long do you think it will be before the Multiverse begins to trade with Earth?”
“The Trade Guilds are thinking of twenty years, but I think it could be as early as twelve years if everything goes right.”
Misunderstanding what I said, Sandy asked, “Are you saying that it will be twelve years before I can sell Archer products on Earth?”
“No, I am not saying that, Sandy. Remember, I own the trade rights on Earth for three years. So, I can authorize you as my agent to trade now, or I think I can. I will confirm that with Maribel before we return to Earth. There is nothing to stop you from setting up a business that specializes in the Archer product lines. However, as the Ambassador, I need to determine which Archer merchandise you can sell on Earth, now.
“Everyone in the Multiverse knows that medical equipment and drugs are merchandise that is historically approved for sale on a Provisional Member World. Chairman Smart will undoubtedly want you to sell that type of merchandise and anything else that I approve for sale on Earth. Once you begin selling merchandise on Earth, I think the Trade Guilds will insist that I allow their representatives access to Earth, so they can also sell those types of merchandise there.
“As the Ambassador, I will need a valid reason to keep them off Earth. I’ve talked with Councilwoman Stanton about this problem. Maribel agrees with me about what will happen and has asked me to put together a presentation that defines what needs to be done to enable opening trade and the problems the traders will face when Earth is opened to trade.”
Sandy replied, “In other words, Councilwoman Stanton and you are hoping to scare the traders and Trade Guilds into not pushing for you to open Earth to the traders right now.”
“Yes, that’s what we are hoping for. When you start selling Archer merchandise on Earth, the Trade Guilds will view that as me opening Earth to some traders, but not their people. They are going to demand that the Multiverse Government allow their people the same opportunity. When that happens, Maribel and I will have to substantiate why they are not allowed to trade on Earth or to allow it to happen. Of course, I still have two years of the trade rights left, before they can begin coming to Earth. They won’t do anything for three years from the time I registered Earth with the Multiverse. After that, they will begin to question my reasons for not opening Earth; even though they aren’t expecting that to happen for twenty years.”
Harry added, “It sounds to me as if you have a situation that will be difficult to control or fix.”
“Well ... I could control it, but I feel my actions would be immoral; so I won’t do what I could do.”
“How could you control it, Doug?”
“Right now there are only four people who know how to get to Earth: Guild Master Moore, Sereine, Sergei’s D-Hopper Dan Staffer, and me. If we don’t bring another D-Hopper to Earth and if we don’t tell anyone where Earth is, the problem is under control. Unfortunately, that would create several major political problems between the Trade Guilds, the government, and the four of us.”
“Yeah, I can see how that could lead to problems, Doug. What do you want me to do to help you?”
“For now, let’s just wait, Harry. I have two years left before it becomes an imminent problem. Hopefully, I can delay opening Earth long enough to do what needs to be done to prevent the major problems that could arise.
“Sandy and I won’t have a problem until she starts trading on Earth. The only viable solution for that problem is for me to open Earth to trade as soon as I can. That means I need to accelerate my efforts and shorten the time needed to complete everything that I need to do to permit trade on Earth.”
As my Earth friend Slim would say, I’m caught between the Devil and the deep blue sea. Actually, the Ambassador side of me has the problem. I had warned Maribel, Kevin, and the Masters of several Trade Guilds of the dangers Earth would present to traders. If the traders fail to ask about Earth’s dangers or fail to heed my warnings, then anything that happens to them on Earth will not be my fault, but I’m the Ambassador so I’ll get the blame.
Maribel told me that a split personality was one of the professional hazards of a politician. I always thought of a split personality as something that happened to a person. I never realized that some people intentionally divide themselves into two people to separate what they needed to do from what they would like to do. That definition may not be accurate in my case, but I don’t know how else to define what I am feeling.
I want the people of Earth to evolve and join the Multiverse as a Provisional Member World. I need to open Earth for trade to do that. Opening Earth to trade will have a major cultural impact on the people of Earth and I want to protect them from that. What should I do; gradually guide their development or allow them to be hurt and help them heal?
Harry had us return to his office for further discussions about the trading venture. Mostly he wanted to talk with me about his vision of how the Archer Conglomerate should be evolved to meet the future needs of the Multiverse. I found our discussion to be very enlightening. I had never realized how far in advance Harry had to plan to ensure the Conglomerate remained one of the top ten corporations in the Multiverse.
My folks had 5-year and 10-year plans for our family business. Harry had similar plans for the Archer Conglomerate, but he also had 25-year and 50-year plans. To me, planning what your business would be doing fifty years from now was impossible. As Harry explained those long-term plans, I could see that they were very different from what I thought of as a plan. There were no details of what the company should do for those were in the short-term plans. The long-term plans were more predictions of the business areas that would be the most profitable in the future. They also contained preliminary plans for when to reevaluate those predictions, and when and how to start shifting the Conglomerate’s focus if the predictions appeared to be accurate.
I complimented Harry on the foresight necessary to create his vision. Harry demurred my praise telling me that the main architect of the long-term planning was his wife Gloria. She was the one that actually deserved the credit. I think it was Kendrick who told me Harry’s wife was a very intelligent person who knew far more about business than most people thought.
It was still early afternoon when Sandy and I finished what we needed to do at the Archer Conglomerate Headquarters. I remembered to tell Janice to compliment the front desk receptionist and remind her that the Security Department was there to keep everyone safe, so she should let them know if she had a serious concern about one of our visitors.
Once we got back to the estate, I kicked back and relaxed. My critical business on Slave World was mostly taken care of. The only major concern needing to be addressed was the sugar addicts. While relaxing, I talked with Kim, Carla, Ken, Kenneth, and Bashira. I had mostly ignored them for the past day or so due to the nature of the business I had to address. We decided that we should involve ourselves in a few of the more enjoyable activities that were available here on Slave World. Kenneth suggested the Water Park, and he got stared down by Kim and Carla. Carla hadn’t visited the park, but Kim had told her about it. My four ladies were in favor of another visit to the zoo. Betty thought it was one of the better attractions on Slave World.
I agreed with all of their suggestions, even the Water Park. But the first thing I wanted to do was finish up my business with President Jenson and the sugar addicts, which would take most of tomorrow. I had an appointment with President Jenson tomorrow morning, and after that, I would meet with the sugar addicts at the treatment center. I had promised to spend some time with them on my next visit, and they needed to know about our plans for taking them back to Earth with us when we left.
Perhaps I should arrange to take them to the zoo with us the day after tomorrow. Everything considered, I don’t think taking them to the Water Park would be a good idea. The interest a few of them had shown me on my last visit would not be appreciated by my four ladies. However, my matchmaker Cindy might find their interest in me of interest to her. Personally, six women in my life were more than enough, so I didn’t need twenty plus attractive young women tempting me by going without clothes at the Water Park.
I called President Jenson’s office and spoke with Timothy. I didn’t want any last minute surprises, so I told him that I would be able to take all of the sugar addicts with me when I returned to Earth. I then asked if there were any final items that may need to be addressed. Timothy wasn’t aware of any, so I said I would see him at nine tomorrow morning. After I talked with Timothy, Kendrick called the treatment center to let them know that I would be stopping by tomorrow morning at about ten to talk with the sugar addicts. I really needed to start learning their names. They would be my people shortly, and continuing to call them ‘The Sugar Addicts’ just didn’t seem right to me.
With my day planned out for tomorrow, I turned my attention to the rest of the day. I headed for the kitchen to find Charyl. She wasn’t there so I looked around the house and finally founded her relaxing on the back porch.
“Charyl, are you busy right now?”
“Oh no, sir. What do you need?”
“I was sitting in the front room talking with my guests when it occurred to me that what you need is a break. You have been fixing meals for us for so long that you must be tired. I decided that I should take you, Edgar, and the rest of my party out for dinner. Where would you like to go, and don’t pick an everyday restaurant. I would like for my guests to experience one of our better restaurants, so don’t worry about price. As you know, I can afford it.”
I had Cindy talk with Charyl and pick the best restaurant in the area. By this point in my life, I had eaten at restaurants more than I really cared for and I learned that the most highly rated restaurants were not always the best in the area.
Charyl’s way of thanking me for an outstanding evening was to fix me my favorite dish for breakfast the next day. I made sure that I let her know that I appreciated the extra effort she went to for me. Ken, Kenneth, Bashira, and Carla also made their liking of the dish known. I made a note to myself to have my folks include the ingredients for this dish in future shipments. I would certainly enjoy Betty fixing it for me and there may be a market for the ingredients on Earth. In fact, once Sandy sets up the dining facility on the ranch, she may want to diversify and establish a chain of restaurants that specialize in Multiverse cuisine.
We definitely needed to talk about the financing of her/our Trader Support business. If she owns fifty-one percent of the business and I get forty-nine percent, she will have control and we will both make a lot of money. Still it would probably be best if we worked through a holding company, and if we structure it right, we could make it look like I wasn’t associated with the Trader Support business, when I actually have a significant financial interest in the company. My Trading Company could also be registered as one of the holding company’s assets, which might help to distance my business interest from my Ambassadorial responsibilities. If Sandy wants me to put up the financing for her Trader Support business, we could arrange for Sandy to own the majority, if not all, of the company’s stock.
Do we want to merge our finances in this manner? and If so, what is the best method of doing that? are only two of the questions and things we need to consider.
“Morning, Andrew. How is everything with you?”
“So far today has been great, Doug. Timothy tells me your visit is going to make it even better.”
“I hope so. I have made arrangements to take your sugar addicts back to Earth with me, if they wish to go. When we are finished here, I am going to go visit them at the treatment center to see if they are interested in the arrangements I’ve made for them.”
“Well, that’s good news. What do we need to take care of, Doug?”
“I don’t know for sure, Andrew. It’s my understanding that all the paperwork for them going with me is complete. Kendrick has the guardianship papers making me the legal guardian of everyone who is still a minor. The treatment center still needs to discharge them, and we will make arrangements for that when I visit today. For now, they need to continue living at the treatment center until I am ready to leave for Vora. My plans are to leave for Earth from Vora a day or so after the wedding. So, other than having them discharged from the center, is there anything else you and I need to do for me to legally take everyone with me to Earth?”
“No, nothing that comes to my mind, Doug. Although you may want to remind them to make sure that any outstanding debts that they may have incurred are paid before they depart.”
“I will be sure to do that, Andrew. Kendrick, do you have anything to add that Andrew or I may have overlooked?”
“No, it seems that we have covered everything.”
Standing up, I extended my hand and said, “Well, Andrew, I’ll stop by on my future trips to let you know how things work out for my charges on Earth.”
As he shook my hand, Andrew said, “I’ll look forward to that, Doug, and good luck.”
After saying my goodbyes to Timothy and Andrew’s secretary, we headed to the treatment center. As we left, Kendrick commed the center to let them know we were on the way and should be there within a half an hour.
“Cindy, add a note to have me let Andrew know how the sugar addicts are making out on Earth during a future trip.”
“Alright, Doug. Ah ... if we go to the zoo like you said we might, do you want to arrange for your sugar addicts to have any spending money in case they want to get some food or some other thing without having to ask you directly? If so, how much?”
“I hadn’t thought of it, Cindy, but that may be a good idea. Kendrick, can you arrange for each of them to have a fifty-dollar General Funds Data Chip? I think we should get four more chips for, let’s say five hundred dollars, for Ken, Kenneth, Bashira, and Carla. They may want to buy a few souvenirs before we go home.”
Cindy gave me a big smile and said, “Oh! Are we planning another visit to our costume jewelry shop on Vora? I’m certain that Mary and Sue will love to show Carla all the interesting things she can buy with five hundred dollars.”
“I wasn’t planning on such a trip, but since you mentioned it, get chips for Kim, Abby, Kenneth, Matt, Mary, Bill, and Sue also. We will have to figure out some way to ensure they don’t go too far and buy so much they get themselves or me in trouble on Earth.
“Kendrick, I just realized that I am going to need a Will. We can talk later, but I’m thinking of several specific bequests: a trust fund for Betty and Carol with Cindy, Rita, and you being the administrators, since they aren’t allowed to own property. I think Rita and Cindy should inherit the remainder of the estate, but I will need to make arrangements in case others join our relationship.”
“Alright, Doug, but what prompted that decision?”
“I’m not sure. A number of thoughts have been going in circles in my head for the past few weeks ... such as the threats made against me, which have me on edge; getting married, which means I need to provide for my wives; and now dispersing money to everyone. The thought just popped out as something that needed to be done, as soon as I can get to it. I don’t expect to need a Will for a long time to come, but you never know. Look what happened to Henry.”
Discussing the details of my Will, and why I wanted one wasn’t something I wanted to do in a limousine with everyone listening. Yes, I needed one, but I also needed to think on it further to determine the best disposition of my Archer stock and other holdings. For the rest of the drive, I let my mind wander through my remembrances of friends and associates. Most of them were just casual acquaintances, but there had been a few special people in my life and I would like to do something special for them. When I found time, I would have to start preparing a list of all my special friends. Perhaps I should do those special things for them now, so they can enjoy them for a long time to come.
Harold and Samson were a little overwhelmed earlier this morning when I told them I intended to take our thirty plus sugar addicts to the zoo tomorrow.
“Good morning. As I said a month ago, my name is Doug Smith, and I am the Multiverse’s Ambassador to a planet called Earth. I am currently in the process of opening Earth to trade with the Multiverse. President Andrew Jenson requested that I aid him, and you, with the problem of your sugar addiction. That is not criticism, just a statement of the facts.
“When I was here the last time, I told you that I would try to make arrangements for all of you to return to Earth with me. I was able to do that, and any of you that wish to go with me may do so. However ... you need to be aware of several facts.
“Up until now, the government of Slave World has been supporting you. Once I leave with those who wish to go with me, the Government will continue to support those who stay here to the best of its ability. However, funding is limited and President Jenson will not be able to support you indefinitely.
“The next thing you need to realize is, going with me does not mean a free ride. I will expect you to do several things once we get back to Earth, and I am not talking about you having sex with me. Our living area will be crowded, so everyone will have to make an effort to get along with everyone else. There will be a lot of work that needs doing. I will be marrying my four ladies, Betty, Carol, Rita, and Cindy, next month. I rely heavily on them to keep everything running smoothly in our home, and Rita is the one in charge. She will give each of you a work assignment. Do what she asks to the best of your ability and we will all get along. Those of you who choose to go with me are invited to the wedding. We will be leaving for Earth a day or two after the ceremony.
“Next, Sandy Archer will be setting up several businesses on Earth, and she will need employees. She will require that most of her employees speak English and Trade Speak. The people of Earth cannot vocalize many of the sounds required to speak Trade Speak, so that means you will have a very good chance of becoming one of her employees. In addition to the language, you will also need to learn many things about Earth’s culture and the ways they do things. In other words, you need to adapt to Earth’s culture.
“I will be opening a business and will also need employees who speak Trade Speak. Once the Embassy is built, I will need a staff to support me in my duties, and to care for the Embassy.
“The first thing you will need to do when you get to Earth is to go through a transition period to adapt to Earth’s language and culture. Once you have learned the language and have made sufficient progress in adapting to the culture, you can live and work anywhere that you wish. However, the details of your emigrating to Earth have not been defined. When defined, those details may impose limitations on your leaving the Embassy grounds. I don’t expect the limitations to be extremely restrictive, but we need to wait and see what develops.
“Before I continue, do any of you have a question?”
“One of the older of the young ladies stood up and said, “My name is Melanie Tumm and I have been elected to be our group spokesperson. My friends usually call me Mel. We have put together a list of questions for you about Earth. Before I get to the list, what did you mean by a transition period?”
“I was referring to the time necessary for you to adapt to Earth, and that will require you to do several things.
“First you need to complete the process of increasing your tolerance to sugar. I provided the clinic with a supply of sugar and directions for those of you who want to go to Earth with me to gradually consume larger amounts of sugar every day. The people of Earth consume large amounts of what they refer to as refined sugar. They can eat a spoonful of pure unadulterated sugar and it will not bother them. The average Multiverse citizen would go into sugar shock from eating the amount of sugar that would stick to a wetted finger. If my instructions were carried out, you all should be close to completing the process of increasing your tolerance to sugar.
The second thing you need to do is learn how to speak English. In the Multiverse, we all speak Trade Speak and on some planets, the people also speak their planet’s native language. Earth is very different. There is no common language. There are hundreds of geographic regions, called countries, and the people of the countries speak different languages. I live in what is called the United States of America and English is spoken in that country. English is also the language of a few other countries. Some of the people of other countries also speak English, but it’s not their native language.
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“This obstacle called the Gentic Belt”. Benni explained to Zax, “It encircles the planet, like a very long belt, and can only be safely crossed through the Emerald Cross, on an equipped vessel. Imagined it as the sole punch hole on this large belt”. The girl was very patient and the closeness she maintained to Zax signaled the development of a certain interest. “The buckle is where we’re heading, the Earthly Crater, there- Eh, look! The eruption is finally over”. She pointed at the wall of...
Day 1: When Doug finally woke up at the ranch, the morning started out with breakfast. Bashira, who had a long day yesterday, slept through breakfast. After thanking Betty for a wonderful breakfast, Doug called Secretary of State Charles Boyd. “Good morning, Doug. I let the President’s Chief of Staff Aaron McCaul know about what happened yesterday, and he said he would inform the President. Aaron and I decided you would be busy so we should wait until you contacted us to see if you needed...
I am now the Multiverse’s Ambassador to Earth. It is my responsibility and mission to ensure Earth joins the Multiverse with a minimum of difficulties. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to accomplish that mission! I like the people of Earth, and do not want them harmed by the Multiverse taking over their planet. I doubt the Multiverse Government would force itself on Earth, but, I suspect the Guilds will push to open trade with Earth at too fast of a pace, and I will need to resist...
The next morning Abby, Sereine, Mac, and I were ready to leave. Unfortunately, Cindy was sick. My ladies told me that she would be fine in a couple of days, so I should go ahead without her. I hopped us to Wayside and we got our traveling equipment, then Sereine hopped us to our next stop. As usual, the trip was uneventful. Abby was excited at first, but then her excitement turned to boredom. We did have one dismal event on the way to First Stop. I had hopped us to our next stop, and when...
I had Twixted ahead to reserve a room at the Timson Luxury Hotel, as we usually did when I visited Maribel in Timson before leaving the estate. Maribel currently had a moderately light schedule; well, light relative to how busy she seemed to be during my previous visits to Timson. A light schedule was good for we had a number of things that needed to be discussed, and there were a few items that were important to me. Most of this visit would be dedicated to our discussing specific topics, but...
Matt and I were up early the next morning for we knew Yarl and his crew were eager to complete the installation and get back to Vora. I think they were worried that their food would somehow become contaminated by sugar and turn them into sugar addicts. Things didn’t work that way, but many fears are often totally unreasonable. We needed more drivers than I thought, so Matt, Mary, Bill, Sue, and I went into Greely and picked up the rental equipment that Matt had reserved. With Carla and Ken’s...
We had just arrived, and I felt my link with Sto reestablish itself. All I heard was, “Doug back. Go talk.” The idea of Sto having to be face-to-face with me in order for us to talk over our mental link seemed funny to me. “Hello, Sto. How was Toomby?” “Shots hurt. No go Vet. Sto no need shots.” “Shots? Was there something wrong?” “Vet say need. Sto good. No need shots.” By then Sereine and the rest of my people made it out of the house and had walked over to greet us. “Hello, Sereine....
Cindy was right about us needing a bank. My idea of, me becoming a middleman for my people making deposits to and withdrawals from their Multiverse banks was a stopgap measure that would suffice, but only for a short time. The more I thought about things, it was very evident that the Banking Guild would not establish a bank on Earth in the near future, and we needed one now. By the time I got to my office portable, I had formed a rough plan to handle this issue. My first step would be to...
It had been a long and tiring trip back to Earth. The seasons were changing on our layover planets, so we had rain, snow, and temperature extremes to contend with on the different planets. We all agreed that we didn’t care for sitting on a planet in a hundred and two degree heat, and then hopping to our next layover and arriving in the middle of a blizzard and minus twelve-degree cold; the wind chill factor made it worse. I really needed to get a travel shelter. Harry had told me the...
Before my wives and I left on our honeymoon, Sandy and I had hired two lawyers, Grant Baker and Kenny Natron, to help us start our new business. They set up an appointment with us for today to discuss their progress and to ask us questions. It was ten minutes to two in the afternoon when Cindy called to let me know our two lawyers had arrived and they and Sandy were waiting for me in our conference room. We were starting to get really busy, so I definitely needed to find someone to be my...
Sereine and I getting stuck in a quarantine shelter for almost a week didn’t really affect my overall schedule. I didn’t have much to do before I had to leave for Shilling, so there was a lot of available time in my schedule. The only impact the delay caused me, was my having to reschedule a few minor things that I wanted to do before I left for Vora. Overall, I would be able to finish all of my outstanding tasks before my departure date. One of the good things that happened while I sat in...
While returning to Earth, I had a great deal of time to think about my past activities on Earth, and the changes that my new position would require in regard to my relations with the people of Earth. I had been telling lies of omission to many people since my arrival on Earth. I don’t like lying, but most of Earth’s people were not ready to learn the truth about my being an alien from outer space or about some aspects of my being a D-Hopper. When a D-Hopper opens a planet, they can choose...
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...
Turning back to Kim I could see that she had endured all the culture shock that she could handle at this time. “Kim, I think we should set this subject aside, for now. Once you have had a chance to think about it, we can talk about it again if you wish. “I’m curious about whom you work for, and what prompted you to become a reporter. Would you care to talk about that instead?” “Yeah, I would. I think I got in over my head, and you are right. From what your friends have said, I do need to...
A strong pungent odor burned Zax's respiratory system through his nostrils and rose to his brain, the body organ which contained the soul. Zax woke up from the smell, but when his eyes opened what he saw was foreign. All he could see as he stared above was the ground as the ceiling and a dim light illuminating from somewhere. The last imagery that Zax could remember was the earth he was lying on splitting and a black shadow, like a long and thick whip, moving quickly out of the cracks,...
The trip to First Stop was the usual boring event. When we had arrived on Wayside, it occurred to me, this was the first trip I had made to the Multiverse with no trade goods. On our way to First Stop, Sereine and I briefed everyone on our plans for what each of our two groups would be doing during this trip. We had been talking during the trip, while we rested. During our discussions, it occurred to me that in the future, we might need two penal planets in Earth’s Universe. For the interim...
The first thing in the morning, Edgar called Kendrick to let him know I was back. Me ... I was lying between two lovely pregnant women, and I had no plans for getting out of bed until it was absolutely necessary. As usual, my bladder told me it was necessary and I reluctantly got out of bed. When I made it out into the dining room for coffee, Edgar let me know Kendrick had commed, and he had returned the comm to let him know I was out of bed. Kendrick showed up an hour later, and at the...
Matt, Bill, Sue, and I were waiting for Aaron when we heard a knock at the door. Rita answered the door. “Good afternoon, I’m Aaron McCaul. Is Doug Smith available?” “Yes, please come in.” Rita’s English was getting better, especially the standard phrases we use in our interpersonal communications. Aaron and a woman in her mid-thirties came into the room. “Doug, this is Miss Abby White. Abby, this is Mister Doug Smith. “It’s nice to meet you, Mister Smith.” “And it’s my pleasure to meet...
I timed our departure from Timson so we would arrive at Mister Tam’s home on Halpern late in the morning. I did so for I knew we had to be at the Tam home before mid-afternoon to confirm our hotel reservations and we didn’t want to arrive too early. We arrived in the portion of his backyard that he had previously designated as our arrival area. It didn’t take the Tam family long to usher all of us into their home. Our party was too large for them to accommodate us in their six-bedroom house,...
“Those are the main points that Maribel and I discussed, Kevin, and here are your copies of my replies to the questions that her committee sent you over the past year or so,” I said. “Maribel said that for the next year or two, she will have future questions routed to you, and will expect me to reply through you. That will change once I have a Twixt System in place. Maribel and I did this first set of responses to her questions this way, so we could work out any problems between the two of...
For Alma Walcott it was all in a day’s job as a freelance stringer. She started her day on the phone by calling her normal news sources, but it was an unusually unproductive day for news. Then she called her contact in the Sheriff’s office. To ensure confidentiality, she never used her real name when dealing with someone she had registered with her paper as a confidential informant. She was always Sheila and her informant was either Bob or Babs. Her contacts were aware of this duplicity, but...
From Vora it was only one hop to First Stop. Since we were now based on Slave World, we needed to consider a different planet as our point of arrival and departure. It didn’t make much sense to make three hops to and from Slave World when that would be our first stop. A planet along the route we used to travel between Slave World and Vora would be a better First Stop planet, as it was not commonly used as a rest stop by other D-Hoppers. I would discuss that with Sereine during our return to...
Arriving at the Archer home, Doug rang the doorbell. “Good morning, I’m Doug Smith. This is my Administrative Assistant Cindy Smith, and my lawyer, Kendrick Jones. We have an appointment with Mrs. Archer. Is she available?” “Yes, sir. Mrs. Archer is expecting you. Please come in and I will show you to the sitting room, and let Mrs. Archer know you are here.” The sitting room was a nicely furnished and pleasant place to meet with someone. I decided that I would like to have a small meeting...
Kendrick and I were talking and he said, “The Judge outsmarted the media. The case number and parties associated with the case, have to be posted for at least one hour prior to a hearing. Normally, the case number and all of the main parties are listed in the posting. He listed the case number and your name followed by the phrase ‘and others’, which satisfied the requirement of the law. The media expected the Archer family’s name to be listed. Since it wasn’t, the majority of the media missed...
“Are you ready to go, Doug?” “Go where, Bill?” “To put in another order for vehicles. You were going to put me on your calendar for a vehicle shopping trip.” “Sorry, Bill, I forgot to tell Cindy. I can’t think of anyone I was to meet with today. Let me check my calendar ah, yes, I have the rest of today clear; except for my regular tasks, which I can put off until later. I was talking with Matt about this, so will we need him and when did you want to go?” “Matt told me that as far as...
I was awakened at two in the morning by the siren alert of my comm unit. Someone had sent me a Twixt, and had flagged it as urgent. By the time I got to my comm unit, my eyes were open far enough for me to read the message. The message read, ‘Urgent you and Abby return to my office at once, Kevin Moore.’ I went down the hall and knocked on Abby’s bedroom door. When she said to come in, I opened the door, and said, “You need to get up and dress. We need to leave for Vora as soon as we can. I...
I needed to talk with Matt, Bill, and Sue about presenting my credentials and a few other things. “Matt? Doug, here.” “Hi, Doug, what’s up?” “I’ve finished the immediate things that I had to do. Do you have time to go over the arrangements for my presenting my credentials?” “Yes, when do you want to do it?” “I’m still at the ranch. We should be back at my home, shortly. Let’s meet there in two hours.” “See you then, Doug. Bye.” “Hello, Sue, Doug. Matt is going to be at my place in two...
The media had gotten word that my entourage was staying at the Trinity Hotel in Cinnity. They had staked out the hotel’s ground-level entrance and the landing pad on the roof. The only way my people could come and go undetected was for Sereine to hop them in and out of the hotel. Since her ability to hop was limited by her recovery time, it was very inconvenient for all of my people. My bodyguards decided that the media representatives needed to be taught a lesson; namely, do not harass the...
My wives said I needed a new wardrobe for the office. Rita was the most insistent, and she had arranged for an appointment with a tailor at a men’s specialty store that Charlie had recommended. Charlie always looked good in the office while he had been with HS, so I accepted his suggestion. Rita knew exactly what I needed as office casual and my other wives agreed, but Charlie had said that whatever I got as off-the-shelf clothing had to be tailored to fit me properly. Cindy had some work to...
During breakfast the next morning, I talked with Betty about her translation efforts. She said she needed an office in which to work. I suggested she get with Misty and set something up in the Hospital portable. Then the conversation took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. Rita said, “Carol and I have been talking to Betty and Cindy about your trip to visit with Harry at his office at the Archer Conglomerate. “Betty and Cindy think you are interested in the receptionist at the front desk and...
Within a sealed cavern, encompassed by blackness, sitting crossed legs, Zax prepared himself to tackle the fifth bottleneck of insight. Smell, touch, taste, sight ... These were the four bottlenecks of insight Zax already perceived and proceeded to comprehend. Zax was not oblivious. By now he could tell that the bottlenecks of insight have something to do with the five senses. The issue was with him unable to figure out if the remaining sense, sense of hearing, which will probably make him...
Our status meeting went well. Matt was making progress on getting a building permit for our temporary facilities and William was finalizing the supporting drawings. I let Matt know that we would have to install the utility equipment at what would be their permanent location, since Chairman Smart had bought me the equipment I would use for the Embassy Compound. I let him know I would get the equipment’s technical details for him when I had a chance and we would get with William to give him...
The Reyes and Rivera families remained at the clinic for the remainder of the day and well into the evening. Misty would periodically check her patients with her analyzer. By early evening, it was apparent that their condition was improving. After Misty informed the families, they returned home except for the mothers, who stayed with their sons for the night. They didn’t want a bed in which to sleep, so we provided them with a couple of our comfortable office chairs. They talked until the...
I arrived a little early for my appointment with Sergei, and was immediately ushered into his office. “Yarl Wilson, who is my installation foreman, Tim, and I, were reviewing the pictures that Tim Hart took at your ranch. Tim told us that you plan to set up a temporary Embassy Compound on your ranch, and live in it for a year or two. Is that right?” “Yes, but we hope it will only be a little over a year from the time we move in, until we can move into the Embassy.” “Yarl mentioned that you...
It took a bit longer than I had planned before we were ready to depart. Sereine hopped us to our first intermediary stop just as the sun was rising above the horizon. Three hops later, we arrived in the backyard of Mister Tam’s home. They had started to worry about whether we would get there for the wedding. Mister Tam said they had expected us to arrive three days ago so there would be plenty of time to make any final arrangements that may be necessary, and the wedding was scheduled for...
The four security people traveling with us were new to me. I had just a few minutes to introduce myself before we left Slave World, and I was having trouble recalling their names. Edgar said they were four of the better people that he’d had assigned to him by Kendrick. I would make a point of getting to know them better as I rested between hops. Our first stop on Vora was at my parent’s home. I had timed our departure so we would arrive early enough to have lunch with my Mom and Dad before...
Kendrick wanted to know when I would hold my media conference. The media was in a frenzy to find me. They wanted to know everything about me. My task during the interview was to limit my answers to my public life. He also wanted to set a date for me to meet my Board of Directors. He had contacted the Chairman of the Board and explained how I had inherited the conglomerate. The Chairman wanted at least a week to finalize their presentation. Kendrick and I settled on dates and times for my...
My wives woke me early the next morning. They enjoyed playing in bed yesterday morning, and were thinking of another romp in our bed. We had just started our usual sex play, when Carol made a mad dash for the bathroom. We could hear the sound of her retching, so Rita went to check on her. When Rita returned, she said, “It’s time for Carol to be checked out by Misty. I think she’s pregnant.” “Pregnant!” I exclaimed. “Didn’t she just finish her ovulation period? I didn’t think morning...
Alpha males vs earth sissies revolution part 1 "Pink or blue?" "Or should i say light pink or powder blue, we cant make you think blue is a boys color, it can be feminine also... or a sissy yellow... hmm." the deep alpha manly voice asked his soon to be sissy prisoners as he and the other alpha men laughed. the captured "men" were asked. "It doesn't matter soon to be sissies," the tall, huge super alpha man said grinning as the captured men of earth struggled. "You'll look...
Alpha Males Vs Earth sissies; part 2 A few weeks later.... "Stacy... are you ready to come out and show your new feminine self to me your new master?" The strong alpha male called from outside her girly room. Jack/Stacy stared at slender self in the mirror still not quite believing what had come of herself.. The servants had taken their time get "her" ready... slowly stripping away the earth masculinity and showing the inner girlishness all earth men naturally have, but has...
Alpha Males with earth girl sissys part 4 final. John tried to get away, but it was hopeless, as she looked down at his new feminized body, the restive pink skirts did nothing to help with getting away as he tried to escape. The nightly ritual of letting the now conquered earth sissies try to escape from their manly super alpha males, now their strong boyfriends/husbands. They never got that far, with their girly clothes always giving them away, the light pink yellow pastel colors...
“Morning, Betty, are you feeling any better this morning?” “Yeah, knowing that you really care about me as a person helps a lot. The way my parents and friends treated me is going to bother me for some time to come. I’ll get over it, but it will take time.” “That’s good ... at least, the getting better part is. Rita, Cindy, and Carol should be back tonight, unless they comm and extend their visit for another day. “I think we should plan on getting back to Vora tomorrow or at the latest the...
Matt and his wife Mary were to join my ladies and me for dinner at my home. We had to discuss the trading hop and to make plans for outfitting Matt and Mary for the trip to Vora. Mary turned out to be a moderately attractive redhead in her mid-forties, with the lithe muscular tone of an athlete. Betty had been in her element all day for she had been busy preparing our meal. My ladies tolerance to sugar had increased, so I had cleared them for eating a wider variety of foods. Betty was making...
Rita met me at the door with, “Doug, Aaron called you and he asked you to call him back.” Bill and Sue were still at the house, so I asked everyone to stick around until I finished the call. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Aaron said, “Doug, I wanted to discuss the President’s event with you. “I had my assistant reserve three, two-bedroom suites for you at the Embassy Suites, and each bedroom has two queen-sized beds. I don’t know what the sleeping arrangements are for your...
As I said, we arrived at Wayside two hours later than I had expected. During one of our rest stops, Mac and Martha’s son Timmy wandered around the clearing. He was tired, so he stretched out on a comfy looking bed of leaves and fell asleep. Unfortunately, the leaves were on the far side of a boulder. So, when Dan prepared to hop us to our next stop, no one noticed him behind the boulder. Mac and Martha each thought the other was holding his hand. Martha knew Timmy wasn’t holding her hand,...
The first thing I did was to call William on his direct line at HRD. “HRD Architects, William Chambers speaking.” “Hello, William. Doug Smith here. I was able to complete my business on the East Coast sooner than expected. I would like to arrange an appointment with you for tomorrow morning.” “No problem, Doug, would nine be alright?” “That will be good. I will be bringing Matt Crane and his wife Mary with me. “Matt will be setting up mobile homes, portable buildings, and utility...
Days 4 & 5: It was Day 4 and Sereine was to make her presentation to our attackers and the lawyers they had retained. Yesterday, Sto, Coral, and the kits had moved back to their home with Sereine. The kits were doing fine. Aunts Sereine, Misty, Betty, Carol, Rita, and Cindy were taking turns making sure they had everything they needed. Sereine started her presentation with a detailed description of the laws pertaining to the commission of an act of violence against another party and the...
“Hello, Bashira, it’s Doug. How are things going with you and Amir?” “Good, Doug. Are you and your wives starting to settle in as married people?” “Well, not yet Bashira. The honeymoon trip has ended and we just got home yesterday, but our honeymoon is continuing. If I’m lucky it will continue for some time to come. I’ll have to wait to see if married life is different from just living with my ladies. What is Amir doing?” “He is busy with a number of issues, Doug. Canceling your visit was...