Chapter 31: Preparing for First contact

Derek Paulsy's prediction was incorrect, as it turned out. The Palmdale works had run into some snags with fitting the new drives. The initial setting up of the drives was proving more difficult than had originally been thought.

Although we used the term 'warp factor', it did not mean to us exactly what it did to the followers of 'Star Trek'. One of the problems was that they have more than one definition. We had discussed it right back at the beginning and came to the conclusion that a simplified definition would be preferable. Our definition of the term became one plus the logarithm to the base ten of the velocity relative to the speed of light. In simple terms, 'one' times the speed of light is warp factor one, which is the same as the 'Star Trek' figure. Just tack a zero onto the speed factor for every increase of one in the warp factor.

Thus, the new drive increased our top speed from warp three-point-seven up to warp four-point-six.

I had thought about splitting the crew of the Endeavour with the new 'diplomatic' craft and couldn't think who to leave out. I, therefore, decided to transfer the whole of the crew of the Endeavour to the new craft. Even so, that would still leave a few posts to fill.

At last the delivery day arrived. We were no longer sending a crew to Palmdale to collect our new vessel. They now had their own spacecraft pilot who would deliver. At just about a quarter past nine o'clock, the tower rang down to say the delivery was on final approach. I went outside to watch it descend and found myself in a crowd of others who had heard the news.

As it descended head-on, the outline from the front of it put me in mind of a large version of a Boeing 747 with a height greater than its width. There was a gaping mouth formed by the bridge's viewing windows. Our previous craft had a width more than their height. It came to a halt, hovering just above the runway. The undercarriage emerged from the underside and the craft settled down, like a mother hen on a nest, as the drive was turned off.

I got the impression looking at the tinted bridge windscreen that there was a crowd on the bridge. That impression was confirmed when the door opened and a party, led by George Morrison, emerged. I went to greet them.

"Hullo, George. Nice to see you. Did you have a good trip down here?"

"Yes. I still find it disconcerting though, to travel so quickly by going so far out of the way."

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"

"I heard you were naming the craft tomorrow and I thought I'd join the well wishers."

"Thank you. In the meantime, there's something I want to show you. We've started a sort of museum, here. It shows a lot of what we've discovered so far. Apart from the videos and the still pictures, someone built an animated model of the local group of stars. There are buttons which light up the stars in different ways according to which of a number of buttons you push. For example you can select the systems that we've visited, you can select systems that lie in a given classification. It should be a wow with visiting junior astronauts. I'll take you to the museum, and then I must leave you. There's a lot to do before tomorrow."

When I reached my outer office, I asked Kate, "Where are Paulsy and Benson?"

"In your office," she replied. "They needed your input on something."

I entered my office and greeted the pair, "And what can I do for you two today?"

It was Charles Benson who answered me, "We want your opinion on this. What do you think?"

I accepted the gizmo that he handed me and turned it over examining it.

"What is it?"

A female voice from inside the device answered, "It is your personal communication device connected to your new spacecraft, Admiral. In addition, it enables me to locate you as long as you remain in range. For example, I perceive that you are currently in your office on the second floor of the Control Tower block. I also perceive that Commander Paulsy and Lieutenant-Commander Benson are in the office with you."