Chapter 2: The Battleship

Jason looked at Stan as Lauren introduced him. His suit looked a little ill fitting, with an odd pattern. He was quite tall, at least six foot four, with a very ruddy complexion. His hair was a strange brown-green mixture, and was slicked down as if he used a hair-cream. His face was very ordinary and he wouldn’t be noticed in a crowd. He shook Jason’s hand somewhat awkwardly varying his pressure as if uncertain as to the appropriate pressure to use.

“I’m honored to meet you, Lord Kargo. I’m sorry to hear about your wife and your recent illness. I’m horrified to hear you were incarcerated and beaten up by thugs. You do look like you received a brutal beating.

“I hope that you can walk to the nearby park. I’ve brought along an AG belt ... uh, an antigravity belt ... that will make it very easy for you to walk. If necessary, we can simply tow you behind us,” said Stan in a raspy voice.

“That would be of great help, I can hardly walk more than ten paces,” said Jason as he fitted the belt which made him feel feather light, “Stan, please lead the way. Dan, can you tow me if I get tired?”

The shuttle was cloaked, as it sat in the nearby park. They could see a ramp and a circular doorway, but only a vague impression of something behind as they got close to it, then walked up the ramp with Jason towed behind Dan as they entered the shuttle. They had no appreciation of the size of the shuttle, as all they saw was the ramp and the opening leading to a passageway.

The shuttle could easily hold twenty people in their partitioned section. It was luxuriously appointed with wonderfully comfortable seats. Jason looked, unsuccessfully, for some sort of seatbelt while he waited to take off. He switched off his AG belt. In front of the seats, a large hologram appeared. It showed they had left Earth and were going past the moon despite having only moved into the shuttle less than five minutes previously. The shuttle was a red blinking icon with an arrow pointing ahead of it. They had moved a long way in surprisingly little time. Amazingly, there was no sensation of movement, nor any sound of engines. They could all clearly see Jupiter to their far left, but were heading towards what looked like a large blunt, wedge shaped object, suspended in space behind the planet.

“Wow, Grandpa, look at that! It looks very much bigger than a skyscraper! It’s ginormously huge!” Chuck shouted out excitedly. It was like a very blunt wedge with the sharp edge rounded off. As they drew closer it looked even bigger. It looked as if it could fit fifty block sized buildings within it. It looked easily as big as a building built on the site of an entire city block, or large shopping center that was five miles high. A few moments later they barreled through an opening iris, and came to a sudden stop in a huge hanger close to dual leaf doors. They slowly opened also, and the shuttle moved slowly forward. The entrance swallowed their transport, and they found themselves in a cavernous bay. Four passenger liners could have fit through the iris together, and at least two through the double doors. The shuttle settled on the deck, and the shuttle hatch opened. When they walked out, they saw the iris closing. As the large doors closed behind them they heard a loud ‘thunk,’ and felt the vibration through their feet. The bay looked much larger than that of the space shuttle hangers in Florida.

“Look at those things, Grandpa. They look excellent for fighting bugs. I hope they can give us one for home. Dad, could we park it on the lawn,” asked Chuck.

There seemed to be thousands of shuttles and gunships, some with projecting weapons of all types. They were parked more than fifty layers high, on shelves that reached the roof. Some were many times larger than the shuttle that they arrived on. When Jason looked back at the shuttle he could see that it was much bigger than he expected. It looked as if it could carry at least hundred and fifty people. Jason could see the others looking around the bay, as impressed as he was.

“Chuck, if we have time, you and Dad could ask if you can borrow a tape measure and you two can measure one of the smaller ones and see if we can fit one on the lawn. See if you can find a small one that hides itself like the one in the park. If it’s small enough, we can ask if we can get another one for Chloe. I’m sure she would find it useful. Then we could let you fly to school,” said Lauren smiling at them fondly. “It might save us a few minutes if the traffic is all backed up.”

Jason looked around at the size and scope of everything. He was inordinately impressed. It was a mind blowing level of technology, and very exciting. There was not a person to be seen.

“Grandpa, this is awesome. I can’t believe it,” Chloe said and turned to Lauren. “Mum, I’d definitely like one for home. I’d let you use it for shopping,” said Chloe excitedly.

“My Lord, I’m sure engineering could make two small craft for the children that could fit in the back garden. We can construct a hanger beneath the garden if you so wish?” Stan helpfully suggested to an open-mouthed Lauren, Dan and the children. “For shopping, I would suggest one the size we used today. You could then take many of your friends. It’s also good for interplanetary travel and can even travel to the Empire. It’s not optimized for such travel, but if you wish we could change some of the interior to add two or three bedrooms. I would also suggest a bigger kitchen than the galley which is too cramped in my opinion.”

Jason smiled.

A multi-seat driverless open vehicle was headed their way, seemingly floating six inches above the ground. Stan seated them and they were rapidly transported to the medical area where they stepped out. The vehicle and the rapid trip fortunately distracted the two children from the recent topic.

“No one was driving, Grandpa, did you see that? It went so fast,” exclaimed Chuck.

Jason saw the vehicle lift off the ground and float away silently.

The medical center was impressive. Jason could see person sized white cigar like containers on platforms extending into the distance. There were comfortable looking seats sprinkled seemingly randomly in groups near each pod. Stan introduced them to the doctor, who looked frail and thin.

The doctor spoke to Stan for a few moments, before Stan excused himself saying that he had other matters requiring his attention, but would return when Jason had completed his treatment. She suggested they sit in the lounge area when all was done and wait for his return.

The doctor took over, and ushered them to one of the cigar like receptacles and spoke:

“I would like to welcome you to the ship, and its facilities. Stan tells me that you’ve been ill, Jason, and recently beaten up. Someone obviously did a real job on you. Your bruises are quite impressive. If you would like to head this way and step into the pod, it will do the necessary evaluation, and treat your injuries. I suspect we can do a lot for you. We can then discuss any concerns and answer questions. In simple and routine cases, you would probably be in the pod for three to five minutes, but it can be significantly longer for more complex illnesses and long established physical problems. You will feel no pain or discomfort, but it may well talk to you,” he said.

Jason felt that he had very little to lose, so he stepped into the pod, helped by Dan. He felt light headed climbing up the step and over the lip of the pod, and his balance seemed even more off than usual.

The pod closed around Jason. He felt quite comfortable.

“Welcome to the medical facilities of the Empire. These facilities can diagnose and treat nearly all known medical problems,” said the disembodied voice of a very superior, arrogant sounding woman.

“The diagnostic module has completed its evaluation; you have many physical and medical conditions that need to be treated. The estimated time in the pod will be seven hours. There is much work to be done that can’t be hurried. I have informed the doctor of this and your family. They will enter pods themselves, and then will receive a guided tour of the ship.

“Please await our intervention: the treatment module is commencing treatment; the sleep inducer will commence and by request of Stan you will learn the language: Empire Standard. You will also receive an overview of the history of the Empire.”

“Treatment is complete, you are now fully well, you may exit the pod. You are honored to be a recipient of the superior medicine of the Empire. Hail Emperor Cassius our Emperor, and his Empress Alana. Welcome to the Empire, Duke Kargo. Basic gene optimization has been accomplished. Forty-seven conditions have been isolated and rectified.

“Any complaints or suggestions may be made to the doctor. Please exit the pod as expeditiously as possible to make it available for service to eligible personnel.”

The top split open. Jason sat up and climbed out, carefully and cautiously. From his elevated position, he saw thousands of pods extending into the distance. The facility was empty except for his family. Lauren was looking very tense and anxious. Chloe was looking very cheerful as were Chuck and Dan. Lauren asked, “How was it?”

“I climbed in, it was comfortable. The pod arrogantly said that it was able to diagnose and treat nearly all medical problems, then said diagnosing, then said treating, I then fell asleep and when I woke it told me that it had fixed all kinds of problems. It told me unceremoniously to get out as it needed to be available to eligible personnel. Great job, I assume, but the worst bedside manner I’ve ever encountered.”

The doctor entered the room cheerfully whistling.

“Jason, you are fully well. As requested by Stan we optimized your DNA, but we have removed your early myeloma, your type II diabetes, fixed your neck, we have repaired your facial bones and skull, have dealt with your chronic sinusitis and pollen allergy, your crooked and broken arm was straightened and the cartilage in your knees was fixed. Your three thoracic compression spinal fractures were repaired. You were slightly shortsighted and had cataracts beginning in both eyes. All of that has been fixed. Your noise related ear damage was repaired. Before I forget, your teeth were also straightened and whitened. Your hair has been repaired and will return.

“We removed a large amount of fat and we have also repaired your heart, and have reconditioned all of your organs and muscles, and have removed extraneous matter from your brain and throughout your body. You will get a detailed report sent to you on your communication device as will all your family when treated. We have removed all gene risk factors for disease. What this means is, effectively your body has returned genetically to the age of twenty, but it’ll take your body two months, at least, to change back to the appearance of that age. You already look twenty years younger as we have entirely reconditioned your skin. You won’t recognize yourself in three months. We’ll check your progress weekly while you are onboard. Your heart required extensive work. we’ll grow you another one if the result is not to your satisfaction. It takes a week to grow, but extensive rehabilitation is needed for any new limb or organ.

“In the Empire, you can live forever; barring accident or misadventure. The oldest people in the Empire are sixty-three thousand years old, which is the age of the gene repair and the advanced medical technology. There’s no reason that we can see, that anyone will die. If anyone deteriorates, we simply put them back in the pods.

“I’m going to put Jason into a rehabilitation pod for half an hour. I suggest that now you all are rested and can see that Jason is all right, that you all go through pod therapy yourselves. There’s no reason not to. It’s a big job so it’ll take fifteen to twenty minutes,” she said, and led each of them to a different pod.

She put them inside before returning to chat to Jason.

“You are scheduled to meet Stan in an hour and a half. The family toured the ship, and have had some exposure to the educational systems.

“Doctor what is the myeloma that was fixed?”

“It’s a cancer that was in the earliest stages of evolution in you. We know how it develops and have corrected the deficit in your immune system that directs strategy. Your system will pick it up in future and destroy it before it can establish itself and start to grow.

“Jason, for us, what we have done for you isn’t our most complex medicine. Our technology is sixty-five thousand years ahead of yours, but much of what we have done for you would be discovered on your planet in the next few thousand years. I’ll continue to speak to you while you are in rehabilitation,” she said as she helped Jason into the rehabilitation pod and closed the lid. Her voice was easily heard but sounded a little tinny.

“Your family wanted to wait for you before they had the full treatment, including gene optimization. What that means is any genetic risk factor that they have for heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease ... or for that matter; any illness ... will be diagnosed and rectified. We don’t know the limits of life with this technology. Our oldest people are still fit, healthy, and well. People return to the pods for further evaluation every ten years, or if injured, or in rare cases of illness.

“I understand you will be joining us, and in fact you are the person we came to fetch. Your family is very well known in the Empire and your great-grandfather was one of the Kings. From what I can see your genes are very much part of the royal family, and I know the Emperor is your great uncle. Let me put you into the rehabilitation pod, which is only for a half an hour which will help accelerate the process of your muscle reconditioning.

Jason left the pod half an hour later, and was joined by his family.

The doctor loaded them onto another floating transport, which took them to a room that Stan later told them was close to the bridge. The room looked like a luxurious boardroom, with attractive abstract art on the walls and comfortable chairs that looked very similar to many in board rooms that Jason had seen over the years. Two people dressed as waiters pushed a trolley with food and drink to the table, then unloaded the trolley onto the table and silently left the room. Jason saw that Chloe was bursting to talk, but didn’t want to do so in front of other people. She waited ‘til they left.

“Grandpa,” said Chloe, “that stuffy pod woman told me that she has fixed my diabetes! She said she has put some slow acting insulin into me while my pancreas is recovering over the next week. She said after that I won’t need any more insulin, but she said I need to be checked for the next few weeks. She wants to see me back there a few times. She also said that she has optimized my genes and has prevented me from getting a whole lot of sicknesses.”

“That’s great, Chloe, I’m so pleased for you,” said Jason enthusiastically, “I hope it works out well. How are you doing, Chuck?”

“I’m fine, Grandpa. I did get a shock as that horrible pod woman did tell me that I could get pretty sick by the time I was eighteen and that she would fix me and prevent me from getting sick in the future.”

“How are you feeling, Dad?”Lauren asked while they continued to wait for Stan.