Earthrise: 2176 [Published - Sample Only]

Chapter 2.3 - The Discovery (Part 3) V2.1

Chapter 2.3 - The Discovery (Part 3) V2.1

Fleet headquarters was moving the project along at record pace. Even before the latest test run, they were already looking into future ship design. As it turned out, the current generation of ships thrust for a few days or weeks and then cruised in microgravity until turnaround and then decelerated to their destination. That meant was most of the voyage was at zero-g and the ships were designed to use the interior spaces in all three dimensions. With the Scott-Mittal Field as it was being called; ships were again going to have an actual up and down orientation. As the ship designers started working on the new designs everything started looking like boats and submarines. Some things never change.

Later in 2168, after finalizing the grav plate design, Doctor Scott congratulated his team. "Mynah, Mick, you two are amazing. In less than three hundred days, you've turned a kludged together lab demo unit into a fully documented manufacturing prototype. Tonight, dinner is on me at the best steakhouse in town."

A couple of hours later, Doctor Scott told the AI in the auto-cab to make one stop before going to the restaurant. Waiting on the curb outside of her building was engineer Mynah Mittal. The classic black dress and iridescent wrap she was wearing left Robert speechless. As she demurely entered the cab, he managed to stammer. "Wow, you look great tonight."

"Thanks, Bobby, well you should know by now that I do wear things other than lab coveralls..."

"Indeed. You were very, um, professional looking in Zurich if I remember..."

"What, you didn't seem to disapprove of my wardrobe then, Doctor..."

The brilliant physicist was again completely outside of his comfort level. "No, yes, I don't know! What I mean to say, is that you looked beautiful then and are more beautiful now. Is that okay?"

Mynah smiled and pecked Robert on the cheek. "Bobby, you can't tell a girl that she is talented, beautiful and smart enough times in a day!"

Robert held Mynah's hand tightly. He whispered to her. "Thanks. I'm not good at this, but, um, I like, you know, being with you..."

Mynah answered Robert's consternation with the lightest of a kiss on the cheek.

At the restaurant, they were met by Mick Jones and Colin Mackenzie. After ordering cocktails for the group, Commander McKenzie offered a toast to the team. "Congratulations Doctor Scott, Ms. Mittal, and you Mick. This will truly be the next great revolution in technology!"

They all clinked glasses.

Scott returned the toast. "Thanks to you for sending us Mick. He's a miracle worker! Without him, I don't know how long it would have taken us to get this technology to Fleet specs. Here's to Mick!"

After a nice meal, good conversation and the coming together of new friends, the group went their separate ways. Robert was not surprised to see Mick head to the bar for a nightcap. He and Mynah shared an auto-cab for the ride home. They rode in silence. Robert found that somehow without intending to, he was holding Mynah's hand. As the cab stopped at her building and the door opened she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. "Thanks for a great night Bobby, maybe we can do this again. Just the two of us?"

Looking slightly stunned, Robert looked directly into her beautiful green eyes. "It's a deal, I would really like that."

The next morning as he was sitting at his desk, Doctor Scott got a call from an old classmate. After he accepted the call, the video screen showed the bearded face of Doctor Rolf Schmidt. Rolf had been working very hard for several months on the calibration of the ELIGO gravity wave detector at the CERN laboratory in the Euro Union.