ENCOUNTER Hep Aldridge (best autobiographies to read .txt) 📖

“Well, we already have a rocket scientist on the team; why not have an interstellar alien to boot?” I added.

“And Tinkerbell,” Doc said, laughing.

We all broke up laughing then, and Reggie said, “You better not let Lithel hear you say that. I wouldn’t want to piss off that big ole cat beast she can turn into.”

Doc responded jovially, “Point well taken.” As mirth became the tone of our meeting, we all reveled in the moment. The joy and humor were real, but I could tell there was an underlying release of tension that may be helping drive it, as well as a feeling of satisfaction of a mission accomplished. All positive things, but all only a precursor of the tasks ahead, I thought.

“Alea iacta est.”

The die is cast.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The following two days were a whirlwind of activity as we finalized plans with Jeannie and began preparing for our departure. True to her word, Jeannie called us together and presented us with two very secure but nondescript-looking containers. One held around fifty lightweight gray balls, each a little smaller than ping pong balls but with a spongy consistency. One of these, she explained, when introduced into a water supply, would release a cleansing and purifying agent that is self-replicating, with almost limitless use. It could turn the vilest, polluted water source into pure, clean water, while not instantly, very quickly no matter what the pollutants, chemical, mineral, waste of any kind, even radioactivity.

Once introduced, it would be able to spread to all water it came in contact with. It would not degrade over time yet is undetectable if the water were analyzed. It would not affect the salinity of saltwater, only pollutants that might be present.

The second container held fifty or so small square boxes about the size of a paper clip box. They contained a derivative of the water purifier, except this was airborne. When activated, it would disperse a purifier that eradicated air pollutants over vast areas. It was also self-replicating and stayed active in the atmosphere for years. While not as pervasive as the water purifier, it would lose some of its potency over time the further it spread from its source. Jeannie said her people have used both of these for thousands of years and on many planets and have not found any environment they cannot clean. Once activated, the air purifier would clean an area of two to three thousand square miles and last for years before a new unit would need to be activated, if needed.

The last package contained a device that looked somewhat like the cutting/welding tool Joe had used to repair Jeannie’s power source. There was a metallic-looking glove and a thin silver device, eight by ten inches, with an area at the top that was a display surface. She said this was a water detection and drilling device. Activating the device required touching a red spot on its surface. The device would then scan the underground area below it, like sonar, and show water deposits, size, and depth. The glove device would create a hole or shaft, the diameter of which was adjustable, down to the water supply. Jeannie said the device disintegrated the material it cut through and formed hardened walls as it operated. There would be no worry of wall collapse after its use, no matter which shaft diameter was chosen.

This was amazing stuff, and when she finished with her explanation, I asked her if she could kind of explain how they did what they did. Jeannie laughed and said, “Colt, I don’t mean to insult you, but I’m afraid your world’s understanding of science and physics doesn’t even come close to being able to comprehend how these devices work, so please forgive me if I don’t go into those details right now. Perhaps someday, I can share more specifics with your scientists.”

Joe let out a low whistle and said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

We all saw the humor and truth in Arthur C. Clarke’s familiar quote.

I even think Jeannie got it when she said, “For now, yes, we’ll just call it magic,” as she disappeared.

An hour or so later, we were wrapping up our packing when Jeannie reappeared and said she wanted us to accompany her. We followed and wound up back at the storeroom we had seen days earlier. She entered the chamber with the lounges in it and asked us to have a seat, lay back, and relax. By now, we knew better than to question Jeannie and did as she requested. She left the room and entered what we had previously identified as the control room. The light in the room began turning blue, and she told us to close our eyes as it grew brighter.

I remember a sense of well-being, serenity, and revitalization engulfing me. I relaxed and soaked in the feelings with a hint of what was now occurring. It lasted about ten minutes, and then Jeannie said, “There, you may open your eyes and get up.”

She entered the room, and Doc said, “Did you just do what I think you did—actually extend our lifespans?”

“Not quite,” she replied. “You will age, but I did, however, provide you with eternal good health—immunity to the diseases that ravage your population, cancer, heart disease, and all others. Your aging will happen more slowly than any of your peers. At the age of seventy, you will still have the health and vitality of a fifty-year-old. One day, you will die peacefully, unless individually you decide to return to the Citadel and live on indefinitely, guiding future researchers in the use of the library.”

We were stunned, not only at what just happened but the fact that Jeannie had just opened the door for any of us to return if we wanted to. As I looked at my colleagues’ faces, I saw the realization of what she said sinking in. I looked at Jeannie and said, “I don’t