1.A new generator
2.One of the two plasma engines
3.A hydrogen engine
4.A shielding system
5.The lower part of the right wing
6.An oxygen converter
7.A laser unit
“Okay. Has your boss scheduled a parts delivery yet?” I inquire.
“Not yet. He did get a report from BZ-2’s main computer, but he is still waiting for this list. Let me get back in communication with him and let him know what we need,” says Leo as he turns around and disappears inside of the ship. A short while later he confirms that he established communication and requested the parts.
Chapter 27
Developing “Project Earth”
“Okay Jon, what else can we do meanwhile?” I ask.
“Let’s meet up and see what ideas we can put together for ‘Project Earth’.”
We return to the house and gather around the kitchen table.
Jon begins, “We want to hear from you, what ideas you may have that will start to bring about a change here on Earth.” Jon wants Gina and me to come up with ideas. After all, it is our planet, and our responsibility to start to do something about it.
“Thanks to you, Lee and I are very aware of things and the need for change,” says Gina, looking at Jon and Leo. “Certainly, there are many more things we don’t know about yet, but we know enough to feel the importance of getting the word out and making others aware of the condition of our world and the truth about the current state of affairs. An idea would be to speak about a different subject every week to raise awareness. Here is a list of things we have come up with.” She hands them a handwritten note:
1.The Power of Communication
2.Drugs and the “Drug Industry”
3.Children and our Future
4.Human Values
5.The Power of the Mind
6.Your Power as a Human Being
“We have to figure out a way to tap into the main communication systems of Earth to get the most coverage,” I tell them while they look over the paper with the list of items.
“I think that’s where we need most of your help. Oh, no that’s not true,” Gina corrects herself, “we also need a lot of help gathering information and translating the material into all possible languages of Earth. Anyhow, this is the first step of our plan, we just don’t know how we are going to accomplish all of it,” she ends.
“I have an idea…” I start to say, but Jon suddenly interrupts me.
“Got your thought Lee. I think it is possible, but let us hear it from you.”
“We develop messages on every one of those subjects. Then, we use the ship’s computer system to translate the messages into the different languages of Earth. Then the ship’s communication system can send it to all the satellites of Earth and transmit! Can your ship do that?” I ask with excitement, hoping for nothing but a “yes” answer.
“Well, the translation is possible for sure. But in order to tap into the satellites of Earth, we would have to install a small transmitter on various satellites to control them fully, and to be able to transmit the message to the right region or zone, in the right language, and at the right time. There is a small bit of programming involved—nothing major. The ship can do it, but we do need those transmitters,” says Jon, not disappointing me at all.
“Very smart Jon. So we need the ship repaired in order to go around installing those devices on every satellite?”
I turn to Gina, who is already searching the internet, and ask her, “Gina, can you please find out how many active satellites there are around Earth?”
Jon looked at Leo and they both started to laugh. “About 2000 communication satellites by now,” says Leo.
“What?” I ask very surprised and a bit disappointed. “So many! I don’t think we can get those devices at Radio Shack, either. Do you guys have that kind of stuff back at the Base?”
With a comforting voice, Jon begins to explain, “There are many satellites. But don’t you worry. We don’t need to place a transmitter on each satellite. Here is how it works: Satellites are linked by regions, providing global communication with high bandwidth capacity, allowing a wide range of them to communicate with each other. That means we only need to place a transmitter for every time zone and we should be able to reach the whole world. I will do better calculations and figure out how many we really need. And to answer your earlier question: yes, we should have this type of transmitter at the Base. We may have to manufacture some additional ones—I will check with the boss. He also has to get with the Engineering Department and see what they have.” I keep looking at Jon and Leo. Completely amazed of how much stuff these guys know. Nothing seems impossible to them.
I pull the laptop and start to Google some data, just to show off. “Do you guys know that most communications satellites are placed in orbit at an altitude of 22,300 miles above the Earth? This is known as a geostationary or synchronous orbit. This allows the satellite to orbit Earth at the same speed as the rotation of Earth. As a result, the satellite appears to be stationary above the same location on Earth.” I sit back and wait for them to be surprised and perhaps ask questions.
“Yes Lee. That’s old data. We read about it. That’s an old article published by: Megan G., on April 17th, 1997.” They both chuckle.
“Well,” I smile, “I better use my time wisely and make some coffee.” I pull out my coffee kit and start brewing some fresh coffee.
“So, if you have these devices at the Base… can they be brought along with the parts for the ship?” Gina asks.
“Well, like I said,” Jon replies, “I will check with the Base. They could be delivered if we have them.”
“Right!” says Gina. “I would love to start creating and developing the messages for the campaigns, while we find out about those transmitters. I want to start gathering information and coming up with ideas for every subject. Can I get Leo’s help? I know he is really good with this kind of things.”
“Sure!” says Leo. “It will be my pleasure to work with you Gina. I bet Sarah can pitch in some ideas too.” He jokes as he grabs Sarah from Gina’s lap.
“I have an idea,” says Gina. “Lee and Jon can keep working on fixing the ship and Leo and I will start to work on this project.” She is very proud to show that she is also taking on responsibility.
It seems like the perfect moment for one of my jokes. “Wait a minute Gina!” I stand up and voice with authority, “Have you forgotten who decides things around here?” I give her a stern look, “Jon and I can keep working on fixing the ship while you and Leo will start working on the project,” I say, repeating exactly what she had just suggested. The boys had gotten the joke way before I finished my sentence and were already laughing.
Gina just rolls her eyes throughout, stands up and tells me, “Okay Lee, get to work!”
“Aye aye, Captain,” I say while rushing out of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, and head back to the garage along with Jon.
Chapter 28
Repairing the Ship
Back in the garage, Jon establishes communication with Reko once again and briefs him on our new plans. He also tells him about the devices we need in order to tap into Earth’s satellites and broadcast our campaign. Reko likes our plan and promises to do what he can to get us what we need.
“So what’s next Jon? What else can we do here?” I ask.
“We have to replace a lot of parts, and can start by removing the damaged ones from the ship. You know about mechanics, don’t you?”
“Yes, mechanics is one of my favorite fields; mechanics, computers, and electronics. But Earth stuff, you know. I am not sure how helpful that is.” I reach for a couple of toolboxes that I had brought inside of the garage and open them up. “Got some tools here.”
“Perfect! Tools and knowledge are all we need.” Jon points out with excitement. “I have never had to change parts on a ship. That’s not my area of expertise, but I got some basic
training a while ago, and at least I know the various parts and their functions.”
“I’m sure we can figure it out.” I start by opening the hood that covers the plasma engines. “These things look amazing,” I voice while looking at the silver engines, with golden pipes and fittings, and various ducts that bring cables to the main controls. These engines are not big but they are powerful, I know they are. One of them shows signs of damage, a burned, black area on its side must have been overheated. Some cables are partially burned—“toasted” is the technical word we use in electronics. “Are these parts very expensive Jon? I mean, this whole ship is not cheap, of that I’m sure.”
He smiles and then says to me, “The cost of material things is not a concern for us, life is. They will just send the parts, granting we still have some in stock, which we should.”
I shake my head and chuckle, “It’s crazy Jon.”
“Why?”
“For most people, here on Earth, it’s all about money. You are as strong or have as much power, as you have money, possessions, or material things. It’s not about how many people we can help. It is not anywhere close to the way you guys operate. There are many with humanitarian causes who work hard to help others, but…”
He stops my speech to make a comment of his own, “I am sure we are going to turn things around, and we have got to do it fast! ‘Project Earth’ will succeed,” he says while placing one of his hands upon my shoulder and looking at me in a reassuring manner.
“Right!” I say, nodding and looking into his eyes.
We stick our heads inside another compartment, one that contains the hydrogen generator. “It stinks in here,” Says Jon while covering his nose. The smell of burned silicone-like material is still very strong.
“I am sure there are a few cooked transistors in here Jon.”
“Cooked?”
“That’s another technical word—cooked… toasted!”
We start to take parts of the ship off. I get more and more fascinated by looking at them. There are so many intricate pieces, which any Earth engineer would die to put his hands on, check out, and take apart to find out what kind of technology is in them.
The engines are fastened to the ship via some special engagement, which strongly secures them to the main chassis. They keep the engines from coming loose when traveling at high speeds. These parts require special tools in order to get them disassembled—tools that we don’t have. Jon gets in touch with the Base, one more time, and adds the tools to our request list. He gets told to check back an hour. Meanwhile, we keep getting more parts out.
I then see a small opening at the bottom of the ship, the one which Jon and Leo had been using to get drinking water, to run the hydrogen generator, and for the oxygen converter unit of the ship, which basically kept them alive.
We remove the parts that need replacement and place them on the floor of the garage, all except for the engine parts, which we will take apart when the special tools arrive.
Jon gets back in communication with his boss to check in, and is told that the parts and tools will be delivered in two days, on Sunday at 6 am. They chose the time with the least amount of activity near our location, and thus little risk of being seen. No one lives close to our property, but it is better to be safe.
We all gather outside the ship and sit down on a bench. “Well done, guys!” I voice. “We deserve a break. Tomorrow is Saturday and we should at least go out so you guys can see the surroundings and…have some fun.”
“I would love to get out there and see the property Lee,” says Leo, jumping with excitement.
“Me too. Can we also ride those motorcycles Lee? Do you think we are big enough?” Jon asks with a big smile on his face.
“We can do anything, and you can try everything.”
We decide to relax, have some dinner, play with Sarah, and go to sleep.
Chapter 29
Another Adventurous Day
We get up at 8 am the next day, make some breakfast and start to get ready to go ride the bikes. Jon and Leo can’t hide their excitement. They walk ahead of me, rushing to the old garage and help me with whatever they can so we get going.
“This is what you guys can ride... it’s a quad, Gina rides it around the track,” I tell them.
“We will watch Gina ride it and then we can try,” says Leo, already setting foot on the machine.
I get on my motorcycle and head towards the track, Gina and the guys follow me on the quad.
We get there and I start to ride. It seems like such a long time since I last rode—when my brother last visited. It just seems so long ago and so many things have happened since.
I feel like “a legend” after having done a few laps on the track. I start to remember some of my friends, and favorite riders from back in the day: Ricky Carmichael Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, Chad Reed—those guys were fast! And even Travis Pastrana with his amazing stunts would be proud of me. I always watched them carefully and tried to pick up some knowledge from them. I admired them, so skilled, brave, and daring. I used to think to myself “why can’t I do all that stuff?” Well, it seems like today is that day. Maybe not on a track with ten thousand people watching me, but who cares? I now know who I am and what I am capable of doing.
I feel I can do anything with this bike. I could make it fly if I wanted to, but most of all I feel safe. I used to get hurt from time to time, but not anymore. I am able to correct any mistake and keep the bike from crashing.
The guys and Gina stop on the side of the track just to watch me ride. They wave and start to cheer. Now I feel like a Rock Star. I do a couple more laps, show off some more and then stop to see if the guys want to ride.
“Why don’t you guys start riding the quad?” I suggest.
“Sure!” says Jon, pointing for Leo to get next to him in the front seat, Leo jumps right in.
They get going with their first lap, kind of clumsy, but no accidents. They start to go faster during the second lap, still clumsy, making mistakes here and there, but literally making the quad fly so they won’t crash. It makes you think they are not used to Earth’s physical laws of gravity and centrifugal force. But they become Rock Stars after the fifth lap or so.
Then they decide to switch positions. Leo is now in front of the handlebars. Same story, but it only takes Leo three laps to become a Rock Star. They soon start to do double, and even triple jumps. “I thought I was a fast learner,” I say to Gina who is picking up her jaw off the ground.
“You guys rock!” I say to them as they get off the quad. They are laughing and so excited they can’t even talk. “I will be right back, don’t go anywhere!” I say while turning around and heading back to my old garage to get one of the smaller bikes, a 50cc Honda. It runs really well, I had modified it, too.
“Their feet will reach the foot pegs on this one,” I say to myself.
I ride the mini bike to the track and tell them, “Here, who wants to try two wheels first?”
“I do!” says Leo, approaching me in a rush, smiling excitedly.
I explain, “This is how you accelerate.” I take his small hand and make him grip on the throttle. I continue explaining to him how the bike operates including how to shift gears and use the brakes. “I also got you this helmet, I think it fits you, you should…” he takes off before I am able to pick up the helmet off the ground. “That little shit,” I mutter.
“He is a ‘Rock Star’ Lee. He doesn’t need a helmet,” says Gina while pulling out her video camera and getting ready to record Leo’s riding.
He stumbles a bit on his first lap, but then…well, he makes my riding look like I’m a beginner.
“I will be right back.” I head towards my old garage again and grab the second small bike, an old 80cc Kawasaki. It also runs okay, but the rear brakes are not working so well since my brother’s kids last rode it. I would tell Jon to be careful.
“Here Jon, jump on this thing. It works the same way as the one Leo is tra
shing right now, do you need a helmet?.…” He is gone, too.
“Well, I have no choice Gina.” I jump on my bike and start chasing the guys…well, try to chase them at least.
“Oh boy! This is going to be wild,” Gina says to Sarah. “I don’t know if you want see this Sarah…Look! Aren’t they wild?”
We stop an hour later. Jon is signaling me to stop. I think he finally got tired.
“We should go inside,” he says, gasping for air between words. “I perceive some other humans coming this way.”
“Those are not humans, those are cops.” I tell them as we see a police car coming down the road. “Let’s get inside.” We rush back to the house, get the bikes and quad inside, and close the garage door just before they pull into the driveway.
I recall having seen a helicopter pass by as we were riding. I hadn’t paid much attention, but it must have been one of the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) chopper. They routinely check open areas, parks, and hills for illegal riders. I have a permit to ride here though, so it won’t be a problem. But in any case, having them here now is not workable with my buddies from outer space so close by.
“Think of something guys!” I tell them as I head towards the door to meet the two officers.
“How are you Officers?” I say to the two men approaching my front door.
“Fine Sir. How about yourself?” one of them asks.
“Not bad. Having some fun on this awesome day,” I say cheerfully.
“Fun is good. Got a permit to ride in this area?”
“This is my property and I gave myself permission to ride,” I joke. They look at each other, unable to find anything funny about my joke. “Ah, just kidding officers. Here is my permit.” I hand them the document, which I had managed to grab from a drawer in the garage on the way in.
My jokes don’t seem to work on cops, never have. I should have known that. They have actually gotten me in trouble and even put me in jail once.
One of them grabs the permit, looks it over and hands it back to me, “Very good, son. We would like to take a look around your property,” the other officer says. “Just a routine inspection…” they start to scan the area close to the house.