Resources: Freedom Is Reborn Page 5

  "The environmental units and the food production units are taking longer than expected. I have been working with Theo on resolving the issue."

  "Cortana, Connect me to Theo using secure one."

  Cortana, "I have Theo on the line, connecting him now."

  Hello said Theo, "What can I do for you today Jim? Ben, I see you made it up to the station okay."

  Ben, "Yes it was an experience that you will not want to miss. I understand that we are having some issues with the habitat designs and building them out."

  Theo, "Yes, we had some problems with the two 50 foot test spheres that we built. Due to the lack of gravity, the environmental and hydroponic units didn't work correctly. When we ran the simulations of the design for the 250 and 1000 feet habitats, it predicted catastrophic failures for both units.

  So we decided to redesign the units to resolve the issues. Due to the nature of the problem, it entailed having a different design for a 250 foot and 1000 foot habitats. The units for the 250-foot sphere will take approximately 25% longer to build and the 1000 foot sphere units 200% longer although the modifications to the design did not take very much time."

  Jim, "We have come up with a couple of different ideas. The first is to build ten more 50-foot habitats and only a couple of the 250-foot habitats. The second is scale back the number of 250-foot habitats by half and take the extra time to build the units. The third is to continue building 250-foot habitats and install only the environmental unit. We would then take the hydroponic units and install all of them in a 250-foot habitat dedicated to hydroponics. The larger size would allow an expanded hydroponic system which would be more robust and have expanded food diversity. When we build the 1000 foot habitats, we would be able to incorporate both the environmental and hydroponic units."

  Ben, "I can see right now that the first option will not work. That would increase our number of launches significantly and throw our timetable off quite a bit. Before we make a decision, I may ask you why the hydroponics units would be removed from some of the spheres?"

  Theo, "Originally the design was to have each sphere be entirely self-sufficient. By removing the hydroponics unit, we can increase the population of the 250-foot habitat by a factor of four. The 250-foot habits being used exclusively for hydroponics would grow 8 times the amount of food that would've been grown in the original design. We will also be able to add some automated harvesting which will cut down on labor."

  "Theo and Jim it seems like you've already made your decision," said Ben. "From everything you've told me it seems like option three is the best one for us at this time."

  Theo "Yes that's what we were feeling."

  "I agree," replied Jim as he brought up the next slide. "With my experience in cellular and IT systems, I have broken security down into several areas. They are voice, data, facilities, and station.

  I am treating the voice and data as one since they are both digital anyway. The first thing we did was install a complete cell tower system on the space colony. I thought that it would be best to have an integrated system in place for encryption security. The next step was to develop an app that could be used on cell phones, computers, tablets, and notebooks.

  As you know, we recently released the secure one app for cell phones and tablets. Shortly we will be releasing USB dongles for computers which include PCs, laptops, and notebooks.

  We developed secure one in-house at the space colony to control its development and maintain security. The updating portion of the software uses four levels of encryption. The reason for so many is that each device needs to communicate with our servers for updates.

  The encryption for voice and data are two levels and the encryption changes with each use. Each device communicating is registered to a user or a facility. As an additional security feature, the software does transmit the GPS location every time it is used.

  The USB dongle also has "Secure One" but with a different set of encryption keys assigned, since these will primarily stay in one location.

  While we were developing Secure One, we realized due to several safety accidents and one death that we needed some way to make people aware of safety issues and prevent accidents. One of our app programmers mentioned that when cargo is received, they have RF IDs tags and readers to verify what is received. After some talk, the second app "Station One" was developed to address the safety issues."

  After keying the next slide, Jim continued, "Self-Sufficiency, this area is something both easy and yet hard. We divided it into three categories required, known, and desired/unknown. The required are housing, atmosphere, food, and clothing. These four areas break down into most items that we will need for self-sufficiency and are shown on the list. The known is composed of items we need but can be manufactured on site. Now the unknown or desired list was recently added due to some suggestions from station residents. For example, one person suggested that we print murals and post them on the walls to break up the light gray color. This has raised morale significantly on the Space Station, and we will be carrying it over to the habits. Along with this, we instituted a weekly contest where everyone is encouraged to suggest something. It is a popular program and has helped us to determine areas that are lacking in self-sufficiency."

  Present Next slide.

  Jim, "Misdirection is an area that I think we should talk about in depth. As we get closer to the deadline to shut down everything in space we are going to have to misdirect the authorities from what we are doing. For example, how do we explain the sphere habitats when we are shutting everything down? Again I have divided it into several different areas.

  Space colony spheres, ground facilities, all lifter types, materials, and personnel."

  "I've given this some thought on my own and as a group through SDH. We have prioritized the bulk cargo lifters to bring most of the bulk cargo up as soon as possible to avoid issues. Now the other cargo lifters are designed to haul liquids or solids which are the majority of the launches. Bulk materials and liquids are much denser and require fewer launches than manufactured goods. So it was decided early on that we would transport materials in bulk and then use them to manufacture what we need with 3-D printing and manufacturing equipment. As to ground facilities and personnel, it didn't occur to us that there could be issues there."

  "Theo and some of our ground employees have reported that they are starting to get questions about the materials and personnel that are going into orbit," Jim stated.

  Theo, "I also been seeing similar issues and have been handling them in a couple different ways. For the personnel that we are sending into space, I have indicated that they are there to help with the construction and deployment of spheres. For the stockpiling of materials, I have shown that the same reason applies."

  Jim, "Thanks, Theo, I have gotten some requests for information about the spheres we are constructing. At first, I was not sure how to answer the question in a way that would not seem like we were going to stay in space. Then one of my engineers remembered a project from the 50s, keep in mind this is before satellites. Back then to facilitate communications around the globe, some low-tech satellites were launched. These were just balloons that were blown up and had a metallic surface. Their purpose was to reflect radio waves back towards the earth that was directed at them.

  When the FBI asked, I suggested to them that the spheres we are deploying are a low-tech way to replace satellites that fail in the future. Especially since the technology, infrastructure and funds to launch a replacement wouldn't be available.

  Now there are some supplies that we just cannot explain away so easily. These would be things like seeds, electronics, robotic equipment, and rocket engines. What thoughts do you have, Ben?"

  Ben, "Well the simplest way would be to ship the items to a third-party site labeled as something else and then pick them up from there. Additionally, some of the components of the robotics could be broken down, and then they could be identifiable as spare parts. I will have SDH set up some shell compan
ies to purchase and ship these type of items to third-party warehouses for pickup."

  Jim, "As I understand it when the lifters have completed their final delivery to the space colony, some will be torn down for materials and the remainder re-purposed as spaceships."

  Ben opened, "Yes that is correct, and to facilitate the recycling of the materials, the lifters were built with a modular design. It has helped to avoid the waste we normally see when recycling complex machines.

  I think we have covered a lot of information today. Did you or Theo have any other issues at this time?" No one had any details or questions.

  "Since there are no further questions I am going to get some sleep and be ready to head back to earth tomorrow. Thank you for your time gentleman."

  Miami International Airport, Miami FL

  It was probably one of the roughest flights that I had ever endured. To top it off, I had to take a later flight which meant that I would have to stay an extra day. Hopefully, the local FBI Agent will be waiting, and take me to the hotel for the night.

  As I am waiting for my bag and looking around, I see a man in a shabby suit and tie holding a sign saying "Therron Chane" like something out of a movie. I grabbed my overnight bag and walked over to introduce myself.

  Holding out my hand, "Therron Chane, and you are?"

  "Junior Agent Chevy Chase, the car is just outside in the official personnel spot." Said, Agent Chase. "So, where do we start?"

  "Since I was unable to catch the early flight, and it was quite rough, let's call it a day. If you would, please take me to the hotel. Do you have that information on Seaward Housing and Engineering that I requested? I would like to study it tonight before the interview tomorrow."

  Junior Agent Chevy Chase, "Yes, I brought it with me. The information is on this thumb drive and in the folder, I'm going to give you. After you had contacted our office yesterday, I went ahead and set up surveillance of the company."

  "Agent Chase, I appreciate the initiative you took in setting up the surveillance of Seaward. Please inform me of any information that may change overnight, and tomorrow pick me up at 8:30 AM." I indicated while getting out of the car at the hotel. After closing the car door, I headed for the check-in desk.

  As I reached the check-in desk, the clerk asked, "May I help you, sir?" Her name tag indicated that her name as Rosie.

  "Yes, Rosie. My name is Thereon Chane, and I have a reservation."

  Rosie replied, "I see that you are preregistered. If you would sign the guest book, I have your key card right here. Per your reservation request, we have you on the first floor in room 127. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Chane".

  "Yes, I would like a 7 AM wake-up call tomorrow."

  "Just a moment... Your wake-up call is set up for 7 AM. You have a good evening Mr. Chane."

  Heading for my room, I noticed the hotel restaurant and decided to stop in for a bite to eat. I recognized the well-known Cuban restaurant from previous trips to Miami.

  ******

  As I entered my room, I was still savoring how good the meal was since it had been a while since I'd had Cuban cuisine. After loosening my tie, I turned on the news and relaxed for a little bit. Realizing how late it was getting, I sat down at the desk to review the information that Chase had given me.

  After booting up the laptop, I inserted the USB dongle. I quickly copied the files to my documents. After an hour of working, I realized that I wouldn't learn anything more until the interview of the owner of Seaward Housing and Engineering a Mr. Theodore Truman was conducted. After shutting down everything, I completed my nightly routine and went to bed.

  ******

  The hotel phone ringing wakes me from a deep sleep. "Hello?"

  "Mr. Chane, this is your 7:00 am wake up call."

  Mumbling a thank you, I hung up the phone. It seemed like, I had just laid down a few minutes ago. Stumbling into the bathroom, I start the coffee pot and get ready for the day.

  Even though the coffee was horrible, I choke down 3 cups before heading to the lobby, to wait for Agent Chase. Entering the lobby, I grab a courtesy copy of the Miami times and sit down. In the paper an article regarding an interview with Theodore Truman about Seaward Housing and Engineering catches my attention.

  The interview stated that "Mr. Truman grew up working on a fishing trawler with his father and uncle where he developed a love of the sea and engineering. He started Seaward Housing and Engineering right out of college with the belief that we could live in harmony with the oceans." A side note indicated that Mr. Truman, "Never seems to be without a cup of coffee and is a very hands-on type of person."

  "Agent Chane are you ready to go?" inquired Agent Chase. It was odd that I got so involved in the article that he was able to sneak up on me.

  "I was just finishing up an article in the paper. Let's go, how long will it take to get to Seaward Housing and Engineering?"

  "Technically the company is not in Miami, so it should take about 40 minutes," said Agent Chase, as he pulled away from the current curb.

  After settling in for the ride, I began to think about the information on Seaward and questions that I would ask Mr. Truman. I went through the reports again but didn't get any new insights. While nothing seemed to be out of order, my gut kept telling me differently. Thinking back on my years in the Bureau, I know that when I get this feeling something is not right.

  As we pulled into a parking lot, Agent Chase announced, "Well, here we are. That modest building over there is Seaward Housing and Engineering. By the look of the building, they don't seem to be too concerned with image." Through the office window, I can see a receptionist desk with a young lady sitting at it.

  Upon entering the young lady asks, "Can I help you with something, gentlemen?"

  "Yes, I am Senior Agent Therron Chane, and this is Junior Agent Chevy Chase with the FBI. We would like to speak with Theodore Truman."

  Receptionist, "Mr. Truman is currently out on the dock supervising the construction of a new ocean habitat. Let me page him, and he should be in, in a little bit. Please have a seat. Can I bring you some coffee or anything?"

  Therron, "I'd enjoy a cup of coffee." It wasn't long before the receptionist handed me a cup of coffee. The aroma smelled delightful, and when I took a sip, the rich flavor didn't disappoint. I can see why he always has a cup of coffee in his hand. I wonder where he gets the coffee from.

  Glancing up I see a large, muscular looking man entering from the door behind the receptionist. His hair seemed to have that natural windblown look to it. The face and arms are those of a man that spends his time out of doors as he reaches forward to shake my hand. I notice the calluses of a man that is not afraid of hard work.

  "Theodore Truman, what brings the FBI here to see us today?" asked Theo, while shaking my hand.

  Therron, "I am the head Senior FBI Agent in charge of verifying the president's executive order redirecting space resources to third world development is carried out. While going through some data, several questions cropped up regarding your involvement regarding space."

  "I'd be happy to answer your questions. Before we get started, let me give you a quick tour of the dry dock. It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes, and I think you will get a better understanding of what we do here," replied Theo.

  Once outside we could hear the cries of the seagulls overhead and the sounds of construction. My eyes were torn between the beautiful warm waters and sky of the Miami shore and the dry dock. Eventually, the dry dock won out for my attention.

  There was nothing traditional about this dry dock. It looked more like a giant had taken a bunch of steel girders and shaped them into a giant hollow sphere. At the top of the sphere hanging down, I could see a sparkling bubble that seemed to be slowly expanding down. It was beautiful to behold.

  "Agent Chane, what you are seeing is the construction of a sea habitat sphere." Said Theo, "We are expanding it slowly similar to blowing a bubble. The eight girders that form the structure are
there to shape the sphere as it is blown. They also allow us to use robotics to cut openings in the sphere. The material we use for constructing the sphere is a modified polycarbonate that once cured becomes super strong and transparent. It is then moved further down the dry dock, and a deck is attached around the perimeter. After that the mechanicals installed and the interior is completed to the customer's specifications. If you look out to the bay, you will currently see a couple of the spheres attached to our dock."

  As Mr. Truman talked, the sphere rapidly grew to encompass the entire center of the construction frame. There was no heat at all from the materials but an unusual smell that wasn't too unpleasant. As we turn to go, I see several lasers focus on a point and begin to cut out the door. It seemed to be about two-thirds of the way up the sphere side. It was amazing!

  "Gentlemen that completes the tour let's go to my office for those questions."

  Theo, "Please be seated gentleman. Before we get started, I'm going to refresh my coffee, Agent Chane would you like some more?"

  "I don't mind if I do. I seem to run on coffee. I would like to clarify with you a few things that I found in our information gathering."

  Theo, "I'm happy to work with you Agent Chane, regarding my company. Go ahead ask your first question."

  "While going through the information on your company, I did notice that there were references to something called SDH. After researching further, it was determined that this was probably a non-profit called Space Development Holdings is that correct?" I asked while watching how Mr. Truman reacted. There was a little start, as if he was surprised, that I knew of the relationship.

  "While it is not a secret, our relationship with SDH is not widely known. A couple of years ago a subdivision of Humanity Holdings approached us to design and build spherical space habitats. SDH has provided us with information on how materials react in space conditions, research into resolving the engineering problems, and contacts with other companies.

  We have finalized the design and had constructed some small 50 foot spheres when the President issued his executive order. Due to contractual obligations, Humanity Holdings is required to pay us for the number of spheres they contracted for regardless of the executive order. Humanity holdings came to us after that, requesting that we agree to cancel the contract. After some negotiations, we came to an agreement to construct the spheres with a metallic ingredient added."