Excerpt From Project Deep Space Morrie's Shell Game A Science Fiction Story by H. Preston

Morris Stamper -- Known in the boardroom as 'Morrie', came up 'through the ranks' in the world's largest aerospace transportation company.  Morrie recognized the importance of the discovery of the new material that could provide propulsion without a need for expendable fuel and felt that he had 'arrived' when the research and development project was assigned to his department.

Ted Franklin, the Chairman of the board and principal shareholder of ITC took a personal interest in this project and classified it as top secret.  He handled the details of the project himself.  Morrie knew this was normal for ‘the boss’ -- he liked to have ‘hands on’ contact with important new projects, but that couldn’t last long -- he usually backed off and let the department heads take over when the new project was integrated into the business.

This one -- thought Morrie, would become the biggest department in the company.  It was the next stage in the development of space travel and he was determined that when it became a normal part of the company, he would move up with it.

Ted Franklin agreed with Stamper, that this was the most important discovery that had ever occurred in the space industry -- but he had his doubts about Morris Stamper -- he felt Stamper was a little too rough around the edges for the PR work this job would entail.  He felt that Mike Strohm, the spacecraft commander who had made the discovery, could handle the job better. Since it would require coordination with the aircraft manufacturer that would build the engine, Strohm’s knowledge of space ships and his experience on this job was needed, while Morrie had not really been involved at that point.

Stamper was upset when he was not offered the job and had decided to seek other employment.  He had an offer from one of the company's competitors, who had said he would hire him if he could divert some of ITC’s major business to his firm.  Morrie was looking for a way to fulfill that request when the foreman of the propulsion shop asked him about a problem he was having in the construction of the new engine.  The drawing showed 40 sheets of the propulsion material in each of the eight sectors, but the first sector they tried to assemble would only hold 39 sheets, instead of the planned 40.  Stamper told the foreman to stop work on that part of the job and tell no one about the problem.

Stamper returned to his office and using his computer terminal linkage to the engineering drawing files he withdrew and modified the power sector drawing to show that the design called for 39 sheets.  He then programmed an automated material handling robot to go into the shop store room that night and steal eight sheets of the material, leaving the correct number of sheets to install 39 sheets in each sector.  The robot put the eight stolen power element sheets between two sheets of aluminum in a crate designed for 10 sheets of aluminum, marked it for delivery to a damaged spaceship that was scheduled to arrive in 10 days and placed it in a storage area in the very same room from which it had been stolen.

In 10 days the material would be withdrawn from the storage area and delivered to the other company.  A week later, after the power element had been completed and sealed, Stamper went back to the propulsion shop and picked up the fake drawing he had given the foreman and sent it to the shredder.  He knew the engine would work just as well with eight sheets of the material missing, and nobody would miss it.  The rest of the scam was automatic -- he would accompany the robot to the destination spaceport and control the robot making the delivery.  He didn't mind being involved at that point, because he would not be returning to ITC -- ever.  He would have a new Job and eight million dollars in his pocket.

It was a well executed scam, which would have worked if the other company had not hired two crooks who decided to enter the facility to have a look around to see if there was something else they could steal.  They were detected by a team of security consultants, who followed them and prevented the removal of the material.  A bit of detective work by the security staff led them to evidence of Stamper's involvement in the caper.