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This section covers the arrangements made for Kerstin.
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Kerstin Settles In
Friday 15/05/2093
George awoke completely refreshed to find two nearly identical
girls on either side of him and Undepoldus on top of him. He had
to look hard at them to see which was which. Undepoldus sensed
that he was awake and crawled onto Marita.
George said quietly, "Thanks old buddy, you saved me from
these ravenous giants last night. "
The girls did not stir as George sat up so he carefully made his way off the bed without disturbing them further. It was strange to try to crawl over a gravity neutralised surface. His heels sank into it so that he could touch the sheets beneath and just get enough grip to move. It was a little like being on a large asteroid without having the risk of flying off into space. Without the encumbrance of a suit or even a formfit he could balance and nearly glide to the edge of the bed. As he felt the pressure of the restraining field at the edge of the bed he prepared for the sudden transition to normal gravity and sat down, extending his legs into the normal gravity field. He was pulled upright onto the floor in an instant and felt the compression of the blood vessels in his feet as they rapidly adjusted to his normal weight. The girls remained where they were, still fast asleep.
He turned to look at them to try to make a note of the small
differences in their bodies. there were slight signs of the difference
in their effective ages. Both had tiny skin blemishes that appeared
in different places. He noted that Kerstin was just as hairless
as Marita. She had evidently been given the same depilatory treatment
that was used by Spacers. George was reminded of the time when
he was first given the treatment. He was told that being bald
was a fair price to pay for never having to shave again. Being
hairless was a great benefit when wearing a formfit. It was said
that when formfits were first produced, they were very painful
to remove once they had been put on. They acted a bit like the
depilatory stockings once used by women to remove hair from their
legs.
George was showered and dressed by the time the girls woke up.
They spent some time looking at each other, noting how similar
they looked. George looked too. Kerstin had had plastic surgery
to her face to make her look almost exactly like Marita. Their
bodies were very similarly proportioned. In the virtual zero gee
environment, neither of them showed signs of age by the way their
breasts drooped.
George said, "It is time to get up ladies. Both of you
have got a lot of work to do. You have not only to look like each
other but to learn to act like each other. Marita, you will have
the hardest job to do to try to behave like a non-Spacer. I will
leave you two to start teaching each other how to behave while
I am having breakfast."
George knew that Marita had an early lecture so he guessed which
one was which when they arrived together in the dining room. Marita
was dressed in a light blue woollen dress with a darker blue jacket.
Her wig was long and blonde with the hair at the front covering
the sides of her face. Kerstin was wearing a short dark wig with
a white sweater with faded blue jeans.
The collar of Marita's formfit was visible but Kerstin was either not wearing one or had it concealed by the high neck of her sweater. As they joined George at his table, George tried to imagine them dressed in the opposite clothes. Even if they had been dressed to exchange roles, George was sure that he would have spotted who was who by their body language. Kerstin was evidently unfamiliar with the decor in the dining room. Marita took it for granted. Marita ignored passing Spacers wearing nothing but formfits but Kerstin could not avoid looking at them although she tried to copy the way Marita behaved.
The robowaiter knew which one was Kerstin because it asked
her. "Ska det vara svensk frukost eller engelsk?"
(Will it be Swedish or English breakfast.)
Kerstin answered, "Varsågod, engelsk, tack. "
(Please, English, thanks.)
George mentally noted that Kerstin's Swedish accent was quite
different to Marita's.
He decided that he would use his vidbook to learn Swedish when
he was away from the girls. Although it would be unlikely that
they would say nasty things about him in Swedish to each other,
he thought that it would be useful to know what they were talking
about if they were having a heart to heart chat in Swedish.
Yin So had tried to teach him Chinese but it seemed that he would
get nowhere with it until he could master the calligraphy and
learn the strange characters. Swedish would be easier to manage.
Breakfast was a quiet affair because all three tended to be wrapped up in their own thoughts. Both Marita and Kerstin were evidently contemplating the fact that their uniquenesses and individualities were now diminished. Each had a new twin who wasn't her sister. George had just become used to being the companion and partner to one woman who was very much bigger than himself but now had to contemplate life with two of them.
Eventually George said, "Kerstin. We will both have to
leave you soon. Marita has a lecture to give and I have to go
to Regent's Park. I suggest that you have a look around London.
There is a lot to see. You will have to get used to the strip
and moveway networks and learn to find your way around without
a guidebook. I suggest that you see the Commander - Mr. Sincayvitch
- to ask him if there is a Spacer who can show you around. I am
sure that he will give you all the help he can."
Kerstin answered, "Thank you George. That is very thoughtful
of you. I feel that I ought to start doing my job as a bodyguard
as soon as possible."
Marita said, "George is right. You would not be able to protect
him very well if you missed him for a moment and got lost here
in London. You will also need a strip card and some local currency
to pay for anything you may want."
"That is no problem at all Marita. Even you should remember
that we use the same money in Sweden these days. I have plenty
enough to cover any expenses in getting around. I never had to
buy anything when I was in America so I never changed any of my
money into dollars."
George said, "Kerstin, you are now effectively a Spacer.
The Spacer's League will pay for all your expenses. When
you see the Commander he will give you a credit card to buy anything
you like. Have a spree! Explore the stores in Oxford Street. Order
some hand made shoes in Bond Street. Marita gets her shoes there.
Nobody else makes ladies shoes big enough. Try not to behave like
a policewoman. You will not have to impose fines for illegal parking
or arrest pickpockets. Behave like a tourist. I suggest
that you do not go to Madame Tussaud's waxworks. There is a likeness
of Marita in there. Somebody might see you with Marita's likeness
an notice the similarity. Anyway, make the most of the next few
days. Nobody will want you to be my bodyguard until you can behave
like you have lived in London for years."
Kerstin asked, "Is that really true George? Can I really
have as much money as I want?"
Marita said, "When I got back from the Undepoldus mission
I was given a presentation set of Spacer credits. Their legal
value is around 2 billion euros. Their collector's value is hundreds
of times more than that. You will have to get used to the fact
that anything you want is effectively free while you are a Spacer.
You will also have to get used to having no need for most of the
things that you would normally buy as a non-Spacer. Your accommodation
is free, your meals are free, your transport is free. You get
paid no salary and you do not have to pay taxes. If you go out
of here dressed as a non-Spacer, you will be given one hundred
Spacer credits to pay for meals in restaurants, taxi fares and
any trinkets you may like to have. A one credit piece is officially
worth around one euro but it will buy you a super meal for two
in many London restaurants. While you are a Spacer you will know
that you will never want for anything so there are very few reasons
for buying anything to keep. In your situation your non-Spacer
clothes will be considered necessary to do your job. They can
be informal as you are dressed now or haute couture. It makes
no difference."
Kerstin said, "When I met the Queen she said that I would
not receive a salary for working as a Spacer's bodyguard but I
would not need one. She said something that I did not understand
at the time. She said that she was effectively richer as a Spacer
than she now is as the Queen of Sweden. Now I am beginning to
understand what she meant."
Marita said, "The real wealth of the Spacers League is in
the Spacers like George and myself. Because the politicians of
Earth thought that Space exploration was a waste of money and
resources, the Spacers League was formed. The Spacers League can
now make diamonds and other precious stones in any size and shape,
and can mine gold and other rare metals from asteroids and moons
by getting robots to do it. Non-Spacers have one planet to play
with. Spacers have a monopoly on the rest of the Solar System.
Because the Spacers League can create what is seen as wealth by
non Spacers, the treaty has set each Earth-bound Spacer's allowance
at CR100 a day. George, tell Kerstin how many credits you have
spent in the last six months."
George thought for a minute. He said, "I can't remember whether
it is twenty-six or twenty-seven."
Marita said, "I have not spent very much either. Theoretically,
George and I could claim for more than 20,000 credits in our daily
allowances on Earth and still be within the treaty limit. If we
had that money, what could we buy with it that could not be provided
by the Spacers League for nothing?"
Kerstin asked, "What happens when you are too old to be Spacers?"
"George said, "We are provided with a nice box and a
gravestone or a burial in Space. We will always be Spacers as
long as we live."
Kerstin then asked, "What happens when you are too old to
do any useful work for the Spacers League?"
Marita answered, "We don't know. All of the old Spacers I
know about are still working. The Rear Admiral is around sixty-five
and the Commander is about forty-eight. Neither of them do what
they once used to do in space but they both still do very useful
jobs that they are happy to do."
George said, "The Spacers League controls more resources
and power than any country or organisation that preceded it. The
League is made up of mortal humans like you and me. The League
has therefore arranged that all its Spacers should get the maximum
benefit from those resources. In addition, the League does its
best to help protect the Earth because it is the only comfortable
planet that we have at the moment. If that is not enough to make
you want to be a real Spacer, I don't know what is."
Kerstin started to weep. She said, "You are talking about
something that is impossible. It is too late for me to study enough
to become a real Spacer like you and Marita."
"I shouldn't be too sure of that Miss Broberg. " None
of the three had noticed the Commander's approach.
The Commander continued: "There are a lot of Spacers around
who became Spacers without studying for a University degree first.
Admiral Chang, our head of security, has never been to a University.
He started out as a private detective after he failed to become
a policeman. He was hired by the Spacer's League to track down
some criminals who had stolen details of the power unit that was
used on the Undepoldus mission. He succeeded and the plans were
recovered before they reached the hands of those who might have
used the principle to make a devastating weapon. He was offered
a permanent job to look after Spacer security on Earth. He accepted
the League's offer. He was given the rank of acting lieutenant
and asked to review Spacer security systems. He was efficient
so he was promoted. With each promotion he made use of his new
rank to help to protect the Spacers League even more than he had
done so previously. He soon overtook me and reached the rank of
Rear Admiral in seven years. Three years later he became what
he now is, an Admiral. He was the only Spacer who had the rank
Lieutenant Commander Cadet at the Spacers College. He insisted
that he should learn everything that all students study at the
College. His marks as a student were not very good but they were
considered good enough for him to graduate as Commander Midshipman.
The graduation review board took into account the fact that his
security work prevented him from attending more than a quarter
of the lectures. I grant you that Admiral Chang was and is an
exceptional man but he has shown the way for others who have bright
minds who wish to become Spacers."
Kerstin felt reassured by the Commander's words.
"Thank you for telling me that Mr. Sincayvitch. I met Admiral
Chang several times when I was at the Spacers College and I found
him extremely knowledgeable about police work. He is a very nice
man who made me feel that I was doing the Spacers League an honour
by offering to be Marita's double."
The Commander said, "I am sure that he told you that you
could not become a full Spacer because you would also have to
be able to work as a policewoman here in London. Is that correct?"
"Yes, sir. "
The Commander continued. The Spacers League has been trying to
get around that legal technicality and has found a temporary solution.
I can tell you now that when you are dressed as Marita and taking
her place, the Spacers League will treat you as a full Spacer
with the permanent rank of Lieutenant. When you are acting as
a policewoman, you will be treated as the spouse of a Spacer.
My wife Eva is in that position and is very happy to be so. Your
rank of Lieutenant will start on the first day that your duties
require you to look like Marita. Since the seniority of an officer
is counted from the first time she attains a particular rank,
your seniority will not be affected by any time afterwards that
you spend as a policewoman. Are you happy with that arrangement?"
Kerstin's answer was to give him a kiss. She said, "That
is the best news I've had since I found out what it means to be
a Spacer. Please forgive me if I have acted in a manner that is
wrong for a Spacer."
"Do not worry Miss Broberg," the Commander said with
a smile, "Middle aged gentlemen like me welcome kisses from
young ladies like you."
Marita said, "That is great news Kerstin. You will not have
to wait long before you can start to be a Lieutenant Spacer. I
will make sure of that. " She turned to the Commander. She
said, "Sir, please excuse me, I must go now to the University."
George said, "Sir, I have to go now too. Would you please
arrange for Kerstin to be shown around London so that she can
familiarise herself with the geography and the strip system."
"That has already been arranged George but it is good of
you to think of it. My wife will be Miss Broberg's guide."
"Thank you sir" said George as he got up to leave.
The Commander said to Kerstin, "Miss Broberg, my wife, Eva,
will take you first to meet Superintendent Abdullah. He is very
anxious to meet you. You will be formally sworn in as a special
constable and introduced to some of the policemen and women that
you will be working with. Apart from Marita, you will be one of
the tallest women they have met. All the police officers around
this area know Marita by sight so they will know that when they
see someone as tall as Marita who doesn't look like her, it will
probably be you. Superintendent Abdullah would like you to go
on patrol in uniform with some of his officers from time to time.
He has asked me if you would object to being known as Constable
Kerstin Berry pronounced the English way. He thinks that this
will help to disguise your Swedish origin if police communications
mentioning you are intercepted."
"I don't mind at all. It will help to remind me that I am
in England and working as an English policewoman."
"May I ask, are you wearing a formfit under your clothes?"
"Yes, of course Mr. Sincayvitch. Marita has told me that
I must never leave the Club without wearing it."
"Good. I hope that she has also told you that it is a very
good protection against knives, bullets and beamers but will not
stop you from being bruised or having an arm or a leg broken."
"Marita also told me that I should have it recycled every
two or three days because I will find that it won't fit properly
if I gain or lose more than a few hundred grams in weight."
The Commander said, "In space our formfits are normally recycled
every day. It is simpler than having them cleaned. " Now
you have finished your breakfast we can go and meet Eva."
PAUSE
The next section covers the developments
at the University.
Viewers familiar with this subject may pass on to the following
section.
Please select PASS or CONTINUE.