The Delicate Crunch of Marshmallows

“Nope. We’ll be about a year late according to Raul’s original schedule,” Erica said with an evil smirk. “Serves the greedy sons-of-bitches right. Their way would have probably taken fifty years, if Raul’s prediction was right. Besides, down the road, I think they’ll get the rest of the ships sooner than we’d originally projected. Rules three and six are intended to encourage improving productivity, something this crew should do exceptionally well.”

“OK” Buzz acknowledged, “but what does this rule about outside business have to do with building the ship?”

“Not one damned thing,” Erica replied. “It’s a promise I made when I invited my co-workers at the Supercollider to join me up here, and which I conveniently forgot. It has to do with building a life. It has to do with rewards we can touch, instead of fat bank accounts with vultures hanging over them ready to take them away. It has to do with living in a reasonable facsimile of a home, instead of a shoebox in a numbered habitat module. Except,” she winked and touched her right index finger to her temple, “just maybe things like that could perk the enthusiasm factor up a notch or two.”

Erica sliced off a generous sliver of wood, then turned the lights off. The lab was lit only by the glow of the burner and the display and indicators on the analyzer. “Ah, there, I knew part of the effect was missing.” She held her confections over the sweet spot of the burner.

“I wonder if I have time to come up with a credible chocolate bar?” Buzz mused aloud. “And Kara knows how to bake. Maybe some graham crackers?”

“Mmmm.” Erica smiled contentedly. “Life is good, Buzz. Everything is so perfect.”

Buzz cocked his head slightly. “I don’t know. There’s light at the end of the tunnel, but perfect?”

Erica nodded. “Perfect. I’m in space, learning to build spaceships. I’m exactly where I should be when I need to be there. Kara told me about your concerns. It reminded me of why I took this job. If you promise not to tell, I’ll let you in on a very special secret.”

Buzz crossed his heart.

“I didn’t exactly fry part of the Supercollider, Buzz. I damned near blew it up is what I did,” Erica continued. “I was testing a theory I’ve been working on since junior high. Lost all my data except for the most important part. I found a new form of energy. Just when it was becoming obvious that my tests, on any useful scale, would have to be continued in space, I received this job offer. I figured I might just get a chance to continue my research up here, away from prying eyes and interference, and use my discovery to build a much faster ship.”

Buzz looked up from the marshmallows, just beginning to form a faint golden crust. “Criminy, Erica, the thing we’re building will already drop transport time by a factor of six. How much faster do you need?”

Erica leaned over the burner, watching for exactly the right moment. “Depends on where you want to go, Buzz,” she said, pulling the sweet morsels away from the burner. “Instead of months, what if we could make the trip in minutes?”

Buzz frowned. “Come off it, Erica. Even at nearly the speed of light, it would take around an hour.”

“True, Buzz,” Erica said, smiling slyly. “But that limitation doesn’t apply any more. There is a faster form of energy.”

Dr. Santi’s jaw went slack, and he stared at Erica, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what she was saying. She slipped a marshmallow from the skewer and into his gaping mouth.

“Don’t bite down, it’s still pretty hot,” she warned. “No promises, you understand. Hell, I have my doubts I can build a ship that can withstand it, much less if the people in it can. Like I said, I’ve only run one good test, and it demolished the detectors. But stick around. Things could get interesting up here.”