Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
He was glad to see that Doc was exactly how he was expecting him to be. But the look in his eyes, something was quite familiar. He has seen that look somewhere else... That was when he struck him; It's just like the look I had after loosing Andreea. Did he also lose his wife?.
"No, the honor is all mine! Thank you for inviting me here in this little corner of heaven." said Nerva. He was really excited to be on steady ground.
"Alright then, let's go inside. Your journeys must have been tiring, come inside and make yourselves at home.", said Doc.
"One moment, if I may.", said Nerva.
" Did you forget anything on the shuttle?", asked Doc.
" No, not really. Do you remember when we discussed about some medical tech samples?"
" Yes, I do remember. We were talking about recovery beds and a custom operating room."
" If i may, is there a place around here where something the size of the shuttle with which I came can land?"
" Not in this area, but we can go in the back yard. There is a patch of land that might suite your needs."
It was a 5 minute-long walk, but he got to know more about his new friends.
"I would like to ask you to step back a bit please."
"Why, what is going to happen?", said Sloan.
"Let's call it a small present for my new friends", said Nerva.
Everyone was waiting impatient. What if he is going to attack us? But, why come without any security. He could have easily...
Sloan did not have the chance to finish his thought, when he saw them. Two ships the size of a transport shuttle started descending in perfect silence.
The eerie image made them go back a few steps.
"Ok, easy now. Easy..." Nerva was guiding their descent onto Doc's property.
" Aaaaaaand, they are down".
"I am sorry if they might have scared you. These are my transport drones.", Nerva poses proud near them.
"For a moment I thought this is not going to end well.", Helen said.
"I am really sorry for making you uncomfortable. But, I must admit, it's one of my pleasures to see how people react to my inventions. " , said Nerva visibly embarrassed by the situation he had caused.
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Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
Doc started by giving a tour of the estate. It was large and luxurious, especially for a man living alone. The evergreen gardens, two guest houses, stables and a field in the back that went as far as the eye could see.
"I've had to upgrade it recently," he explained, "as it's been getting cooler, most of the roof is a mix of solar arrays, tempered glass and aluminum roofing. It keeps it quite comfortable even at sub freezing temperatures."
They walked through the gardens before they entered. Doc held out an arm with an open hand. "This used to be all flowers," he explained, "In the back were vegetable gardens." He hung his head a bit, "That was when my late Midori was here. She loved it out here. She was always gardening and she had the kids with her when she did it."
He shook his head, not wanting to dwell, "But, the acres of veggies that we grew were given to local populaces and shipped all over Sirius and I never charged a credit for any of it."
He then went to the door and opened it, allowing his guests to enter.
The inside was huge. Even for a large family it would be more than comfortable. He allowed his guests to browse a bit. His kitchen had a full bar, full refrigeration and a wine cooler. The living room came with a full entertainment center and each bedroom had a full walk-in closet, the master having it's own bath room. A door just past the kitchen went to a full basement with a lab. It was also the only door he kept locked.
His pride and joy? His favorite room was his West room. It was just off the living room and was built with the flavor of a time past. Pictures of the past were around the room and in the corner sat a baby grand piano. Sitting as a trophy on the wall was an old Hendry rifle that still worked. A black leather sofa, matching ottoman and recliner were around an old oak table. In the corner was a fireplace of old design. On the table was a marked book and an empty glass with a pair of eyeglasses on the book. What wasn't in the room was modern things.
The pictures were of Doc and an old friend from a time past, of him and his late wife and of his kids. It was the room where Doc spent much of his time.
"This is just beautiful! All these gardens, the houses .. the whole area." A place you can get old at, Helen thought. "How do you even manage to leave this lovely place from time to time?" Without waiting for Doc's answer she wandered arround in the room Doc just shown them. Really a lovely place, you could see this very likely was one of his favourite rooms. Helen wondered if Doc furnished and decorated the room all by himself. Although she would love to talk about the past with Doc, there are things to be taked care of in the present first. Helen turned arround to Doc. "To be quite frankly, I like to have the Eir operational as soon a possible again. I just recieved some information they still have some trouble with the vessels internal systems." Helen looked quite worried. "Probably Mr.Sloan can suggest some qualified personnel?"
Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
"This is like too beautiful to be true..." after all those years away from his Gallic estate, Nerva landed in Heaven.
"Compared to this, the bio-domes on Unity look just like a patch of dirt." thought Nerva remembering that the Domes actually started as patches of dirt. Nevertheless, that dirt was carefully collected to be sure that his crops would have the best chances of survival.
Out of all the things Nerva noticed in the house, it was the locked door that dew his attention. " I don't believe it would appropriate for me to ask about that. He will tell us about that if he feels like he has to." He knew all of us keep secrets, and that not all of them are necessarily bad.
Joining the others, he heard that there were some issues on EIr, Helen's ship. " I could offer them my help, i could offer them some of the robots that could work tirelessly. Even more... but they would not like this at all... I could tweak some of the Robot's AI be compatible with the ship's main network."
But, for now, he decided to listen to the conversation of his newfound friends.
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Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
He gave a smirk to Helen, "If you think this is beautiful, you should see my lakeside vacation cottage. There's a reason why I don't reveal it's location to anyone."
"As to these gardens, yeah, they're beautiful but when Midori was here, it was flowers of all colors." He sighed at the remembrance, "Great times back then. For me, evergreens are easy to manage."
"Mrs. Burns," he said, "I have a guest house set up for you. You will have privacy and some peace after our meetings and an even better night's sleep."
"Professor, same for you but yours will be on the other side of the estate," he added. "Both are identical and but a short stroll through a garden to the estate."
He then put on a sheepish look, "Do forgive me though. I'm not much of a housekeeper nor do I have a maid so while things are organized and picked up, I haven't dusted in awhile."
"Mr. Sloan," he turned, "you will stay in Emiko's room upstairs since she's not home. I think you will find it quite comfy if you don't mind kimonos but first, I need you to arrange a crew to Mrs. Burns ship to get it in order. That's your priority for now."
"Consider it done!" he told everyone and went to speak on com in private.
Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
"Oh, do not worry about anything. I am sure the room would be more that anyone like me has ever seen in long time. Also, I think a drink would really help. We can also discuss more about our plans."
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Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
"Professor," insisted Doc, "I think you will enjoy that guest house."
He then went behind his bar and put a glass on the top. "So, what are you drinking?"
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Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
He just smirked and chuckled, "Do I have apple cider. Of course I do."
Again, he pulled a glass from under the bar, set it on the top and from a refrigerator behind him, he grabbed a jug of apple cider and began to fill the glass.
"So..." he began as he finished pouring and putting the jug back in the fridge and sliding the glass in front of Nerva, "....while we drink, I'd like to see more on this automated trauma centers you have brought with you. Admittedly, I've never been fan of automated surgical procedures. To me, there are too many things that can go wrong with an automated unit that might kill someone even if some would argue the human factor could easily do the same."
He sipped his Scotch, "But then, I am a reasonable man, one with an open mind. Perhaps there is a place for some on a limited scale so long as I don't lose staff, a staff who have earned my trust, my confidence and their jobs."
He took another sip, "When Mr. Sloan gets back, I'll have him look at it as well."
Tombstone Estate, Planet Gran Canaria, Omega 49 System
"Ohhh... this Cider is just perfect. Cheers to whomever made it!."
" Well.. where should I start. I must admit that the equipment that I brought would be easier to explain while we watch it perform different tasks." Nerva slides over a media device containing some schematics.