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CHAPTER 16: SEEING THE SIGHTS

       Unlike the everlasting joy and repose of Heaven, the times of bliss in this material universe must come to an end. An hour or so after we ascended onto cloud nine, we returned to the real world. We savored a last lingering kiss, then arose and left our little piece of paradise. Our return to the portal chamber was unhurried. We passed two other couples as we walked, with whom we exchanged knowing smiles.

       All too soon we were at the gateways to her world. "Time to go home, beloved," I whispered." The portals activated as we approached, and seconds later we were back on Korendor firma. As wonderful as her beautiful planet is, I had a twinge of regret as we left the portal room.
       "Welcome back, lovers," the receptionist said as we returned the code cards. "Will we be seeing you again?"
       "There's not the merest doubt about that, my sister."
       "Excellent! Go in love and light."
       "Go in love and light," we replied, and walked out into the mid-afternoon warmth.
       "I have a question, love. Does it ever rain on Korendor?"
       "Yes, but not while you're here, mialana," she said with an air of supreme authority. "I simply won't permit it!"
       "I had no idea that you are so powerful!"
       "Learn it, love it, and live it, mere mortal!"
       "I bow to your magnificence, my queen."

       Her merry laughter evoked in me an unspoken thanks to the Infinite One for bringing us together. We boarded her craft, and rose quickly to travel lane altitude. "What's going on today in Vrell City that would appeal to two people who are madly in love?" I asked. She typed into a dash-panel keyboard and a screen in front of me displayed a list of the afternoon's events. One caught my eye instantly. "There's an open-air concert of Earth music in the courtyard of the university's Fine Arts complex at 12.5K, with Terran instruments. Well, now..." I touched the screen and the program appeared. "Mozart. Beethoven. Schubert. What do you think, mialani?"
       "That is definitely a must-attend, my good sir." She glanced at the chron and said, "We have about a karhek to spare. How about a little aerial sightseeing?"
       "You're driving, my love."
       "So I am. Onward!"

       We swung around toward the city and I watched in fascination as the enormous expanse moved beneath us. Despite its size, there was no evidence whatever of urban decay. From the most ancient to the most modern sectors, everything was meticulously maintained. As we moved slowly over the city, I saw for myself what ArKay described in a 1988 communication. As a sidebar, ArKay's description is repeated here.


       Usually, a pleasure visit begins with Vrell City itself, with our young people in the Guide Service assigned to take them wherever their whims dictate. An aerial tour is almost always the first thing on the agenda, since Vrell City has (quite rightly) become legendary throughout the Alliance as a place of spectacular beauty.

       Although Vrell City is by any definition a metropolis, every effort has been made to maintain a rapport with nature. As one glides over the city, the eye is struck by the vast amount of space devoted to gardens and parks. No place within its 590 square miles is more than five minutes by foot from one of these botanical garden areas.

       One also notices a conspicuous absence of traffic on the streets. Small electric vehicles can be seen plying their way through the city, but most travel is done by walking, or via the complex network of underground or overhead transit tubes that link most buildings. Intra-city portal stations also connect the major city divisions.

       The layout of the city (and indeed of most cities on Korendor) might be described as clustered "wheels". There are 55 of these wheels, consisting of concentric rings of buildings with a large park/garden at the hub of each wheel. The number of rings varies, but the average is 25.

       The architecture of the buildings is widely varied, but always in harmony with their neighbors and with the city's overall plan. We find much beauty in geometric designs, especially in long, graceful arcs and sweeps. Domes and spires abound.

       Aerial walkways weave amongst the buildings, alive with people strolling alone or in groups. Some lean on the railing, engaged in casual conversation or simply watching the busy city below.

       The "wheels" are in turn part of much larger rings that have as their hub the vast Capital Complex, wherein all of Korendor is governed. This single area could contain your city of Los Angeles with room to spare, yet there is no sense of bigness, because here also there are many gardens and parks to break up the "big city" image.


       There is a conspicuous absence of skyscrapers, since the laws of physics on a world with 3.2 times Earth's gravity renders such structures architecturally impractical and prohibitively expensive. The tallest building on the planet is the pyramid-shaped Hall of Korendor, about 680 feet to its peak. Most are 300 feet or less in height.

       ArKay told me that the 590 square miles is for the urban core area only. The total urban area is about 1,292 square miles. If the metropolitan and residential sectors are included, the total area of the city is 5,387 square miles. The permanent population of the city is about 38,340,000 (2006). If that seems crowded, consider that with 5,387 square miles, the population density is about 7,117 people per square mile. In contrast, Manhattan's population density is 66,940 people per square mile. And the fact that everything is sized for a race that averages four feet tall makes it even less pinched for space.




CHAPTER 17: MUSIC, MAESTRO

       Returning to the topic, we spent about half a karhek cruising around the city and then headed toward the Vrell City University complex on the southern edge of the urban area. As we approached it, the sheer size of the facility astounded me. If one thinks of the largest university on Earth and multiplies it by ten, this campus can be appreciated.

       My lady evidently knew her way around the place. "I studied for my computer science degrees here," she said in response to my unvoiced thought.
       "Degrees as in more than one? Now I am thoroughly impressed."
       "Well, mialana, when you're not around, I have to do SOMETHING to keep busy."
       "So how many doctorates are among them?" I asked half-seriously, knowing the power of the brain behind that flawless face.
       "Oh. hundreds!" she said with a laugh, and began the descent into a parking area outside a large hexagonal building. "Actually, there is no doctorate degree on Korendor. Earth has Bachelor, Master and Doctor. We have a four-step sequence, with Fourth Tier being our closest equivalent to a doctorate. We don't use attention-getting titles to identify Fourth Tier holders."
       "And?" The craft's landing pads contacted the ground with a barely perceptible bump.
       "None yet, but I will be going through the Fourth Tier process in about two cendrols."
       "And you'll ace it, mialani! My sweetheart, the doctor. I like the sound of that."
       "When you say it, so do I, mialana." She leaned over and kissed me. "Shall we go?"
       "We shall."

       Looking around, the lack of activity struck me as unusual for a university setting. "This is one of the quarterly five-day break periods. It allows students from other Alliance worlds to spend some time at home."
       "I rather like the solitude after the mall experience."
       "An excellent point."

       We went up the steps toward the entrance. There were a few young people inside. Astra said that they were students who volunteered to guide visitors to the concert. One young lady recognized her and called to her. "I'll wait here, mialani," said I.
       She gave me a "Not a chance!" look and took my hand. We walked over to her friend, who had that same big-eyed expression that we had been seeing all day.
       "KT, this is Lana-Teria. She's a software intern at CI. Lana, I gather that you recognize Kal-Thar."
       Her eyes were locked onto mine. "You are so ... I ... I apologize ..."
       Astra said, "No need. I had that same reaction when I first saw what the Transtechs had created."
       "May I show you to the concert?"
       "I would be honored," I said softly.

       She handed us two programs and we followed her along the main aisle toward a double door that opened into the courtyard. The orchestra members were tuning their instruments as we arrived. It was fascinating to see how large our instruments seemed in the hands of Korendian musicians, but they apparently were perfectly at ease with them. There were about a hundred people in the audience. We decided on two seats toward the back, hoping to remain incognito.

       When the orchestra had finished their warmup, a distinguished-looking gentleman stood and addressed the people. "Brothers and sisters, welcome to the first of what we hope will be a series of performances of music from planet Terra, as part of our curriculum on music from other worlds. It is remarkably good fortune that this concert, which was planned half a cendrol ago, should coincide with the unexpected presence on Korendor of a gentleman from Terra who has been in the news over the last two days. It certainly improved the attendance numbers." His comment brought laughter from the audience.

       As he looked over the audience, he spotted us in the back row. His eyes went wide for a second. Astra whispered, "So much for anonymity, mialana." I sighed and replied, "Well, sweetheart, we tried."
       "The Infinite One has doubly blessed us today," the speaker said with elation in his voice. "I was speaking of our visitor from Terra, and who should I see but Kal-Thar and Astra-Lari, honoring us with their presence." As one, the audience looked around in the direction where the speaker was facing, and a hundred pairs of eyes focused on us. We acknowledged their smiles and nods, and the speaker asked, "Would you like to say a word, brother Kal-Thar?"
       "Your welcome honors us, my brothers and sisters. My only comment is that I can lay claim to being the first Terran to travel so far to hear Mozart."
       "And we shall do our very best to do your venerable composers justice, my brother. Let the music begin."

       The orchestra acknowledged us, and then my ears were blessed by the familiar opening of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik". I closed my eyes and let the timeless music forge yet another link between this wonderful world and my own. After a few minutes a soft hand wrapped around mine. I looked toward my star lady, who was contentedly gazing at me. I saw in her eyes a love that any man would be willing to give his life to know. She said nothing, but nothing needed to be said.

       Two hours of bliss passed swiftly. Beautiful music and the love of my life are a combination made in heaven. As the audience left, Astra and I went forward to meet the maestro and his student musicians, and shook hands with all of them. The conductor/professor asked, "How did we do, brother?"
       "On a scale of one to ten, it was a twelve. You have mastered our music. Congratulations to all of you for a truly enjoyable time. With good fortune, this won't be my last attendance at your performances."
       "We would be greatly honored by your return, my brother. Go in love and light."
       "Go in love and light," we said to them, and walked hand in hand toward the exit.



            


© 2009 Robert P. Renaud -- all rights reserved