CHAPTER 18: DINNER FOR TWO

       As we boarded Astra's craft, a blinking blue icon on the communication display announced an incoming com message. She entered a passcode on the keypad. The display lit up with the lovely face of Lin-Erri. "Good afternoon, beautiful people. Orii, the Master and I were thinking that since this will be brother Bob's last night on Korendor, we would cherish having your company for a few hours in the Master's home this evening at 17K. Let me know if you're available. Go in love and light." The screen returned to the network logo.

       "Are we available tonight, mialana?" she asked with a smile.
       "I am if you are, sweetheart."
       "Excellent!" She contacted Lin-Erri via implant, and a moment later said, "We're good to go, lover. You'll like the Master's home."
       "If it's like his Plato home..."
       "It's quite similar, although there are no Terran furnishings. But he does enjoy being surrounded by history."

       I looked out the window and said with regret, "One more night with you on this wonderful world and then it's back to Earth. This will be one of the hardest things I've ever done." I tried to hide the tears that formed in my eyes.
       She reached over and caressed my cheek. "I'm not looking forward to it either, my beloved. But it's not the end. It's the beginning of our new lives together. I love you!"
       I looked into those expressive eyes, now moist with tears, and took her hand in mine. "I know, mialani. And I love you. I thank the Infinite One that he has blessed me with your love." With a long sigh, I added, "But sometimes the greatest joys bring the greatest pains. Parting is such sweet sorrow."
       "But unlike Romeo and Juliet, we have a long and happy future together."
       Her recognition of the Shakespearean line relieved the tension. "Is there anything you don't know, mialani?"
       "Oh yes, Robin. Several things, in fact." The reference to a Batman TV quote brought me out of my blues. "Chalk one up for the sweet lady with the brain the size of a planet."
       "You have me on that one, mialana."
       "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy."
       "Umm ... MARVIN! Yes." She flashed a smile that outshone Korena's light, and checked the chron. "15.2K. Well, my love, how about something more filling than the mall's fare?
       "I'm all for that. And later we can share some Chinese takeout."
       "I had a fresh supply delivered this morning, sweetheart." She squeezed my hand, and fired up the craft. We rose quickly and headed east.

       After several minutes of cruising over an old, historic section of the city, we descended into the parking area of a fairly small, single-floor building of ancient design. Several dozen other vehicles were there. "This is my favorite restaurant in the city. I know them all personally. CI installed their computers and I brought them online. And the clientele are all great people."
       "Where the elite meet to eat," I replied, wondering if she recognized that one.
       "Well, there goes my trivia medal," she said with as much faked distress as she could muster.
       "It's from way before your time, mialani. It's a tag line for an old radio show called Duffy's Tavern. I enjoyed it as a kid. So your medal is still secure."

       As we entered, we were met at the door by the manager, who evidently was told of our arrival. "Welcome back, dear lady. And we're honored that you brought your beloved one with you."
       "What would a visit to Korendor be without dinner at The Gardens? Kal-Thar, this is Petra-Kren, the owner, the manager, a connoisseur of fine foods, and a true friend."
       I shook his hand and said, "It is my honor to meet you, sir. When my lady praises someone, that's all the recommendation that I need."

       By now, the word had spread of our arrival, and despite our hoping to the contrary, we had become the center of attention ... again. Mall tour, the sequel. Petra brought us to a private booth that offered refreshing isolation. As we took our seats, I said in a low voice, "The last time we shared a table in a restaurant, mialani, my whole world changed."
       "And mine, sweetheart." She reached across the table and our hands joined. "I love you!"
       "I love you!" I whispered in reply. For a long moment we just gazed into each other's eyes. Our joy was complete.

       An eternity later, I asked my lady, "Well, my beloved, what's good on the menu tonight?" Our server, who had patiently waited for us, introduced herself as Mara-Teri. "It's my honor to be your server tonight." She handed us two thick, rigid plastic sheets. They were blank except for a small blue-colored square in the upper right corner. Seeing my puzzled expression, Astra held hers where I could watch and pressed the square. Instantly the sheet became a full-color menu with a multi-button strip at the top. She quickly showed me how to navigate through the dozens of pages and select the items that I wanted. "When you're satisfied, press the 'Review' button to verify your selections, and then press and hold the 'Send' button. The kitchen staff will immediately have your order. The UnEc billing is automatic."
       "Amazing. Is this your technology?"
       "I wish, but no, I just adapted the programming and turned it on."
       "Just? You say that as though it were a simple matter."
       "It was, mialana. But then it's what I do."
       "I've seen what you can do, sweet one, and it awes me." Her face radiated her love.

       The next few minutes were taken up with looking through the large range of entrees and options. Astra recommended several equally inviting choices, and it was down to an eeny-meeny-miny-mo selection process. After reviewing my choices, I pressed the Send button. The screen went blank, and then displayed, "Thank you for giving us the honor to serve you, Kal-Thar. Your meal will be ready shortly. Go in love and light. Taran-Kora." Astra's menu also had a personal message from him. "This is truly remarkable," I said, recognizing my star lady's touch.

       "Would you like a little background music, mialana?" she asked. "Something low and slow," I replied. She picked up the menu again, but pressed the square twice. A list of music types appeared. A touch on the screen brought up a sub-menu of selections. After looking over the scrolling list, she tapped the screen again. The music started immediately. On the screen a graphic showed the title and a photo of the album that was playing. A button bar contained various controls for volume, equalizing and other functions.

       "The music can't be heard outside of the booth," Astra said. In answer to an impending question, she explained, "The audio system was installed several years ago, but it required requesting the music through the server. Once the menu software was running, it didn't take much effort to add the sound control. They all loved it. The kitchen staff was freed of one unrelated task, the servers didn't have to remember who wanted what music, and the customers enjoyed having such flexible control. And CI decided to offer it in their restaurant software packages, for which they credited me. Everybody won."

       As she spoke, I used the opportunity to bask in her presence and reflect on what a priceless treasure the Infinite One had bestowed on me. Whatever I had done in my life to merit his blessing was known only to him, but I thanked him for his love and care.

       When Astra had finished with her explanation, she noticed my pensive gaze and blushed. "God, you're adorable!" I repeated. "And you're everything I've ever wanted!" she whispered. And then the sound of a serving cart and the aroma of perfectly prepared food put our reverie on hold. Mara-Teri appeared at the booth entrance and announced, "Dinner is served, lovers!" A moment later, with the lids removed, she said, "If you need anything, I'll be as close as the call button. Go in love and light!" As quickly as she arrived, she departed. And the carnal pleasure of dining on food of the gods commenced.

       A feast must not be rushed. We took our time, savoring both the food and our companionship. When the repast was finished, Astra pressed an inconspicuous panel on the wall. A sliding door opened and a wide tray emerged. Following her lead, I put my plate, cup, silver and napkins on the tray. A second press of the panel retracted it back into the wall. When the door reclosed, she said, "Everything is automated. The wares go into the cleaning and sterilizing unit, and then are moved to the storage racks for the next use. The napkins are sent to the laundry unit. And after we leave, a service module will arrive to prepare the booth for the next occupants."

       We stood, determined that the weight of our meal wouldn't buckle our knees, and prepared to depart. Petra came over and asked, "Was everything satisfactory?"
       Astra took his hand and said with the love of deep friendship in her voice, "Gentle brother, how could it be otherwise?"
       I added, "From this day forth, my brother, this will be the standard by which I judge all other dining experiences. And I WILL return. That is my promise."
       He smiled and jokingly said, "Be sure to give The Gardens a good review when you return to Earth."
       "You may rely on that, dear brother. Go in love and light!"
       Astra repeated the farewell, and we left together, satisfied in body, soul and spirit.

       Inasmuch as I am a man of my word...

CHAPTER 19: DEAR HEARTS AND GENTLE PEOPLE

       As I watched The Gardens recede in the distance, my awareness of the shortness of my remaining time on the awesome world of Korendor grew more acute. The lights of Vrell City began to switch on as the sky darkened. The Hall of Korendor dominated the skyline, its pure white surface catching the remaining glow of daylight. The crescent of Amar stood out sharply, causing a yearning in my heart to be there again with my precious Astra.

       I glanced at the chron. 16.37K. We were in no hurry. Astra read my emotions and reached over to touch my hand. She said nothing, but I understood that she was experiencing the same feelings. We both knew that at the spaceport, a gleaming starship was waiting to bring me home. Tomorrow evening, this beautiful world would be invisible. Korena would once more be a speck visible only with binoculars. And the light of my life would be 411 light years away.

       "It's only for a while, my darling," her sweet voice told me. "You're mine and I'll never let you go. And remember that with your implant and computer, you're just a thought or a keystroke away." That gave me the comfort that I needed. My living in the MassCom implant net, and my immediate access to their computer system, erased the light years. The parting would still be a sweet sorrow, but the future was, as the Master said, written in the stars by the Infinite One, to whom neither space nor time mattered.

       And then the appointed hour was upon us. At 16.98K, we were over Master Kalen-Li's beautiful home. Lights illuminated its parking area and walkways. Three familiar figures awaited our arrival. We descended and touched down at 17.00K. As the doors swung open, Orii cheerily greeted us. "Punctual as always, Robert ... Kal-Thar."
       "Thank my chauffeur for that, brother."

       Lin-Erri hugged and kissed us as we joined them. "Good evening, lovers," she said happily. I sensed that they knew something that we didn't, but I wasn't going to ask. We were among friends. We would enjoy this evening and let tomorrow take care of itself. We followed them into the home, and I saw that Astra's description was correct. It was like stepping back in time to a simpler era. I looked around slowly, marveling at his vast collection of artifacts, books and furnishings from Korendor's past. It was awesome without having the museum look that one might expect. "This is magnificent!"

       We took seats in the parlor. Astra and I were on a two-seat sofa facing the others, who occupied plush antique chairs. Kalen had a broad smile. "Aside from our wanting to share this evening with you just because you are our friends, we received confirmation of the final approval this afternoon of something that we have been working on for nearly a cendrol. Are you interested?"
       "Is Korena bright?" I asked.
       "What I am referring to is the decision by the Alliance to contract the Cybernetics Institute to replace the mainframe computers in our four operating Terran bases with what you call state-of-the-art systems based on the model that Astra has been perfecting." My sweetheart's eyes went wide.
       "I'm telling you this because CI wants someone in control who is familiar with the machines and who has demonstrated the level of knowledge and competence that will be required for a smooth transition. And once they are in place and operating, that person will be in charge of them."

       The Master looked into her eyes and said, "My sister, if you would like to take on that challenge, CI has approved your immediate transfer to PlatoCom."
       For a moment she sat in stunned silence. "Yes," she said at last, "Oh, yes, I accept."
       "Excellent! Then it is done. We will have the necessary paperwork and information tomorrow aboard the starship. You WILL be going back to Earth with us, I assume."
       She just whispered, "Yes!" She turned toward me and our eyes met.

       With a nod from the Master, they left the room, allowing us to be alone. In seconds we were in each other's arms, both of us shedding tears of overwhelming joy. If parting is sweet sorrow, departing together is sweet bliss. I looked into her beautiful eyes and said softly, "If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up." She kissed me and replied, "If you're dreaming, then I am as well. And I want this dream to last forever, mialana."

       Our friends allowed us ample time for elation, and then returned to the parlor. After they had taken their places again, Astra asked the Master, "When KT and I went to CI yesterday and we were met by the Director General and the Chief Systems Analyst, they seemed completely normal. Did they know about this?"
       "Talor-Brel, the DG, was 99% certain of it. Marok-Vand, the CSA, was unaware. It involved only the highest management level. Talor specifically recommended you during the planning stage. But he refrained from saying anything yesterday because of that 1% factor. We wanted it finished while Kal-Thar was still here. This afternoon, with pressure from very high places, the contract was sealed. Only your approval remained, and we were certain that given the events at Ambassador Setarr's home yesterday, you would accept. In this we were correct."
       "How could I not, gentle Master? You have lifted great burdens from our hearts. The opportunity to remain with my beloved was a blessing from the Infinite One." She and I leaned back and relaxed. "And I must admit that there was very little more that remained to be done with Mark. It had become busywork. It ceased to be a challenge. This new task has given me a sense of purpose that I have not known for a long time."
       "Talor confided in me that he sensed that you were becoming restless and eager to expand your horizons, and that you needed room to, as our Terran brothers say, spread your wings and soar. Fly high, little bird!"

       Orii decided to lighten the evening with a return to his patented brand of fun. "So, it appears that we will be stuck with you two incurable romantics for the duration."
       "It would seem so," I said with feigned regret. "But we must all persevere in the face of tribulation. Be strong, brave warrior!"
       My sweetheart joined the repartee. "I am delighted that now I shall have an opportunity to devote my free time to matching you with the perfect lady."
       Lin-Erri nodded vigorously and said, "A worthy goal! This malimani will capture some Korendian woman's heart."
       Orii turned to the master, who just shrugged. He looked at me with Oscar-winning desperation. "Kal-Thar, my good, kind, noble and hopefully sympathetic brother, HELP! It's two against one here."
       "Well ... Astra, my love, do you know any female mathematicians who dream of relaxing before a warm, cozy fire on a cold winter night and solving polydimensional equations?"
       "Why, yes I do. There is a charming lady in CI's math software division who gets starry-eyed when I mention the renowned Orii-Val. What a perfect pairing they would be."
       Orii made the motion of flipping open a Star Trek communicator and wailed into his hand, "Beam me up, Scotty! QUICKLYYYYYYY!"
       "Sorry, captain," I said, "Spock has taken over the ship. We're out of here. You're on your own."
       "NO! Abandoned in my time of greatest peril! Oh, the injustice."
       Remembering a similar time of simple enjoyment in the Master's Plato home, I said, "All that's missing here is a polite kitchen robot."
       "No sooner said than done," the Master replied. A moment later the service robot wheeled in from the hallway, stopped by his chair and asked in a flawlessly synthesized voice, "How may I be of assistance, sir?"
       "Pera trala, please, and five cups."
       "My pleasure, sir," it replied, and scurried off down the hall.
       "It's flashback city time!"

       The Master noticed the puzzled look on Astra's face and explained, "Bob was given a tour of Plato 20 Earth years ago. We stopped at my home to relax, and it developed into a funfest like this, only more so. The robot was the trigger that reduced us to helpless laughter. You would have enjoyed it. We were totally unprofessional and we didn't care. That's the wonder of friendship."
       Lin-Erri said, "We saw a side of the Master that we had never imagined, and our love and respect for him grew because of it." Orii nodded in agreement. "That was an amazing time. I still have fond memories of it."
       The Master continued, "I must say that our many years with brother Bob have added greatly to our understanding of Earth and its people. He has put a face to his world. And we have discovered that we share a trait that all civilized worlds have in common—a sense of humor. We are all capable of enjoying nonsense. I truly pity worlds that cannot laugh, and I will never give up on worlds, no matter how dire conditions might be, where fun is a part of life. People that can laugh at themselves always have hope."
       He looked into Astra's eyes and said quietly, "You have chosen your lifemate wisely, my sister. I'm sure that our companions concur with that." They both indicated their agreement. "May the Infinite One be with you always."
       "I am honored, Master," she replied. "As am I, Master," I added. "Your friendship is priceless. Thank you."

       The robot returned from the kitchen with a pitcher of pera trala and five goblets. It was of a different color and aroma than I had seen before. Lin Erri noted my thought and explained, "There are six blends. You have tasted the one that we use for formal occasions. This and the four others are for social gatherings or private enjoyment."
       "Out of curiosity," I asked her, "does Korendor have what we euphemistically call adult beverages, alcoholic drinks?"
       "No. We would never do that to our bodies. You have an expression, 'high on life'. That describes us very well. We don't need to seek escape from the world by ingesting psychoactive chemicals. Our peace and happiness come from life itself, because we know that the Infinite One is always at our sides.
       "Are we always bubbly and carefree? Not at all. But we are confident that no matter what happens, we can get through it and emerge better, stronger, wiser and more at peace. Nothing is so encouraging and uplifting as looking back on our trials and seeing how our faith in the Infinite One gave us the courage and resolve to press on.
       "Life's journey is not all smooth roads and flower-lined paths. But one thing that we have long since learned is that the journey is far more difficult if we spend our time bemoaning where we are rather than looking ahead with our eyes, minds and hearts focused on our destination. When we see the lights of home in the distance, it gives us the stamina and drive to press on regardless of the condition of the path that we are taking.
       "If one looks down at his feet and complains about every step, his journey will be harsh and he may just give up. But if one looks ahead and sees that every step brings that distant light closer, he will never entertain the thought of quitting.
       "Korendians are not quitters, my brother. This is one reason why our operations on Earth continue after all these decades. Our eyes are focused on that future light that signals the day when your world joins with us in the Alliance. You have a great destiny as fellow travelers among the stars. We intend to see that nothing prevents you from achieving it."

       "Well said indeed, my sister. Your wisdom is profound." The Master's praise was accepted with a bow of her lovely head. The rest of us were silent, contemplating on the depth of her lesson and how she said so much in so few words. Astra went over to her and gave her the kiss of family. "Thank you, my sister," she said. "You are inspiring. Now more than ever I intend to give my new work my utmost. May the Infinite one richly bless you." Lin-Erri stood and they embraced.

       I joined them and hugged her, giving her my thanks for her thoughts and teaching. After 46 years of knowing her, she still managed to amaze and enlighten me. She smiled and kissed my cheek, whispering, "I do hope that your sweetheart approves of that." I returned her kiss and replied, "There is no doubt of that. You're her big sister."

       We resumed our places and watched as the robot poured and served the pera trala with the precision that only a machine can achieve. Each of us thanked it for its service, and it responded with, "My pleasure, sir," or, "My pleasure, ma'am," as appropriate. When we had been served, the robot moved toward a corner and waited.

       The Master raised his goblet and announced, "I offer a toast to the union of Astra-Lari of the Lineage of Setarr and Kal-Thar of the Lineage of Derek, the most beautiful couple that it has been my pleasure to know, and to Astra's new work for Project Terra." We raised ours in response and then savored the drink. It had the blended taste of apples and a citrus fruit with a trace of spice. "I MUST get the recipe for this and become obscenely wealthy back home."

       The Master called the robot over and took the pitcher. "Thank you for your service. You may go home." The machine replied, "My pleasure, sir. Good evening." It then headed back to wherever the kitchen was. Kalen stood and said, "It's a very pleasant evening to sit outdoors and enjoy The Infinite One's creation." We all rose and followed him along the hallway to the rear entrance. Two steps brought us to the grass, and we walked to a patio with two circular tables and several inviting chairs.

       We spent the remainder of the evening in casual conversation. When the time arrived to part, we had grown into intimate friendships with one another, becoming a virtual family. For the first time I realized that there was not the merest thought in their minds and hearts that I was not wholly one of them. I was just another Korendian that happened to be born off-world. The sense of belonging erased any lingering doubt that I might have had about my future amongst them.