Launch (18 page)

Claire and David sat at a table facing three
men and two women in a simply decorated room. A nameplate identified the
distinguished looking man at the center of the committee as Burton Mansfield,
MD, Chairman.

He smiled. “Doctor Archer, General Archer,
welcome to the Malibu Parent Licensing Committee. The function of this and
other Parent Licensing Committees are to ensure that the physical and emotional
needs of children are met.

The quality of life children have individually determines
the quality of life they can achieve as adults. The quality of life that the
children in our society achieve collectively determines the quality of life
that society as a whole can achieve.

“Committee members will ask questions to help
us determine if you have the mature desire and the potential to be good
parents. All committee members are parents and the procedure is informal.
Please try to relax and answer the questions as best you can. I will ask the
first question. Doctor Archer, why do you want to have a child?”

“I love children and I love David, and I want
to have children with him so we can have a loving family together.”

“General Archer?”

“I want to have a family with Claire like the family
I had when I was a child. I want to be the kind of father for our children that
my father was for me.”

Stacie Samuelson asked, “General, why did you
volunteer to journey five hundred years into the future instead of staying home
and raising a family?”

David answered, “I thought our children would
have a better future in the future. And I thought our trust fund could do more
for children in need than Claire and I could do if we stayed.”

“Are those the only reasons?” she asked.

“No ma’am. I wanted to fly
Origin
.”

Stephen Carpenter said, “Flying half a
millennium into the future is quite a gamble.”

Claire answered, “Having a family can be
considered a gamble. We considered it worthwhile, like many other choices
people make.”

Jason Kim asked her, “What experience do you
have with children?”

“I grew up in a community of families with
children. I was a baby sitter when I was a teenager. I had experience dealing
with children in medical school as an intern and in the base hospital as a
flight surgeon. When my husband and I were training as astronauts, we visited groups
of children. I studied pediatrics and child development while we were in
space.”

Bernice Moore’s expression since Claire and
David had entered the room was one of sour disapproval, and her manner was
consistent with her expression. “Doctor Archer, I understand you intend to
return to medicine as a physician. Is that right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“How do you plan to be there for your children
while you are practicing medicine?”

Claire’s eyebrows went up and she took a deep
breath. “Those decisions will have to be made on a day by day basis, ma’am. But
my children will always come first, even if it means I will have to further
postpone a career in medicine.”

Moore continued. “What would you do if another
child hit your child and he or she came home with a bloody nose?”

“I would comfort my child, treat the bloody
nose, and try to see that the child who hit mine received the attention he or
she needed.”

“Would you tell your child to take revenge on
the child who hit yours?”

Claire was shocked. “Certainly not!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t believe revenge is appropriate for
anyone and should not be taught to a child.”

Moore asked, “What do you think, General
Archer?”

“I agree with Claire.”

“Why did you treat people who opposed the
launch of
Origin
so brutally?”

David raised an eyebrow. “I don’t recall
meeting anyone who opposed
Origin
’s launch.”

“What about the people who were injured during
demonstrations at Vandenberg?”

“I didn’t know anything like that happened.”

“Didn’t you encounter demonstrators when you
entered and left the base?”

“No, ma’am. We used a helicopter.”

“You didn’t see it on news programs?”

“Claire and I were very busy during that
period. We didn’t have time for the news.

Jason Kim asked, “General Archer, I understand
you shot down nineteen airplanes as a fighter pilot. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did anyone survive?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I’m sorry they died, sir.”

“Would you do it again?”

“Under the same circumstances, yes.”

“What were those circumstances?”

“Most of the planes I destroyed were on their
way to bomb a refugee camp, a horrific act of genocide. If they had not been
destroyed, many innocent men, women, and children would have died horrifically.
The others were in aerial combat as part of my duty to help prevent genocide.”

“Under what circumstances do you feel it’s
acceptable to take a human life?”

“Only if there is no other way to prevent
serious injury.”

“What if you were mad at someone? Would that
justify violence?”

“Absolutely not, sir.”

But you have killed and you would kill again if
circumstances warranted it. Is that correct?”

“Reluctantly, but yes, sir.”

“Thank you, General. Doctor Archer, How do you
feel about taking a human life?”

“I agree with my husband.”

After a brief silence, Dr. Mansfield said,
“Does anyone have any other questions?”

Nobody spoke up, and Dr. Mansfield said, “Thank
you Doctor Archer, General Archer. If you’ll please wait outside, we’ll
consider your application now.”

David put his arm around Claire after they left
the committee. “We’re almost there, Cougar. Hang tough.”

She put her arm around him and said, “I hope
so.”

▼

Bernice Moore was senior and spoke first after
the doors closed.

“Elf’s always been able to provide this
committee with a detailed family history and personal background of every
applicant. Then these two showed up from the twenty-first century. Who knows
what they’re really like? They come from a barbaric, eye-for-an-eye society notorious
for violence. David Archer was a fighter pilot
—
a
killer
—
who destroyed nineteen planes and
presumably killed nineteen people. Claire Archer was an Air Force officer sworn
to kill if necessary to defend America. They are clearly a product of the
brutal society from which they came, and you can’t change your birth culture
like a snake sheds its skin. We don’t know what they will be teaching their
children, and I do not believe that Doctor Archer will put her child before her
career.

“Achievements unrelated to parenting don’t
automatically qualify people to be parents, and we’re not here to mollycoddle
celebrities. I vote no on this application.”

Jason Kim said, “As far as I know, nobody who
has ever killed a person has been given a license to have children. And I don’t
think we should make an exception to that precedent. Also, we have no idea how people
from what is a notoriously violent culture will adjust to our society. How can
they raise a child to be a member of a culture they don’t understand?

“I don’t believe they can be good parents, and
I vote against this application.”

Stacie Samuelson said, “Despite the fact that
this is only their fifth day back on Earth, they have applied to this
committee, completed the required tests, and they’re here. That’s evidence of a
strong desire to be parents and rapid adjustment to our society.

“Their tests show very superior intelligence
and genetic potential. Doctor Archer’s parenting aptitude score is outstanding.

“Individually and together, they have
demonstrated extraordinary courage, self-discipline, and self-reliance. That’s
strong evidence they were loved as children and can be good parents.

“Their planning, forbearance, and years of hard
work so their children can have a better life is evidence of how hard they will
try to be good parents.

“Based on their instructions, their trust has
given billions to help children in need, and that reflects how much they care
about children.”

Stacie looked directly at Ms. Moore as she
said, “Despite the fact that they are celebrities, I think these applicants
will be good parents. I vote for a license.”

Stephen Carpenter said, “I agree with Stacie,
and I think Jason made a good point. To help them adjust to our society so they
can be good parents, I think they should pass current high school graduation
exams. And though I personally find their accents quaint, their children will
learn to speak the same way. For them, that would be a social and employment
handicap. This problem can be avoided if they pass the Standard English
pronunciation course.

“With the stipulations that they must pass a
current high school graduation exam and a Standard English pronunciation exam,
I vote for a license.”

Everyone looked at Dr. Mansfield, who had been
reclining in his chair as he listened. He sat up and said, “Elf, has anyone who
has killed someone been given a license to be a parent?”

“Yes, sir. A woman who had killed in
self-defense was given a license in 2511.”

“Was she a good parent?”

“She and her husband were rated above average,
sir.”

Dr. Mansfield addressed the committee. “General
Archer’s answers here today and on his application indicate he is a moral
person who is not prone to violence. I don’t believe we should hold his duty as
an officer in the Air Force against him.

I do agree, however, that this society is very
different from the one they left.

“As far as a detailed family history is
concerned, that’s not required by law, and this committee doesn’t have the
authority to impose such a requirement. Whether or not they’re celebrities is
irrelevant, and Ms. Moore’s comment was inappropriate.

“I believe they can and will be good parents. I
vote for a license with the requirement that they take and pass the Standard
English pronunciation course and pass current high school graduation exams.”

He looked around the table and asked, “Any
further discussion?”

Stacie Samuelson said, “I amend my vote for the
license to include the requirement that they take and pass the Standard English
pronunciation course and pass current high school graduation exams.”

Jason Kim said, “I object to this license and
hereby notify this committee that I may file an appeal.”

Dr. Mansfield said, “Objection noted. Elf, ask
the applicants to come in.”

As she and David were seated, Claire was
reassured by Dr. Mansfield’s smile. He said, “I am pleased to tell you that
your application has been approved and you now have a provisional license.” Claire’s
face lit up with joy and relief and David smiled.

Dr. Mansfield continued, “You’ll need to
successfully complete the parent training course to get your full license. You
can complete the video lessons for the course at your home with Elf. The
required classes for the course, which you must attend in person, are available
at many locations.

“Because you have been gone so long from Earth,
you must satisfy two additional requirements. First, you’ll both need to pass
current high school graduation exams to help you integrate culturally. Second,
although there’s nothing inherently wrong with the way you speak English, your
children will learn to speak like you. They would be at a disadvantage with
such an accent: stigmatized among children and handicapped when seeking
employment. Therefore, you are required to take and pass the Standard English
pronunciation course.

“You have very superior intelligence, and I
don’t think the extra requirements will be a significant burden.

“Parents are responsible for giving their
children the love they need to feel secure and to help them develop self-esteem
and self-reliance. When your children are very young, you are their world. Keep
in mind the feelings they can’t verbalize: ‘Mommy and daddy love me, therefore
I am worthy.’ Spending time with your children doing things they enjoy and
playing with them are ways for you to demonstrate your love. They need to be touched,
to be hugged, to be cuddled. Just meeting their physical needs is not enough,
not nearly enough.

“We wish a happy home for you and your family,
and we will do everything we can to help you achieve it. Do you have any
questions?”

“Yes, sir,” Claire said. “How long do we have
to complete the requirements?”

“You should complete all of the requirements so
you can have your full license before your baby is born.”