Mobius Journey: Travels to Distant Futures

By George Ostfeld

The President of the United States said There has been secret meetings of the worlds leaders to discuss what can be done. All of them came to the same conclusion: That there has to be a most unusual and extreme action taken if man is to be saved for the continuation of the human race.

The reason you are here is to design a structure to be built in space to house an initial complement of 50,000 people with enough room for growth to contain 1 million. This structure is also to be maneuverable so as to travel interstellar distances for exploration in hopes of finding another suitable planet for man to live. This has an expected completion time within the 500 years predicted of the collapse of civilization. No other project in the history of this planet has been as important as this.

Mobius Journey, the most incredible undertaking of mankinds survival and greatest journey ever, over a period of 800,000 years begins from the start of the greatest ice age in the history of the planet tells the story of the hundred mile diameter spaceship CINTHEA of its journey to the edge of the Oort cloud. The 50,000 people on board grows to over a population of 700,000 that lives in relative peace and harmony. Approaching the Oort cloud a hard decision has to be made about their next action that could either transport them to their future home or destroy the ship and everybody on board.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Apr 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504352413

George Ostfeld

Born Oct 29, 1946 in Chicago, I was the youngest of three and the only boy to Norman and Lillian Ostfeld. We lived on the north side of the city in the neighborhood of the Chicago Cube where I became a die hard fan. Somewhere in elementary school I became interested in science. Not that I excelled in the subject, but it got my interest over other areas. In high school I played football and was the smallest member of the team. Of course having this stature I got roughed up more than anyone else. I was also the school’s chief mischief maker pretty much getting into all kinds of trouble and being known vary famously to the schools disciplinarian. But somehow I managed to graduate after which I entered the Air Force. Over the period of twenty one years I earned a degree in aeronautical engineering and went to Officers Training school. I became a navigator in the B-52 bomber in which three missions stand out. The first is where we flew off the west coast at low level in search of Soviet trawlers to photograph with our onboard camera. The second mission I flew as the lead bomber navigator of three B-52's orbiting a specific location over the north polar ice cap. And the third mission I flight tested the brand new Global Positioning System known at that time as Navstar for navigation and weapons delivery accuracy. After retiring from the Air Force I obtained a position as a reservist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. When there was a declared disaster I was called out to work in the disaster field helping those that survived or were affected by the disaster to get assistance. I have seen much damage and helped hundreds in their quest to return to a normal life. In the late 1990's I moved from Chicago to Las Vegas to get away from the cold and state income tax. OK, I also wanted to play poker. After 19 years I call Las Vegas my home. I have won many local tournaments with the attitude of winning the big one at the World Series of Poker.

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CHAPTER 1

Group 6

Dr. Benjamin Scotty Scottman is currently the head of the department of astrophysics at the University of Phoenix. He managed Project Rolling Stone whereby both manned and unmanned space missions were launched to the asteroid belt to retrieve and return asteroids to earth. The results of examination of the asteroids showed they were rich in various metals, silicates and other basic element resources. He discovered how to reduce those asteroids to their constituent elements thereby separating the basic materials needed to manufacture just about anything. The result of this discovery was a strong recommendation for mining the asteroids for those resources that is dwindling and in scarce supply on earth. The politicians understood the predicament but refused to give further support to the project citing a lack of funding.

Dr. Roberta Ellington and Dr. Fajad Ahashud are the world's leading authority on human psychology. Working independently, both researched the theories of how the human condition is affected when large masses of people are isolated. They came up with similar results that led to solutions of cooperation and peaceful living amongst people of different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. They shared a Nobel prize for their work.

Dr. Joe DeWade is professor of metallurgy and mechanical engineering at MIT. Professor DeWade's research discovered the secret of why atoms bind together and then using the results he produced a material stronger than diamond and lighter than tin that can be easily formed and shaped and do so inexpensively. This resulted in a revolution in the structures and building industry. Skyscrapers can now be built over three miles high safely and economically.

Dr. Sarah Sakasuki is an agricultural research scientist at the University of Japan. In a country growing in population with limited land area for use of growing crops, Dr. Sakasuki was tasked by the government to find ways to grow more crops having greater nutritional value in a smaller area of land. She was successful in her research and also in growing crops in half the time and using thirty percent less water needed for normal growth. Her process was found to be used on virtually all types of crops.

Dr. Chen Lao of the Peoples Republic of China is the worlds leading authority on energy and energy production. Dr. Lao is the discoverer of cold fusion, calling his device Fire Cracker. And his method works with either fresh or sea water. He released his general findings to the world for the benefit of mankind whereupon the Chinese government immediately arrested and imprisoned him as an enemy of the state. Dr. Lao is needed for technical details to make Fire Cracker operational.

TIME: 21st century

Every time period has its own characteristics. The 21st century started out with a world changing event: the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City that eventually escalated to other acts of terrorism throughout the world. Radical religious groups were taking action against other nations that do not believe or follow their beliefs. Global weather was changing at an accelerated rate such that the natural order of things couldn't keep up with the changes. Where natural meteorological and geological events would cause changes on the order of hundreds of thousands of years has now been discovered to take place ten times or more faster. This affected agriculture which in turn affected food production, distribution and supply. As less food became available more and more nations implemented strict laws and procedures for the acquisition of food. People became angry at these limitations.

For the first thirty years of the century such was the way of life on what was once a beautiful planet. Other things were happening that contributed peace to break down. Over the course of time many outbreaks of rebellion occurred and more acts of terrorism resulted. World leaders saw what was happening and the direction it was going. There were many meetings at the United Nations concerning what actions could be taken to stop and reverse the escalating destruction, violence and rebellions. When one action was taken terrorists would eventually counter and strike from a different perspective. Sometimes they would overcome the action and other times they would lose. There almost seemed to be a balance of terrorism and peacekeeping. Social scientists, political and religious leaders realized the planet could not maintain a healthy and safe environment. People were killing people and the environment was killing the planet.

With the exception of Dr. Lao the other five of GROUP 6 were called by their respective countries leaders and told, in no uncertain terms, to proceed to Washington DC where each will be met and escorted by FBI agents. Flights were arranged with first class seating. Unknown to them they were closely watched as a matter of security and protection as all other first class seats were occupied by special protective agents. There had to be absolutely no risk of any of these five being exposed to danger of their life. After arriving at Washington DC each were transported by special vehicles that was virtually explosion proof, along with escort vans occupied with highly trained fast reaction anti-terrorism agents. The local police blocked off and isolated the route from the airport to Mount Weather, an extraordinarily secure facility outside of Washington DC the President and his staff would evacuate to if necessary.

As they arrived at Mount Weather they were taken to a meeting room having a podium at the front and a large round table in the middle of the room. Five chairs were arranged on the side of the table facing the podium. There were pads of paper and pens and pencils on the table for each chair position. To one side was a smaller table in which fresh hot coffee, pitchers of ice water and donuts were available to snack on. As each of the five met, introductions were made and small talk took place. None of them knew what the meeting was about. Three of the five members had not met before but were known to each other due to their accomplishments in their respective fields. There was almost instant camaraderie amongst them as they were highly disciplined and respected. The meeting was about to begin.

When the door opened in the front of the room everybody quieted down, turned and stood in awe as George T. McKenzie, President of the United States entered and walked toward them. A very imposing and intimidating looking man, he stood at 6' 4" and weighed in at 250 pounds. Not to be messed with in spite of being the President, he played professional football with the Dallas Cowboys as a fullback for six years before going into politics. Upon meeting him for the first time other world leaders stood back from him so they could look into his eyes and also in part because there was a degree of fear about this man. However, after getting to know him he was really very friendly and personable. Just don't cross him.

He met each of the five with a firm but gentle hand shake and thanked them for being here. He also knew their names and backgrounds.

Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. We have much to discuss.

As he went to the podium each of them sat in random seats, some with coffee and a donut, others with ice water. After seeing they were comfortable he proceeded.

As you know from news reports, the world situation is not in the best of health. There is widespread rioting, rebellion and terrorist activity. The meteorological and geological experts predict continuous disasters of above average occurrences and intensities that will affect all facets of life. Studies have shown a decline of safe living conditions over the entire face of the planet. On the positive side, this decline will take place over the course of hundreds of years at which point the human race will be essentially wiped out to the point of being back to living in the stone age. During this time a concerted effort by all nations will collectively join together to work to reverse the conditions and bring back a peaceful type of life conducive to what we have been used to. There are those, mainly social scientists, that believe mans progress will be coming to an end in approximately 500 years. Studies done by many institutions, universities and government organizations have, unfortunately, come to the same conclusion.

The President paused for a moment so the group could think this over. There was dead silence amongst the five. They were all looking intensely at the President and waiting for him to continue. The President took a drink of water before he continued.

"There has been a series of secret meetings of the world's leaders to discuss what can be done. The majority agreed there are serious problems planet wide. Those that did not fully agree did not fully disagree either but expressed caution as to what actions were to be taken. And that is good counsel. However, all of them came to the same conclusion: That there has to be a most unusual and extreme action taken if man is to be saved for the benefit of the good and continuation of the human race. And this is the reason you are here.

"There are five of you, but one is missing due to being imprisoned in China. He is Dr. Chen Lao. Some of you may have heard of him. He discovered cold fusion. And as the news has reported, because he gave the general information on cold fusion to the world the Chinese government labeled him a traitor and arrested him. He is your sixth group team member. And hopefully if all goes well he will be joining you shortly. His release is now in the process of being negotiated. A video of this meeting will be available to Dr Lao after his arrival.

"Your mission is to design a structure to be built in space to house an initial complement of 50,000 people with enough room for growth to contain 1 million without being crowded. This structure is also to be maneuverable so as to travel interstellar distances for exploration in hopes of finding another suitable planet for man to live. As you may realize the travel time could easily be tens of thousands of years, or more. Also keep in mind this is an international effort with an expected completion time within the 500 years predicted of the collapse of civilization. No other project in the history of this planet has been as important as this.

"You will work in complete secrecy. Anything you need is yours. There is no limit on expenses. You may request other people with expertise in varying fields to also work on this project but keep in mind anyone you ask for and accepted will be permanently part of this project for the rest of their lives. That includes you. The bottom line is that this is a closed project in which there is no quitting, resignation or retiring. I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be. The successful completion of this project is of the most paramount importance. Nobody outside this project is to know anything about it. And that especially means family.

I have selected Dr. Benjamin Scottman to be in overall charge of the design stage of this project. Any equipment or personnel you need is to go thru him. He will in turn pass your request to the Chief of Security. All requests will also be known to all of you as you need to know who and what is involved at all times. There will be no secrets amongst anyone working directly on the project. Security guards, support personnel and other workers are not part of this project. The Chief of Security will give you a more detailed briefing. Once a month the six of you, as a team, will brief me on the projects progress. Are there any questions?

At first you could hear a pin drop. Then all five spoke up at the same time. The President held up both hands which quieted them. He pointed to Dr. Ellington, the member sitting on his far left.

Mr President, Thank you so much for being here to brief us on such an important project. You have honored me in my selection. The task ahead is most challenging to all those who work on it. However, I have a child that is autistic and needs me with him almost all the time. He is with me even at work sometimes. And I will not change his requirements or needs for anyone or anything. Can my responsibility be accommodated?

Dr. Ellington, I appreciate your openness and candid honesty. I know about your son, Howard. He is named after his father who was killed by a drunk driver before he was born. I am so sorry such an occurrence happened to you. Consideration was already given to your circumstance and I am happy to advise you that all due accommodations will be given to you and Howard for both of your needs and comfort. Will that satisfy you doctor?

Dr. Ellington stood up and stared hard at the President as tears rolled down her cheeks. No one in her life treated her with such understanding and compassion. She had to fight for everything in her life and it was most difficult having an autistic child. Now she was standing in front of the leader of what was left of the free world and was told she was to be given all accommodations. It was too much to hold in. She held her arms straight out as she said Thank you Mr President. The president came around the podium and went to her and accepted her hug. He knew what she had been through. She sat down and the President went back behind the podium somewhat teary eyed himself. She said I'm sorry to everyone for my small outburst of emotion. From the others came responses of understanding...Not a problem, It's OK Roberta, it's OK." And so on.

Dr. Fajad, said the President, you are next. Any questions?

Thank you Mr President. Like my colleague I too am honored to have a place on this team and also to meet you in person. You mentioned we will be working on this project the rest of our lives. Let's be realistic about something here. There will come a time when we can no longer work. Our minds may not give out but our bodies eventually will. What then?

Thank you Dr Fajad for your compliment. Your foresight about what will eventually happen is correct. What I failed to mention regarding not quitting, resigning or retiring is that you can be released under certain strict conditions. These conditions will be detailed by the Chief of Security. Speaking of which, he does have knowledge of this project and who else works on it. I must also tell you that the Vice President also has the same information as me but no one else in the three branches of government. Anything else doctor?

Yes sir. I would like to know about our living conditions. What kind of residences will we have? Where will we be doing all of this?

I can appreciate wanting to know these things and I assure you that all of you will have very comfortable living accommodations. As for where, well let me just say that for those of you not having too much experience in winters and cold weather this will give you that experience. All of you will be given briefings on the details of this endeavor. Anything else doctor?

No Mr President. Thank you especially since I have never seen snow in person. I can picture myself freezing my ass off. Everyone in the room busted up in laughter which was sorely needed and welcomed. When everyone finally came to order the President asked Any other questions?

Dr Scottman raised his hand. The President recognized him. You mentioned design stage. What other stages will there be?

Of course. the President said. As the design is drawing to a close personnel will be selected to begin the next stage, and that will be the acquisition and construction stage. There will be a transition between each stage so the project can be run and completed in as smooth a manner as possible. There will be a construction manager to oversee this stage. As this stage is drawing to a close there will be a testing stage, then a loading stage of materials, supplies, people and animals. After which the ship will then be positioned to start its journey. Any one else?

There were no other questions asked but many not asked. Again, thank you all for your sacrifices with what needs to be done. I wish you the best in your work and successes. At this time I would like to introduce the projects Chief of Security (COS), General James S. Drew. He will be your liaison to me. Anything you want will go thru him.

*  *  *  *  *

The President opened the door he had entered, exited and the General came thru. He had been watching the meeting in the next room so as to get a feel of those involved. He also had dossiers on all of them and knew their background as intimately, if not more, than the President. Born and raised in Chicago, General Drew was street smart, cunning and savvy. He was the youngest officer in the history of the United States military to become a four star general at the age of 35. His first three years were spent as a combat Marine before transferring to the Air Force to become a bomber pilot. He showed extraordinary leadership abilities having a natural talent of accomplishing all of his assignments in a highly successful manner. Those under his command carried out his orders without question and those that didn't, which were few, were released from active duty. He is another man you did not want to cross.

"Good morning everyone. Please feel free to help yourself to coffee and donuts as this meeting progresses. And if anyone wants to take a break then please let me know. This is a meeting on security and ground rules we all need to follow in order to not have any compromises of information outside this project. Before I begin I would like each of you to call me Jim but only when no others are around. I hope you allow me to call you by your first name, or whatever you like. But I will call you by your earned and respected title as doctor or professor when around others. We are going to be together for a long time doing a job that is incredibly important: designing and building the largest structure in the history of mankind and doing this in space.

At any time you have a question stop me, raise your hand or just jump in with it. I will not stand on ceremony or formality here. You are the cream of the crop in your respective fields and I have the highest respect of your standings. Any disagreements will not be shot down because of position. We must be entirely open and honest with each other. Are there any comments or opinions on this matter? As he waited he helped himself to coffee and a chocolate glazed donut.

Returning to the podium he continued. The six of you will be known as GROUP 6 and will make your own group, or team, policy as to working conditions. You will have your own individual offices if you like or one big office to accommodate all of you. Six different individuals in five different areas from different backgrounds may at times produce personality conflicts. We can not afford this. If there are any conflicts, grudges or other personal differences that interfere in any way I must know about it. However, I urge you to work things out amongst yourselves first. If you can't then I'll work it out for you.

General...Jim. Joe spoke up. Can we take a small break for about 5 minutes?

Please, make that ten minutes. This from Sarah.

Ten minutes it is. The rest rooms are out the back door and to the right. See you back in ten.

The five team members got up and left. The General stayed to give them some alone time to discuss the situation. And discuss they did. Only a couple went to the rest room but the rest gathered in the hall.

Scotty said Joe, nice to see you again. It's been what, five years? Joe and Ben worked together on another classified government project that resulted in the discovery of extracting from asteroids their basic elements. So the two knew exactly why they were selected for this project.

Joe, it's good to see you also., said Scotty as they shook hands. If I remember correctly your wife's name is Donna and your kids names are Wayne and Linda. How are they doing?

Your memory is as sharp as always. Everyone is doing just fine. And let me guess, you are still the proverbial bachelor with a number of prospects always on the horizon.

Yeah, still. Just can't seem to find the right one. But it is fun trying. So, what do you think about all of this?

Scotty, said Joe, admittedly I'm kind of shocked the world leaders would agree to something like this but things are going to hell in a hand basket. Seems like nothing works and the harder we try the more difficult it gets. I like the concept for what this project represents, even though it seems extremely time and material consuming. But it also doesn't seem like we have much choice or alternative.

I agree with you Joe. The team members selected in this group are excellent choices. All have the knowledge and experience to get this stage done in the best possible manner. I only hope Dr Lao gets here soon, and safely.

By this time the other three joined them. Dr Sakasuki was an outsider in that no one else of the group knew her. Being the group leader Scotty introduced himself and asked what her speciality is.

*  *  *  *  *

In a small remote village 100 kilometers north of Beijing at 3 o'clock in the morning the very loud wailing of a brand new baby's cry wakened nearby neighbors as the baby took his first breaths. His mother exhaled in exhausted relief with a sigh of happiness and satisfaction that this ordeal was finally over. Upon being told he is now the father of a boy his father gave a brief but proud smile. Saying to his wife His name is Chen, after your father. Thank you kind husband. You also make me happy. Having a sister help with the delivery, Chen was cleaned and wrapped in fresh cloths and given to his mother as she was cleaned. She gently held her new son in the crook of her arm as tears rolled down her cheeks with a big smile on her face. And such as it is in this almost unknown sparsely populated village in China.

Growing up, Chen showed signs of quick learning as he advanced in school. At times he would know more than the instructor, and this at first annoyed them but over time he was recognized as exceptional. Educational authorities heard about him and observed his progress. By the age of 10 he was put in a special program of highly gifted children and at the age of 18 he earned a doctorate in theoretical physics. Dr Lao was one of China's celebrated citizens. The government also took notice and closely observed his work results over a period of five years without his knowledge. When he turned 24 a representative of the government approached him with an offer of a job to work on a classified program having unlimited resources and the freedom to do research as he saw fit. But the only catch was that he had to work on the assigned program given him by the government. Dr Lao heard from fellow scientists what it was like to work for the government and he wasn't very excited about it. Still, unlimited resources and research freedom! He wanted to know more about the project. He did not want to work on any weapon system but expressed that he wanted to work on something for the betterment of mankind. Knowing that, the government broke protocol and told him he would work on finding a solution and practical working prototype of cold fusion, a device that produced more energy than it took to operate. Cheap energy to replace oil which so much held some countries so very dependent on the oil producing countries. With cold fusion, the oil producing countries would just about go bankrupt overnight. Dr Lao leaped at the prospect of such an opportunity. The Chinese government was pleased and according to their ideology made him a Colonel in the army even though he did not have to wear a uniform or attend any military events. This was a formality that from the governments perspective could maintain control over him. Dr Lao was blind to the real meaning of the position so he gladly accepted.

*  *  *  *  *

Six months before the meeting the President had with Group 6 a special team made up of 10 special forces commandos were studying the layout of Tso-Chang prison camp located fifty miles north of Qindgao, on the southeast coast of China. The prison contains China's most violent and hardened criminals. It was designed to be escape proof having three, four-sided walls surrounding the prison compound from the outside world. Each wall is separated 100 meters apart with large guard towers at each corner.

The ground between the first and second wall has a moat 10 meters wide and about 2 feet in depth, and centered between the walls. The moat is filled with loose gravel and water making travel across it almost impossible without being detected. Lighting, of course was everywhere. Concertina wire was not only positioned on the top of the walls but also horizontally on each side of the walls and electrified. Pressure sensors are buried in the ground sensitive enough to detect a weight of ten pounds or more. All tower guards were armed with automatic weapons, a 45 caliber sidearm and carried infra-red binoculars.

The ground between the second and third walls has a one foot deep layer of very sharp and jagged edged rocks no smaller than eight inches nor larger than 14 inches in diameter. Poisonous snakes, scorpions and spiders lived in and among the rocks. Once a week guards, standing at a distance from the edge of the rocks, would toss small mice, flightless small birds and other creatures across the rocks as food for the inhabitants. As each of the guards finished they would run from the area back to the safety of their tower.

Only once was an escape attempted. This was at a time before the concertina wire and pressure sensors were installed thinking the lighting, moat and rocks were sufficient enough to stop any attempt. However, one very clever prisoner did try. He found the tower guards were lax enough to not pay enough attention in their observations of the moat. His attempt was on a cloudless day on the eastern side directly opposite from where the sun was going to set. The guards in the eastern towers would have the bright sun facing them thereby giving the escapee a slight advantage in observation ability. And the blinding sun kept their observation time to a minimum.

The escapee crawled slowly thru the loose gravel and water, submerged except for his face. Observing the two guard towers he noticed the guards would move away from their positions every so often and be away for about ten minutes at a time before coming back. He also noticed the guards never looked down at the base of the wall. He therefore surmised that area was a relatively safe spot to be to scale the wall. When he got to the edge of the moat he waited for the opportunity when the guards from both towers left their positions at the same time. When this happened he immediately got up and ran for the second wall half way between the two towers. He wasn't worried about the guards in the towers of the first, or inner wall as they always observed the grounds looking toward the compound.

It was agonizing waiting there completely still least the slightest movement be detected and he would be captured or killed. But move he must in order to watch the guards leave their position at the same time as they did when he left the moat. With his back to the wall he had to look left and right in order to observe the guards movements. He did this with just enough head movement to see both towers in the shortest amount of time and without attracting attention to himself. But that wasn't the real problem. He had no idea what was on the other side of the wall.

He knew from the start he was taking a chance and risking his life with every step he took. But he reasoned better this way than merely existing