Download the Book - Islam and Science Fiction
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would come around, <strong>and</strong> did not want to ruin things for him<br />
unnecessarily.<br />
Finally, one day Dr. Kammholtz emerged from his cloistered<br />
office suite with a grin on his face so wide it must have hurt. He<br />
ga<strong>the</strong>red us toge<strong>the</strong>r in <strong>the</strong> main auditorium <strong>and</strong> announced that he<br />
had just confirmed <strong>the</strong> scheduling of a one-year starship expedition, to<br />
occur in twenty-six months. We had barely enough time to prepare.<br />
As soon as <strong>the</strong> announcement was made, I slipped away to inform<br />
Jamil. He smiled quietly as I told him <strong>the</strong> news.<br />
"Sir," I asked cautiously, "if some of us have an opportunity to<br />
fly on <strong>the</strong> starship, would that interfere with our work for Shia Ali?"<br />
His expression grew serious. "That will not interfere with our<br />
plans. Now listen carefully ... it would not be wise to speculate about<br />
your real mission for now. Don't do it, <strong>and</strong> don't encourage your<br />
teammates to do it. For now, be satisfied that you are all doing<br />
extremely well, <strong>and</strong> that everything is on track."<br />
"So we continue as we have been?"<br />
"Absolutely. Do your jobs <strong>the</strong> best way you know how, <strong>and</strong><br />
become invaluable to <strong>the</strong>ir efforts. The rest will come in time, God<br />
willing."<br />
I returned to <strong>the</strong> dormitory at <strong>the</strong> observatory brimming with<br />
excitement, <strong>and</strong> found virtually everyone feeling <strong>the</strong> same, even Zeid.<br />
He, Faysal, <strong>and</strong> I got toge<strong>the</strong>r in my quarters that evening for dinner,<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>re was no way I could keep <strong>the</strong> conversation from turning to<br />
<strong>the</strong> topic on our minds.<br />
"What did Al-Hariri have to say?" Faysal asked.<br />
"That we are to carry on as we have been," I replied. "We're<br />
doing good work, <strong>and</strong> our plans are on track."<br />
"Nothing about our real mission?" Zeid asked.<br />
"That will come in time."<br />
"I'll tell you what our mission is," Faysal blurted. "We take <strong>the</strong><br />
starship."<br />
That had occurred to me, but <strong>the</strong> likelihood of getting enough of<br />
a team on board seemed remote.<br />
Zeid's eyes grew wide. "Why?" he asked with alarm.<br />
"Power," Faysal replied. "Power <strong>and</strong> prestige."<br />
"Enough careless speculation," I cautioned. "The odds are too<br />
long. What would we do with a starship, anyway?"<br />
"What would we do with nukes?" Faysal replied, a gleam in his<br />
eye.<br />
"Good question," Zeid challenged, eyeing Faysal suspiciously.<br />
"What would we do with nuclear weapons? What are you telling us?"<br />
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