"Now that I've explained what I want to do and why I want to do it, I'll show you how we're going to do it. It's time for me to introduce you all to my pride and joy, The Second Star!" The dimmed lights slowly brightened, and ushers appeared and guided the people out as Victor Finn exited the side.
Split into several groups, each with an usher, the groups marveled at the sights of the hidden base. They saw robots and humans working together to build equipment; there were pieces of infrastructure, and more. They also witnessed the testing of some of the equipment.
The usher leading the King's group pointed to the side, "Here to our left is one of our test pilots, it looks like today he's trying one of the new jet packs. Shall we see how it goes?" The crowd was enthusiastic in their agreement to watch.
Most of the crowd had seen test flights of things like rocket packs and weren't expecting much. Then, they reacted with surprise. The test pilot wore a helmet, flew into the air, and moved easily, doing a few maneuvers in the air, and then floating targets dropped from the ceiling. The pilot drew two pistols strapped to each thigh and fired. Every shot hit the bullseye.
Next, floating spherical drones appeared near the targets, protecting them. The drones attacked the test pilot when he got too close. The pilot deftly dodged the attacks and still managed to hit the targets. Finally, the man landed and looked up when he heard the loud clapping and cheering. He took off his helmet, smiled, and waved at the crowd.
Another crowd watched as robots loaded trucks with materials. Once full, the trucks left, but the formerly loading robot changed to a new truck, while an identical robot began loading it up. Once it was full, the truck left, and the new robot morphed into a new truck. This process was done repeatedly. Once the materials were delivered, the trucks would return, change back into robots, and stand in line waiting for their turn. No one had seen robots become vehicles or vehicles becoming robots.
Each of the touring groups saw novel sights, but eventually they all gathered together once more in another large area. A figure flashed on one of the walls; it was Dr. Finn.
"My friends, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the equipment we've been working on. I've been fortunate over the years that I've been able to work with true experts in their fields. The wonders you have witnessed are the collective technical and imaginative fruit of our team.
However, what you have witnessed thus far is nothing! Now, I'll give you a tour of the inside of our ship. Before that, perhaps you would like to see the outside of our ship?" The Dr. asked, and the crowd cheered and clapped.
To their surprise, Dr. Finn's video image stepped off the wall and would have looked real if not for the slight shimmer around his body.
"I'll need to open the windows for this next bit; it wouldn't do for the host to get stuck in the shutters," He joked with Kurt King. As he spoke, half the wall where his image was previously projected rose slowly. Dr. Finn smiled smugly while pointing out the newly revealed windows.
"She's a beaut, isn't she?"
Gobsmacked is the best word to describe the looks on everyone's faces. They pushed to the window and realized for the first time that they were likely on a huge island. They knew this because they were on a platform that was so high in the air. They could see the edges of most of the island, but without a complete view all around they couldn't be sure it was an island.
This wasn't the most amazing sight. As their eyes traced the edges of the island and worked more inland, there was an immense forest, but as they continued to look there was an end to the jungle. A cleared field and then there it was, a flying saucer as big as a town.
"There it is, my friends, with a diameter of 612 meters, that's nearly 200 meters wider than the Pentagon! It has more than enough space to support a population of 2,000 people. That's more than enough room for all of you, your children, parents, siblings, and the same for those already working here. We'll have plenty of room to grow into!" The walking hologram of Dr. Finn explained.
"Let's take a look at the inside!" The Dr. walked toward an exit and disappeared. The ushers took over and guided people to the saucer. The group split apart once again and eventually congregated in what, to their experience, was a large town.
There, in the center of the town, stood Dr. Finn, smiling.
"Welcome to Happy Valley!"
The town was beautiful, it was surrounded impart by some tall hills. It looked every bit like a traditional small town. It wasn't the manufactured sameness of the suburban neighborhoods. The homes looked like they had some history to them, even though they knew they were recently made. Still, the fact that the town didn't look too new gave a sense of comfort, like a pair of your favorite shoes.
Even if it didn't look brand new, it looked and smelled like family. The women started talking, imagining raising their children here. There was a playground, and someone claimed to have found a schoolhouse, although he had enhanced vision.
"This, my dear friends, is not the city of the future. We live in the future, we live in a spaceship. Instead, this is something familiar and comfortable. This is where you can raise your children, grow old with your friends, and be buried in the cemetery. There's room to grow. Why don't you take a look around the town? There's a town trolley that you can take, or you can walk around. If you get hungry, today's food is free; eat at any restaurant! Enjoy all of the amenities, and we'll meet again this evening!
Dr. Finn disappeared again, "I thought that was the real him," someone commented, and others agreed. "He's wily," another commented.
The group broke up and started touring; some inspected the houses, most of which were open. Some had occupants. The Kings walked up to a house, which had a short brick wall with a white picket fence on top of the brick. The wooden gate creaked open as Kurt pushed it gently. The sound was strangely comforting. The house was a pleasant blue color, the lawn well-maintained, and there was a shed in the back and even a place to park a car.
"Kurt, do you smell the air? It smells like a real place. I can smell grass, flowers, and look at the leaves on that oak tree; there's a slight wind!"
Entering the yard, Kurt bent down and felt the ground, "It's real grass and soil!"
"Let's take a look inside the house!" Betsy ran toward the house like a young girl, and not like a mother of two." Kurt laughed and chased after her.
On the main drag, others were having other experiences. Joe and Sally were marveling at how easy it was to enter and exit places. Every building was accommodating, even for beings of their size. The doors were on average 8'5" tall and 4' wide. They were almost two feet taller than normal doors and a foot wider. For Venusians, the world was built of little people on Earth. They always struggled to move around, and often didn't bother going out; the world was too small for them.
There were several Venusians on this tour, and all of them were enjoying the larger sizes.
"Look at these tables," Sally ran to a booth in a soda shop they found. A waitress, about 6'1", but young, smiled, watching Sally.
"I felt the same way when I came here the first time," the young girl said. Sally suddenly realized there was someone other than her husband with her.
"Hi…Shirley," Sally read the young girl's name tag.
"Hi, you can call me Shirls, that's what my folks call me…and most everyone else."
"You're Venusian?" Sallay asked.
"Yes, ma'am, Dr. Finn offered my father a position as a combat trainer. He was interested, but when he saw the town and how it was made not to fit just the shorties, but us too. That sold it for him, and the rest of us. Have you been to the dealership yet?"
"No, not yet," Sally responded.
"They have Venusian-sized vehicles, no more riding in clown cars! My daddy bought a family car, and we go to the drive-inon Friday nights, camping out in the forest, wherever we go, the whole family can fit in the car. There's so much leg room! I saw a shorty trying to drive it, and their little legs couldn't reach the pedals!" Shirls laughed. This also amused Joe and Sally.
Venusians were immensely grateful to the 'shories' as they called them, for taking them in their time of need. But every Venusian was tired of living in such a small world. They were tired of the shorties looking at them with looks of terror or shock. Even more, they were tired of being made fun of because they couldn't fit in most vehicles!
"Tell me, what's the deal with the sun?" Kurt asked Shirls.
"Oh, get this, this whole town is based on Venusian environmental sciences. That's a Venusian Solar Sphere up there! The artificial wind, seasons, moon, stars, all based on the Venusian underground city technology! The artificial gravity is something else, but Dr. Finn is an amazing genius; he even improved on some of the Venusian technology. He told my father that he had access to technology from races in similar situations to us, Venusians!"
"That's amazing, no wonder this feels so familiar," Sally commented. Even though Sally didn't grow up for long on Venus. She heard from her parents about the Venusian underground world and the technology they used to make it livable.
"It's a bit bright, not enough red, and no pressure…I miss Venus." Joe was a little older than Sally, so he remembered living on Venus as a child. He often had moments where his displeasure couldn't be contained. He missed home, but he couldn't return.
"Oh, then you might be interested in Venus Town, it's on the other side of the Eden Hills. There's an entire area that's just for us, Venusians. Lots of carbon dioxide, crushing pressure, boiling temperatures, it's so beautiful. My mother said it reminded her of her childhood. I love it there," Shirls commented.
"You live there?" Sally asked, captured by the girl's enchanted words.
"Yeah, daddy moved us there, but I still have to come to school in Happy Valley. Dr. Finn doesn't want everyone to split up completely. Most of the shops and things are here, but there are a few things in Venus Town, and it's worth it. So many Venusians decided to sign up with Dr. Finn and are working in different departments. I know the two of you will love it here!" Shirls beamed at the couple.
Others were having their own experiences. Some were fascinated by the local papers. There were two competing papers, a third started recently from Venus Town. It was called the Venus Tribune. The other Happy Valley papers were called "The Star Ledger," and the other was called "Happy Valley Herald." There was a lady's magazine; the main article was about alien fashion. Dr. Finn contributed some examples of known alien fashion, where he got this information, no one knew.
The various restaurants were busy throughout the day, and when evening came, the ushers returned and gathered everyone for the gathering. The looks on everyone's faces were excited and joyful.
When they congregated, once more, in the town square, Dr. Finn appeared once more.
"Good evening, my friends, I trust you have enjoyed your day. Now that we've all had fun, let's have a serious discussion.