The Blind Date.

By Len Morgan

It wasn't really a blind date, it wasn't even a date.  It was a targeted communication on line.  It would be the beginning of the biggest 'Blind Date' in the history of the World Wide Web!

Justine Drake was (or will be; depending on which end of the link you're on) an FTL physicist engaged in advanced space travel following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather who were both Astrophysicists.  Overnight she became the richest woman in the four inhabited systems. 

Naturally people were curious about the origins of her wealth.  One day she was a poor overworked scientist, then overnight she possessed the wealth of a small planet.  The questions had been asked, but only she, and her great-great-great-grandfather Kevin Drake who lived back in the 21st century could give an answer.  Kevin died 200 years ago, and Justine had no intention of revealing their secret.

Kevin was an unremarkable man a proficient financial accountant, without fire in his belly.  He would have lived out his humdrum life in virtual obscurity, had it not been for an email message he received from the future: from Justine.  He took it to be a hoax of course.  

 

Hi venerable ancestor,  

I am guessing this message will reach you sometime in the 2020's.  Attached is a list of dates and winning lottery numbers for rollover and double rollover weeks between 2015 and 2035.  I ask only that you Invest £5 and buy a ticket using the numbers I have provided.  This will bring you wealth beyond expectation but, if you follow my further requests you could be so much more fulfilled.  Let me explain: I would like you to open an account in my name and deposit half our joint winnings therein.  Additionally, I have attached a list of Companies that are small and struggling in your time, that will, with investment, become successful major companies in 2235, (my time).  There are others that do not as yet exist, that will require major investment to get them established.  I ask that you set up a legal trust device that will ensure they receive that finance. 

When you realise this is not a hoax, I know you will be prepared to invest with more confidence.  Also attached are the results of a number of sporting events.   You cannot claim in your own name, so please set up dummy recipient names.  Do not allow your son Charles to have access to this trust or your funds; he will put our plans in dire jeopardy!

In 2230, Faster than Light travel (FTL) will be sidelined by the Galactic Federation, as impractical.  It's true, to date no living creature has survived an FTL flight hence my need to self-fund the project.  Since Jump Space was opened, regular Jump Flights have taken place, but the technology is in the hands of the only other intelligent race in the Universe, the Zeelons, and is jealously guarded.  It is possible that sometime in the future they may decide to restrict our use of Jump Space.  We need an alternative means of inter galactic travel, and FTL is the best and only alternative available to us.  By following these instructions to the letter you would be the saviour of Earth and the Federation.  In addition, you will acquire personal wealth beyond your wildest dreams.  Your future would be assured simply by following the plan.

Regards,

Justine.

Kevin was sceptical, but what could he lose, he thought as he checked the numbers of past winners off on the list; they all panned out. 

"Hell!  It will cost me a fiver, who would miss it?  Certainly not me.  Now according to Justine, it's two weeks to the next triple rollover." 

He wrote the numbers on the form and paid over his cash.  The Grand National is on next week, he thought.  I'll spread a few thousand around on that if I win...  Ten years later he was a multi-billionaire, he had personally and on Justine's behalf, invested in all the companies she advised, and they all bore fruit...

Two hundred and ten years later, Justine and her team checked on the accounts. 

"Another one has just taken the bait, another 1,300 billion in funds have arrived.  You're a genius Justine, we are raking in fortunes and all it cost us was the price of an Inner Space Jump two hundred light-years away, an unmanned FTL vehicle and an old antique internet server to send out the 'blind dates' to your ancestor in the 21st century.  FTL may not be a practical means of travel but it's a perfect way to travel back in time, virtually!"

 

Copyright Len Morgan