(A Watery Science Fiction Fantasy in Three Parts)
"Here at DeepStar, we build the most sophisticate and exciting personal underwater craft in the world," said the wetsuit-clad male announcer. "Today the world is going to see this new class of submersible for the first time."
Beside him was a submarine that was like no other. It was only 20 feet long and the main tube was just 3 feet in diameter. The bow was rounded like a torpedo and on the stern was a set of eight small tubes that appeared to be for the purpose of propelling the machine foreword. On either side were wings that tapered back like a supersonic airplane and it did have a stubby tail complete with movable control surfaces.
On the top of the sub was a large greenhouse of clear thick plastic that covered the tandem seating for the two-crew members. Under the dome were two large blue seats with armrest controls for guidance and an interesting mesh assembly that looked like a futuristic seatbelt. The single passenger seat was at the front of the greenhouse and the captain's seat was at the rear. Between the two seats was a 7-foot long area that was reserved for cargo or sleeping.
"The DeepStar II is a two place personal craft that is designed to travel up to 600 feet deep and propel the adventurers for up to 3 hours. It has very simple controls that permit the aquanauts to enjoy the adventure relieved of the complexity of pressure tanks, decompression dangers, massive hulls, and the extremes of hot and cold."
"Rather than tell you about it, I have asked our chief underwater pilot to give you and open water demonstration here at this resort in lovely Palau with any volunteer that wants to step forward."
There was a small throng of swimsuit-clad vacationers watching the filming of the commercial. Among them were several pretty girls that were an obvious choice. One of the girls was on vacation from California with her girlfriend and she was smitten with the young captain of the sub.
"Please pick me," she squealed.
"The announcer smiled at the camera and said jokingly, "I think that we have a victim.
The DeepStar II was lifted from the cradle on the dock and lowered into the water. The water was crystal clear and the bottom was about 20 feet down. The sub sat very still on the surface and the water came up almost to the top of the opening into the passenger compartment.
The girl said, "Can I take my camera?"
"You better leave it with me," replied the announcer. "You are going to be very busy learning about this new craft and acclimating yourself to it unique way of protecting its crew. This sounded kind of strange to the girl but the captain smiled reassuringly at her. The girl was wearing a skimpy yellow bikini and she said that she had better go get at least her shorts and tee shirt.
The captain took her by the hand and led her over in front of the camera. Identified him-self as Captain Chris and said that he had been working for the DeepStar for the last 3 years. She replied that her name was Barbie and that she was here on a diving trip with her friend. She asked if she would be cold.
The captain said that the cockpit would be kept at a perfect 77 degrees no matter what depth that they chose. In fact, he said, I am going to change into my DeepStar II "uniform" right now.
With that he pulled off his shirt and kicked off his shoes. He dropped his pants to the surprise and amusement of the onlookers and they saw that he was wearing what amounted to white silk running shorts. Chris and Barbie stepped down onto the semi-submerged wing and slosh over to the cockpit and looked in the open hatch. Chris hopped into the back seat and directed Barbie to take the front. Barbie was joined by an assistant and was helped into the sub and strapped in. She was a little surprised when the assistant cinched the net straps very tightly and locked them in place behind her.
"What if I need to get out," she asked? "I can't see or reach the buckles and I could drown if the sub sinks with me trapped inside."
The captain leaned forward and patted her on the shoulder and said, "That is so cute." "You could drown..."
The canopy was lowered into place and locked down tight by the bikini-clad assistant. Barbie could hear the announcer on the dock talking but could not make out exactly what he was saying. Good thing too, because if she had this is what she would have heard.
"The DeepStar II is the first of a generation of Passenger Immerseable Submersibles."
"By this we mean that the crew will be immersed in water and will be able to breathe the fluid because it is charged with up to 15% oxygen. The craft is then free to submerge without the heavy, expensive, and complicated pressure hulls and dozens of pumps and pressure gages."
"Getting acclimated to "drowning" underwater and trusting that you can breathe it is a big step toward enjoying this fantastic machine. This girl is in for the thrill of her life in the next few minutes as the sub fills with water, stabilizes, and heads out for a 60 minute excursion into the open ocean."
"The cute 'Mermaid' that you see in the front of the sub will be, for lack of a better word, drowned when the craft submerges and is filled with the warm filtered O2 rich water."
Inside the sub the girl was chatting with the captain about the simplicity of the sub. She noted that there were no delicate electronics that she would have expected and the surfaces were clean and smooth. She also marveled at the fact that the canopy was not the 4 inches thickness that she had seen on other subs. She wondered how it could stand up to the pressure of the deep.
There was a strange little keyboard and display next to her right hand.
"What is this for," she asked?
"Oh, that is so you can communicate with me after the sub is underwater," he replied.
"Why can't I just talk?"
"You'll see," he laughed.
The announcer told the crowd that the girl would be fine. To a person, they were all relieved not to have been chosen for the demonstration. The girl's friend on the dock was torn between being scared and happy that Barbie was getting to have such a unique experience. She was a little unclear on the 'drowning' part. She waved at the almost naked girl under the glass bubble in the small craft and received a big smile and a wave back.
Captain Chris asked Barbie how old she was and she responded that she would be 20 tomorrow. He said, "20 years ago you were not even born yet and you were still swimming inside your mothers body totally underwater. Today you are going to get to go back to that time if only for a hour or so."
"Are you ready young lady", he asked?