Restoration

by Daniel C McWhorter

  Evan tried to relax as his pod adjusted to a partially reclined position. The chest and leg restraints inflated slightly, so he was held securely in place but not to where he felt uncomfortable. The wing mounted engines screamed as the space plane surged down the runway. Evan couldn't see the plane's wings from where he sat but he correctly guessed that they were fully extended. The plane quickly built up speed and within a few seconds, it jumped into the air. The craft climbed steeply and made several shallow turns as it gained altitude.

  On a whim, Evan said “Show position”—a display appeared that showed a satellite view of the space plane along with readouts for altitude, heading and speed. They were already at 7,000 meters and climbing fast. Their speed was 2,000 kilometers per hour and increasing. Their heading was roughly due north, which meant they were flying toward Mongolia, Russia and the North Pole.

  Over the next fifteen minutes, the plane continued to gain altitude and speed and Evan couldn't help but be amazed at how fast they were flying. In that short amount of time, they had climbed to twenty-five kilometers and were traveling at more than 7,400 kilometers an hour. That was over six times the speed of sound and fast enough to fly from New York to London in under an hour!

  Chen saw him watching the display and called over, “So far so good. Get ready, the fun part is about to begin!”

  Five minutes later, Captain Bauer's voice came over the speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are at 45,000 meters and are ready to initiate transition to orbit. The upper atmosphere is pretty stable today and we don't expect a lot of turbulence along our flight path but please make sure that you do not remove your restraints until instructed to do so. If you direct your holodisplays to the exterior cameras, you will get some great views of the Earth and space as we make our roll. Enjoy the ride.”

  Elise came back over the speakers. “Okay folks, for those of you who haven't taken this trip before, this is the fun part. When the pilot initiates the burn, you are going to experience approximately three Gs of force pushing your body into your pod. That means that you are going to weigh three times what you do now and you might find it difficult or uncomfortable to lift your head or arms during peak acceleration. We don't recommend that you try but knock yourself out if you want to give it a go. If you watch your holodisplays, you will see that a countdown has started. The burn will initiate when it hits zero. Enjoy the ride!”

  Evan watched as the countdown timer worked its way down from sixty to zero. When the counter reached thirty, he heard a noise he interpreted as the wings being retracted into the fuselage. The noise stopped at ten seconds and everything went quiet. Even the loud droning sound of the engines had died down to a low hum.

  Five...four...three...two...one...zero!

  Evan heard an explosive roar from the tail-mounted engines. The speed readout climbed rapidly and in just a matter of seconds, they were traveling at more than 10,000 kilometers per hour. Evan felt the pod adjust to compensate for the increased G-forces, and he also felt his suit subtly adjusting his body. The tingling sensations were less than before but he still felt the occasional tinge as his suit fully integrated with his nervous system.

  The craft continued to accelerate, and they were now experiencing three times the Earth's gravity pushing their bodies into the seats of their pods. Evan felt parts of his seat inflate and deflate to form to his body and ease pressure points as they developed. The angle of the seat had also changed so that he was almost laying down with his head just slightly above his chest.

  Out of curiosity he raised his right arm and found it felt dull and extremely heavy, like lifting a 30-pound dumbbell. The same was true when he tried to lift his head and look around the cabin. He could do it but it felt like he had a giant weight strapped to the top of his head and it strained his neck muscles to lift up more than a couple of inches above the headrest. He decided it was better to relax and let the suit and pod do whatever was necessary to keep him comfortable.

  Another few minutes passed and Evan saw they were traveling at more than 16,000 kilometers per hour at just over sixty kilometers above sea level. He checked the moving map and exterior camera views and saw they had crossed the North Pole, flown briefly over Greenland and were now somewhere near the equator in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He could see on the map they would soon fly over the southern Caribbean Islands and Central America. From there they would pass over the wide-open spaces of the Pacific.

  The flight had been pretty smooth so far, with only the occasional jostle as they hit pockets of unstable air. Things got progressively rougher, however, as they climbed higher and the atmosphere became progressively thinner. The space plane shook so hard at times that Evan thought for sure he would be thrown out of his pod but the active restraints and his neurosuit did their jobs keeping him in place. He was, however, feeling sick again.

  The nausea came in waves and Evan was sure he would lose his lunch if the shaking didn't stop soon. Just when he thought he could take no more, the jostling subsided and Evan felt the pressure on his restraints ease. The plane rolled over onto its back and he could see that the bottom-mounted cameras now showed the blackness of space. The cameras on top of the craft showed that they were somewhere over Indonesia flying west along the equator.

  The readout showed that they had just passed 110 kilometers above the surface of the Earth and they were climbing at a speed of almost 32,000 kilometers per hour. He looked over at Chen who gave him a thumbs up. Evan attempted to return the gesture but was overcome by a sudden wave of nausea. He reached for the vomit bag and put it to his mouth just in time.

  CHAPTER 10

  APRIL 4, 2075 4:00 PM GST

  GSSA Headquarters

  Zurich, Switzerland

  “Madam Secretary,” the well-groomed and finely dressed man said as he entered the secretary's office unannounced. “I am sorry to interrupt but Captain Bachmann said it's urgent.”

  Dianne Merkel was sitting at a large oval table with a half dozen GSSA executives, all of whom were staring intently at charts and graphs being projected in the air above the table.

  “Keep working,” Dianne said to the group as she stood up. “I want revised projections within the hour.”

  One of the two women at the table replied on behalf of the group, “Yes, ma'am.”

  “I'll take it in my private office,” Dianne said to the man who had just interrupted her meeting.

  “Of course,” he said. “Will there be anything else?”

  “No, my order stands. No interruptions unless it involves the Telogene case.”

  The young man nodded as he exited the room.

  Dianne walked down a short hallway to her private office, stopping briefly at a mirror next to the door to check her appearance. She wasn't a vain woman, but she had been working for forty-eight hours straight and was feeling a little worse for the wear. She could safely take stimulants for another twenty-four hours but then she would have to get some sleep whether she liked it or not.

  Dianne walked over to her desk and said, “Accept call.”

  A holodisplay appeared above her desk and resolved into an image of a man wearing the black and gray uniform of a GFN peacekeeper.

  “What is it, Captain? You had better be calling with good news,” Dianne said curtly.

  “I wish that was the case, ma'am,” he replied matter-of-factly. “We lost them.”

  Dianne's face flushed, and she raised her voice well above her usual mild and measured tone.

  “How is that possible? We knew exactly where they were and where they were going. You had every possible resource in position and at your disposal, and yet you are calling to tell me they got away? You had better have a very good explanation, Captain!”

  “I am sorry, Madame Secretary, they planned well and prepared for us. We almost had them in Xi'an but our agents on the ground have reported that they left the planet about an hour ago. We tried to track them into orbit but our drones did not find them and they did not show up on an
y of our tracking nets.”

  “So, Telogene has invisible space planes now, is that what you are telling me, Captain?”

  “No, ma'am. Even if it was a stealth craft, we should have been able to track them on GeoNet. I am not sure how they slipped through but our best people are working on it.”

  The GeoNet was an array of satellites and ground stations around the planet that, besides proving a global telecommunications network, monitored every vehicle on the ground, on or under the sea and in the air. Each craft broadcast a unique identifier that allowed the GeoNet to track its movements and coordinate its path of travel with other craft in the area. Any craft not broadcasting an identifier was flagged as a potential threat and drones would be sent to intercept it.

  “Do you realize what is at stake Captain? These people represent an extreme threat and it is imperative that we take them into custody before they cause themselves or others harm. Do you understand me?”

  She continued without waiting for his response. “I don't want excuses and I don't want to hear about who's working on what problem. I want results, plain and simple. Now, are you the man who can get me those results or do I need to put someone else on this, Captain Bachmann?”

  “No, ma'am. I will get it done. You have my word on that.”

  Dianne took a deep breath to calm herself. “Very well. This is your last chance, Captain. If you don't get them before they leave Luna, then there will be no more chances. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, ma'am. Our team is in en route to Klaproth and we believe we have identified the transport ship they intend to use to get to Mars. We’ve also dispatched two interceptors. There is no way they will slip by us this time.”

  “Just make sure you get them back here as quickly and quietly as possible. Do everything you can to avoid confrontation with the colonists but arresting these people is your top priority. I will deal with any political fallout if it comes to that.”

  “Of course, ma'am. Thank you for your support. Will there be anything else?”

  “Just one thing, Captain. Which ship is it?”

  “Ma'am?”

  “The transport ship, which one is it?”

  “Oh, it's the Endeavor, ma'am. Admiral Gbadamosi's flagship.”

  “I've heard of him. He was one of the first Lunar colonists as I recall. A geophysicist before becoming a spacer. Didn't he discover the titanium deposits under the Tycho massif?”

  “Yes ma'am, that's him. He made a fortune on that find and a few others that came after it. He used his profits to build the first transport for hauling ores from the Asteroid Belt and since then he's branched out into passenger and cargo service. His fleet numbers at least a dozen ships with the Endeavor being the newest and biggest.”

  “With all that success why isn't he retired somewhere enjoying his money?”

  “He did an interview a few years back and said he fancies himself an explorer and that space is home. His stated goal is to make enough money to fund the first interstellar flight, and he supposedly has a facility on Mars that is researching faster than light travel. He's a bit strange but my men say he is cooperating fully.”

  “Okay, keep me posted, Captain.” Dianne waived her hand to close the holodisplay.

  “Christian?” she said into the air.

  A few seconds later the other door to her private office opened and the man who had interrupted her earlier walked into the room.

  “Yes?” he said as he walked over to Dianne's desk.

  “Get me everything you can find on Admiral Adekunle Gbadamosi, CEO of the Galileo Group. He owns the transport ship Endeavor and a bunch of other stuff. I want to know if he has any affiliation with Aubrey Harris or anyone else from Telogene.”

  Christian nodded his understanding. “Do you want me to send it to you or deliver it personally?”

  “You can send it.”

  “Right away, ma'am.” Christian turned to leave.

  “And get me Counselor Birchmeir. I want to talk to him about the hearing tomorrow.”

  “Yes, ma'am.” Christian closed the door behind him.

  A few minutes later, GFN Chief Legal Counsel Johannes Birchmeir appeared on her holodisplay.

  “Thanks for getting back to me so quickly,” Dianne said in greeting. “I'd like to change the venue for tomorrow's arraignment of Aubrey Harris. I am concerned about her safety and would like to keep her out of the public eye.”

  They went back and forth for several minutes while Counselor Birchmeir questioned her rationale for the last-minute change but Dianne Merkel eventually persuaded him to see things her way.

  “I'll see to it but the judge will not be happy, Dianne,” Birchmeir said with begrudging agreement. “You know she is old fashioned and likes to have defendants appear in person whenever possible.”

  “Don't you worry about that. I will talk to her. Just make sure that Ashley doesn't leave that building.”

  “No problem. What about her lawyer?”

  “I will call him and explain it. I am sure he will agree that his client's safety is more important than her right to appear in person before the judge.”

  “Good evening, Madame Secretary.”

  “Good evening, Counselor.” Dianne ended the call and headed back to her meeting, pausing only briefly at the mirror as she passed by.

  CHAPTER 11

  APRIL 4, 2075 4:15 PM GST

  Telogene Shuttle

  Low Earth Orbit

  Evan watched as Australia floated across the exterior camera view on his holodisplay and he marveled at how small the world looked from outer space. The wing-mounted engines had shut off shortly after they entered orbit but, according to the readout at the bottom of Evan’s holodisplay, they still traveled at over thirty-five thousand kilometers per hour.

  Incredible, he marveled.

  Doctor Hao and Yin were up and moving around the cabin—floating around to be more precise—and having a lively conversation with Elise and the other flight attendants near the back of the craft. They had invited him to join them but, although the nausea had passed quickly once they entered orbit, he didn't want to risk becoming disoriented and causing himself another round of unpleasant heaving. Besides, he preferred watching the world go by.

  Things had changed a lot over the last fifty years and the continental coastlines were no exception. Global sea levels had risen by nearly five meters and the waves had completely submerged many low-lying islands and coastal areas. Almost every country in the world had experienced severe coastal erosion, and they had been forced to evacuate many coastal cities.

  Fortunately, a number of major cities—like New York, Tokyo and Mumbai—were saved by a combination of massive earthworks and pumping stations to hold back the sea water, just as the Netherlands had done for the last thousand years. Unfortunately, the famously resilient Dutch sea defenses could not keep up with the pace of global warming and more than half the country was now underwater.

  I am glad I wasn't here to experience that!

  “Doctor Feldman?” Evan looked up from his display to see Captain Bauer bobbing next to him.

  “Yes, hello again, Captain. I am sorry that I lost my lunch earlier. I guess I am just not cut out for space travel.”

  “Well, normally your suit should have compensated for any disorientation or nausea but please don’t worry, it happens to the best of us,” the captain replied with a friendly smile.

  “In any case,” he continued. “I was wondering if you would like to see the view from the cockpit before we initiate our transition burn? We have about fifteen minutes before the Hellfires are ready.”

  Captain Bauer had come by shortly after they entered orbit to check on his passengers and Evan took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the spacecraft. The captain had explained that the ship had two sets of engines; four wing-mounted Synergistic Air-breathing Rocket Engines (called “SABREs” for short) and two helium-3 fusion rockets (these he called “Hellfires”) at the rear of the craft. The
hydrogen-burning SABRE engines could get the craft into the orbit but they burned too much fuel for interplanetary travel. The Hellfires lacked the raw power of the Sabres but they provided the high-efficiency thrust required to propel the craft out of Earth orbit and beyond.

  Each Hellfire engine consisted of a helium-3 closed cycle fusion reactor coupled with a Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket capable of producing exhaust velocities up to 50,000 meters per second, or nearly 180,000 kilometers per hour. The downside of the VASIMR engine was that it took a while for the fusion reactors to reach the temperature necessary for the high energy burn required to propel them toward Luna, which is why they had been orbiting for the past hour and a half.

  “I'd love to,” Evan replied. “I am just worried that I might become disoriented and get nauseous again.”

  “Well, it's up to you of course but I think you'll be fine.”

  Evan thought about it for a minute. “Okay, let's try it.”

  “Excellent. Elise, will you assist Doctor Feldman, please?”

  “Certainly,” she said as she floated toward Evan’s pod.

  It took Evan a moment to acclimate to the low gravity but Elise made sure that he made it to the front of the plane uninjured and with no disorientation or nausea.

  The captain was waiting for him at the top of the stairs leading to the cockpit. Evan pulled himself up the stairs using the handrails, and the captain helped stabilize him once he reached the top. Evan floated into a comparatively small cockpit, with a young woman sitting in the right front seat and a similarly young man seated immediately behind her.