Never Again

by M. A. Rothman

  “Is that why the Moon appeared to turn red,” Margaret asked, “because it was racing away at such a high speed?”

  “Yes, exactly right.” Dave felt a moment of sadness as he was reminded of Neeta’s ill-conceived choice.

  The president pursed her lips in thought. “So is it like a rainbow, and if you’re approaching, the waves get shorter, so they get more purple?”

  Dave smiled. “We call it blue-shifting, but you’re right. As we approach the light, the wavelength gets shorter and shifts further and further into the blue, then violet, and eventually into the ultraviolet range, which we cannot see except with special equipment. The lower half of screen three is showing what a satellite-based telescope can see, and most of what you see ahead in that sky is in the ultraviolet range. I’m actually most interested in seeing what happens to the light we’re seeing when we finally reach the speed of light.”

  Dave glanced at their current speed and took his microphone off mute.

  “T-COM, bring the Ecuador substation comms officer online.”

  “Ecuador substation is now online.”

  “We are at 99.5 percent of the speed of light and rising. This is Mission Director to Ecuador substation, increase power output by ten percent.”

  Dave watched as the total power flowing through the Warp Ring slowly rose, and correspondingly their speed began to climb ever faster.

  With a smile, Dave turned to Margaret and asked, “Have you ever watched an old TV show called Star Trek?”

  “Of course, I always had a thing for that Asian commanding officer,” Margaret admitted with an uncharacteristic expression of embarrassment. “It’s not a coincidence that my husband is the strong silent Asian type. I just can’t remember the character’s name.”

  Dave laughed. “His name was Sulu.”

  “That’s right, Sulu! So you watched that old show too? I’d never met anyone else who ever pulled that out of the archives.”

  Dave smiled as he watched the speed approach 99.9 percent of the speed of light. “I’ve always wanted to say this....”

  Just as the Earth’s speed was about to cross that longstanding barrier of the speed of light, Dave pointed his arm forward and spoke into the microphone, “Mister Sulu, ahead warp factor one!”

  At the exact moment that the Earth’s speed crossed over the speed of light, the speakers crackled to life.

  “Warp factor one, confirmed, sir!”

  Dave barely managed to mute his microphone as he burst out laughing. The T-COM officer stood from his station, looked back at Dave, and gave him two smiling thumbs up.

  Leaning closer to Margaret, who was also smiling, Dave commented, “I think we have another Star Trek fan.”

  Margaret glanced up at Dave and said, “We’re truly now in a new era.”

  Dave turned his gaze at screen three and pointed at the upper half, which was completely black. “Just as I suspected, nothing. Even the telescope can’t see anything behind us.”

  “I’d have thought we’d still see something. Shouldn’t the wave just be even deeper into the infrared scale?”

  Shaking his head, Dave glanced at their speed as it continued increasing past the speed of light. He felt a sense of accomplishment that nearly matched the moment when they’d first begun moving. “You’d think that would be the case, and normally I’d say you’re right. However, if you think about it ... we’re now travelling faster than light—”

  “Oh!” Margaret exclaimed. “The light can’t reach us anymore because we’re outrunning it, right?”

  “Exactly.” Dave pointed at the lower part of screen three. “And that’s also why we can still see the stars ahead of us. Well, at least we can with a UV detector.”

  Margaret stood and asked, “So how far out are we from our destination?”

  Dave tapped on his microphone. “GNC, as planned, switch to our ICRS2 coordinates using Tau Ceti as the origin and project based on our location and our current acceleration what our new arrival time is.”

  A few seconds elapsed before a response came back.

  “Based on current data, we are approximately 154.75 days from orbital entry around Tau Ceti.”

  “Roger, GNC.

  “To all that are listening, we are now travelling faster than the speed of light. Hang in there, and if all goes as planned, we’ll get to where we’re going about 63 days ahead of the previous schedule.

  “I will report again from NORAD Mission Control at my normal hours. This is Dave Holmes, signing off.”

  Removing his microphone, Dave felt surprisingly calm as he stood, turned to Margaret, and said, “The next real milestone will be as we slow down and glide into position around our new star.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  It had been almost two months since Stryker and his family had left the evacuation center. Lainie had spent a full week airing out the apartment, trying to rid it of the musty smells that inevitably developed when no air circulated in an enclosed place.

  For Stryker, he couldn’t have predicted how all of this would have ended. Yet here he was, standing in the back of an exhibit located in the Bronx chapter of the Burt Radcliffe Science Campus, holding hands with his ex-wife as the kids watched a short film on space exploration.

  Lainie leaned her head against his shoulder and Stryker remarked, “Who’d have thought you’d have all these kids mesmerized by a movie all about science? The kids are really enjoying this place ... and I’m really liking our time together as well.”

  “Me too.” Lainie squeezed his hand. “I don’t want it to change.”

  “Even though I’m now back on the force?”

  She sighed and hugged his arm. “It’s who you are, it’s just taken me a long time to learn how to accept it.”

  With butterflies in his stomach and his palms getting sweaty, he leaned his head against hers and whispered, “Will you marry me ... again?”

  Lainie stiffened and Stryker turned her around to face him. Tears dripped onto her cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumbs. “What’s wrong?”

  She glanced down and held both of his hands in hers. “I have to confess something.”

  Stryker’s eyes widened and his heart thudded loudly in his chest. “What?”

  “I’ve been keeping a secret for a while, and I didn’t know how to tell you....”

  “What secret?” His mind raced into any number of dark alleys, and concern flushed through his very being.

  She looked into his eyes as the movie ended and the kids began cheering. “What do you think about having another baby?”

  “Well, I hadn’t really—” He gasped. “No! Really?” A smile bloomed on his face as he leaned closer and whispered, “Are you pregnant?”

  She nodded with a bashful smile.

  Shock and happiness flooded through him as unbidden tears blurred his vision. “I love you, Mrs. Stryker. Please say you’ll marry me, again.”

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Stryker wrapped his arms around Lainie and gently lifted her off her feet just as Emma and Isaac found them.

  Isaac yelled excitedly, “I really want to be an astronaut,” while Emma proclaimed, “I’m going to be a ‘physics-shun.’”

  ###

  Dave walked into the Oval Office, peered at the room, and couldn’t help but feel amazed at how bright everything was. After having lived inside a mountain for seven months, the brightness of the world and their new star was something he had to get used to again.

  The president jumped from her chair and greeted Dave with open arms. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing well,” Dave replied. He in fact did feel better than he had in ages. He sorely missed Bella’s companionship, but having immersed himself in the details of travel, and communicating regularly to the world about what to expect, it had all left him too busy to focus on his own troubles.

  “Please, sit–let’s talk a bit.” Margaret guided him to a n
earby sofa.

  Dave glanced out the window at the bright sunshine and smiled. “It’s so much nicer here than being in that shelter. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be aboveground.”

  “I couldn’t agree more, yet there’s so much to do.” The president nodded as she took a seat across from him. “The weather has changed quicker than I could have imagined. They’re actually predicting that we’ll hit eighty degrees today in DC. I read a report this morning saying that the ice caps had finally stopped growing and the climatologists think that globally, we’ll get back to a pre-incident normal within two years. I don’t think anyone could have guessed how quickly the planet’s weather would change during our trip.”

  “Oh, definitely not,” Dave harrumphed. “Those climatologists hadn’t ever modeled such a thing, so I’m pretty sure they were just fabricating their numbers to help everyone feel better. The data those people had given me was all over the map. I’m beginning to wonder how many of their overall predictions are educated guesses versus scientific modeling.”

  Margaret smiled at Dave. “The weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing. Would you believe that crazy friend of yours in North Korea actually lowered his border? For the first time in generations, the people of North and South Korea are freely mixing. Rumor has it that many of the Supreme Leader’s generals were executed to make that happen, yet it still happened.” She turned to her desk and pointed at a stack of papers. “You see that? That’s a few hundred requests from universities across the country applying for federal grants to expand their science programs.

  “It shouldn’t be a surprise that science is the new ‘in’ thing.” The president leaned forward and looked in Dave’s eyes. “There’s a thirst for exploring our new environment. I find it ironic that it took the near-annihilation of our world to change peoples’ attitudes, but our society wants to be a part of this new era. I think it has sunk in, and the public realizes for the first time that it wasn’t talk, we really are in a new era. They want to explore our new solar system, study physics, learn about medicine, you name it–science is sexy. I’d never have guessed, but governments worldwide are setting aside their past aggressions and they want to look toward the future. I just got off the phone with the Israeli Prime Minister, and you know what he said?”

  Dave shook his head.

  “He told me that instead of the religious graffiti that used to fill some of the slums in poorer parts of Israel, they are now seeing images of rocket ships, comets, and pictures of astronauts. Dave, what you’ve inadvertently managed to do is inspire the entire world. I need your help with this.”

  Dave opened his mouth to say something, but before he could utter a word, Margaret continued to excitedly talk about recent events. “I just yesterday came back from the UN General Assembly,” she said, “and there’s a move afoot to construct a long-term plan for ceding more control not to the politicians, but to a yet-to-be-constructed scientific body. To head such a body, your name was obviously the first on the list.”

  “Not a chance in hell do I want to deal with governing anything.” Dave shook his head vehemently.

  Margaret smiled warmly. “I’m not asking that of you. I just want you to be involved. You have no idea how much people are talking about you. You’re the voice that kept them comforted and sane through this journey. It certainly wasn’t me. By reputation alone, you’re almost a god-like figure to a vast majority of the world. You can do so much good with that....”

  “I won’t commit myself to anything for now. Besides, I want to take some time off and just think about what I’ll do next.”

  “Oh, there’s no immediate rush.” Margaret smiled warmly. “The way these things work, it almost certainly will take quite a bit of time. I was just hoping to seed that thought in your head so that you might consider getting involved.”

  Dave rolled his eyes and returned Margaret’s smile. “I’ll think about it.” Quickly changing the subject, he asked, “So did you guys ever settle on what you’re going to do now that we’re in a shorter orbit than we used to have?”

  “Actually, yes.” Margaret had a mischievous expression. “I put forward UN Resolution 12219 and it was approved without any real arguments.”

  “So?” Dave asked. “Are we going from January and ending at October now?”

  “I think you’ll get a kick out of this, because nobody else even blinked an eye when I suggested it. For the first time ever, we’re going to have a universal calendar, and since we’re orbiting a new star and the length of the year has shrunk to 300 days, we all agreed to reset the calendar to a new beginning. The first day in orbit is now officially known as Stardate 1.0. The first number is the year and second number is a day, from 0 to 299.”

  “Stardate 1.0 ... I love it.” Dave chuckled. “It’ll take a while for people to get used to, but I’m sure soon enough, people will look back at the old month-day-year format and think it was ludicrous.”

  Margaret pulled an envelope from her stylish dress jacket and handed it to Dave. “This is for you. You don’t even need to open it now; I can tell you it’s a receipt. While I was in the UN, there was another resolution that got an almost unheard of unanimous approval from the UN General Assembly. It does two things; one was depositing into an account all of the back pay you should have received throughout those four ridiculous years you were in hiding, and the other thing it does is restore your position as the head of the ISF. The job is yours whenever you want to take it back.”

  Dave stared at the envelope, at a loss for words. He’d assumed that he’d end up in a think tank in DC or something else, but hadn’t considered the idea of going back and being involved with the ISF again. A thrill of unexpected excitement rushed through Dave as he looked up at the president and beamed. “I c-can’t thank you enough for putting yourself out on my behalf.”

  Shocked at the level of emotion he suddenly felt bubbling up inside him, he swallowed hard and repeated once again, “Thank you.”

  ###

  About an hour before sunrise, Dave sat on the beach and stared as the waves broke on the sand. The warm breeze blew from the east, carrying the scent of the ocean, and he recalled how much Bella enjoyed the smell of the saltwater. He missed her desperately, but Dave also found himself yearning for the often-grumpy visage of Neeta wagging her finger at him, and he regretted not ever having a chance to know Burt more than he did.

  “I’m lonely,” Dave admitted it to himself. He knew that the only cure he had for loneliness was diving headlong into his work.

  It had been just over two months since the world had settled around its new orbit. In those two months, so much had happened. As part of an agreement with the ISF, Dave had its headquarters facilities moved to central Florida, making it an official part of Cape Canaveral. It was his idea that the ISF should be closely associated with the space industry.

  He’d finally bought a nice house, and even though he had nothing to do with government, the U.S. still had a detail of Secret Service agents assigned to him day and night.

  Dave pulled the tripod of the telescope he’d brought closer and aimed it at planet Epsilon, the fifth planet circling Tau Ceti. Earth was now the sixth.

  He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Tony, one of the agents assigned to him. Dave knew him well enough to know that the man was an amateur astronomy buff. As Dave peered into the telescope and aimed it at planet Epsilon, he said, “It’s amazing how big Epsilon is. I know it’s only about 23 million miles away, but it’s huge. Over four times the Earth’s mass. One day, we’ll be visiting that place.”

  “Doctor Holmes, why is that star shimmering like that?” Tony asked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it looks like it’s getting bigger.”

  Dave looked up at where Tony was pointing and made a humming noise. “That’s strange.” He turned the telescope, and aimed it toward the gleaming white dot.

  He peered into the eyepiece and, with a twist of the focusing
ring, suddenly burst out, “What the hell? It can’t be....”

  “What? What is it?”

  “Holy shit, Tony, it’s the Moon! Our Moon!”

  Dave’s mind raced as he thought of the possibilities. He grabbed the telescope and began trudging through the sand, marching toward the car, all the while babbling in a manner that he was sure seemed incoherent. “If they really accelerated that quickly … yes, that’s why they seemed to disappear and everyone reported a red Moon. They actually did red-shift away and ... holy crap, they might actually still be alive! How’s that possible?”

  Tony yelled, “Slow down, you’re not making any sense!”

  His security detail clambered after him as Dave continued talking, even though he knew that Tony had no clue what he was talking about. Sometimes, when Dave’s mind raced, he needed to verbalize his thoughts to help him sort through things. “Neeta probably programmed in the navigation on the Moon, and for all we know, the Moon might be coming into this area on autopilot. They probably didn’t make it, but maybe they did.”

  Dave climbed out of the sand and ran toward his car. “We’re only five minutes from the base. Let’s find out!”

  ###

  Showing his badge, Dave walked into the Mission Control Center, where only a handful of people worked at that early hour. He snapped his fingers to gain the attention of one of the engineers and yelled, “We have an incoming satellite! I need you to hail it!”

  “Incoming satellite? What satellite?”

  With a smile, Dave made a big circular motion with his hands. “It’s a big, round rocky one. We used to call it the Moon. You’re probably familiar with it.”

  The engineer blinked for a moment, unsure what to say, and then immediately dove for the nearest terminal. “Sir, I’m scanning the frequencies and I don’t see ... oh wait! I’ve got a weak signal that matches Moon Base Crockett’s frequency. I’m hailing it.”

  “Moon Base Crockett, this is Mission Control, can you read me?”