by Russell Fine
Max said, smiling, “Now, I want to discuss some future plans with you as soon as possible. When you get back to Earth you’ll probably be swarmed by reporters and I want to be sure you have something to tell them. I’m going to ask for a lot of money to build the next ship and train the crew, so we’re going to need some good publicity. Can you meet me in conference room ten in an hour?”
Jeffery excitedly replied, “Of course, I’ll see you in an hour.” Then Jeffery went back to his small room, took a quick shower, changed clothes, and went to the conference room for his meeting. As he walked in he was surprised only Max was there. Max looked up at him, smiled, and said, “Please sit down. I ordered some coffee and snacks.”
“Thank you, I’m kind of hungry.”
Then Max, looking very serious said, “Jeffery, I really appreciate what you did today. I know you don’t think it was a big deal, but it really was. Your flight will make headlines across the world, and you’re now a celebrity. Your flight today was the first step in developing our first interstellar spaceship, and NASA wants you to be the captain. Are you interested?”
Jeffery could hardly believe what he had just heard. He was so excited he could barely speak, but finally he blurted, “Yes. Yes, I’m very interested.”
Max smiled at Jeffery’s response and said excitedly, “Perfect, so now I’m going to give you a synopsis of our plan. I’ve already sent you some preliminary drawings of the ship’s design. It’s classified, so please don’t discuss it with anyone. The ship is twenty-five thousand cubic feet. It has fifty-four cabins, each designed for one person. They’re all the same except for yours and the executive officer’s cabin, which are slightly larger. There’s a fully functional medical facility with the capacity to perform major surgery if required, and research capabilities to analyze any lifeforms you might find. There are kitchens, dining rooms, a large recreation room, and a hydroponic garden area so you can grow some of your own food. It will also carry its own shuttle so you can land a crew on any planet you want to study more closely. The idea is to provide the crew with a comfortable place to spend a year or two.”
“That sounds great! What can I do to help?”
“Actually, quite a lot. I want you to study the ship’s design and let me know if you see something that should be modified or something we missed. I also want you to think about the other pilots you’ve worked with over the years and find somebody you think would make a good executive officer. Additionally, I want you to work with the personnel people to select the qualifications for the other crew members.”
Jeffery was both excited about the job and worried he wasn’t up to the task. “Wow! That’s a lot of responsibility.” Then he paused and asked modestly, “What makes you think I’m capable of doing all those things?”
Max looked at Jeffery for a few seconds and then said seriously, “It wasn’t an easy or quick decision. We knew you were a good pilot, but we were looking for more than that. We went over your college records, talked to the people you’ve worked with, studied your psychological reports. I admit we even followed you around for a few months. We had to be sure we were picking the right person, and I’m very confident we did.”
Jeffery was wondering if they planted a camera in his bedroom, but decided he didn’t want to know. He had actually dreamed of being the first person to visit another solar system, and now it was probable that his dream was about to come true. He replied, with a note of humility, “Okay, if you’re sure I’ll certainly give it my best.”
“I never expected anything less.”
There was a knock on the door and a steward brought in the coffee and snacks. After they each poured themselves a cup of coffee Max continued, “We expect it’ll take about three years to build and test the ship before we start the first interstellar mission. While the ship is being built we’ll be training the crew, so when the ship is ready we’ll be ready to go. Your first mission is going to be to the closest star system with multiple planets, Gliese 876. That system is fifteen light years from Earth. It will take you forty days to get there. We want you to study the planets for a month or so and then return to Earth.”
“That sounds very exciting. Can I assume if the mission is successful, the following missions will be longer?”
“Yes, the next mission will probably last two years.”
“Have you given any thought about how we would handle an encounter with another intelligent lifeform?”
“Actually, we’re hoping that happens. We know they’re out there because somebody took the Ganymede probe. Of course, we have no idea where they’re from, but we think it’s probably somewhere in Earth’s neighborhood, perhaps within a hundred light years.”
“That’s a pretty big neighborhood. It would probably take several lifetimes to study that much territory.”
“I never said this was going to easy. However, we hope to have several ships within ten years, so you won’t be doing this alone. Also, after the mission to Gliese 876, we’ll only be going to star systems with Earth-like planets, so that diminishes the task substantially. I’d like to meet with you again in a day or two after you’ve studied the plans for the ship. Just call my office and they’ll set up the meeting. I’d like you to stay here until after our next meeting. Then you can go back to Earth if you want to.”
“Okay, I’ll start looking at the plans after I get a few hours of sleep. Thank you for this opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good rest.”
Jeffery left the meeting and headed back to his room. He was more excited than he had ever been in his whole life. He was tired because he hadn’t slept more than an hour or two the night before the test flight, but he was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He got back to his room, stripped down to his underwear, and lay down on his bed. As excited as he was, he still fell asleep almost immediately.
After sleeping for a few hours Jeffery got up, still excited about the job he had been given. He went to his computer and brought up the plans for the first starship. He was amazed at what he saw. It was apparent that a great deal of effort had gone into the plans. After studying them for a few hours, he called Max and set up an appointment for later in the day.
He met Max in the same conference room where they had met the day before. When Jeffery walked into the room Max was already waiting. Jeffery asked, “Am I late for our meeting?”
“No, you’re right on time. I just got here a few minutes ago. What did you think about the plans for the ship?”
“I was very impressed. After studying them for several hours I have a few questions and one suggestion.”
“That’s fine. I really want your opinion and comments.”
“The one suggestion I have is that I believe we need a room with enough capacity to seat the entire crew. I suspect we’ll probably have meetings and there’s really no place to meet.”
“Okay, that seems reasonable. What else?”
“Obviously, we’ll be going into areas where we’ve never gone before and there may be some situations that come up that may require us to defend ourselves. Is the ship going to be armed?”
“We hope you’ll never need it, but the ship will be armed with particle beam weapons. The design’s not all that different from the particle beam used to create the wormhole path. There will also be handheld weapons, although the design is still being worked on. You and your executive officer will be given weapons training, and there will also be at least four crew members who will be given weapons and security training, so they can provide protection for the ship and crew in addition to their primary function aboard the ship. The ship will be a small, self-contained city. We won’t be able to help you with any problems that might develop, so we want to cover as much as possible before the mission starts.”
“I noticed there are three kitchens, one on each floor where there are living quarters. Is there going to be any kitchen staff to prepare meals?”
“Not really. There may
be someone who wants to work as a cook occasionally, but each person will have the responsibility of preparing their own meals. We haven’t decided on the makeup of the crew yet. We’ll be discussing that over the next month or two. We know we’ll have a doctor onboard. There will be two engineers to manage the equipment and handle repairs. We’d also like to have a zoologist and an exobiologist who will study any plants and animals you find during your explorations.”
“That still leaves about forty people,” Jeffery said.
“I realize that, and that’s why in the next few months we want to figure out what staff will be needed. I know it’s early, but if there’s anyone you think you’d like to have as your executive officer please let me know as soon as possible. I think the tasks ahead will be easier if you have somebody to discuss it with,” Max replied.
“Okay, I’ll do that. I can probably give you a few names tomorrow. I’ll also think about the staffing requirements. That’s a lot of positions to fill, perhaps more than we need.”
“If we end up with empty cabins, I’m sure we can find people who’d love to have an opportunity to study other planets.”
“Are you still going to be on the station in two days or are you going back to Earth?” Jeffery inquired.
“I plan on being here for at least another week. My wife’s coming up on a shuttle later today and we’re going to relax for a while. But whenever you want to meet again, just let me know.”
“Okay, enjoy a few days off. I’m sure you need it. By the way, I wanted you to know, if it’s okay with you, I plan on staying on the station instead of going back to Earth,” Jeffery said as he got up to leave.
“If that’s what you want to do, it’s okay with me. Some reporters may be disappointed, but I’m not concerned about that in the least,” Max said. Then he smiled, stood up, and shook Jeffery’s hand.
***
For the next two days, Jeffery thought about nothing other than the mission personnel. He finally decided to tell Max he wanted Debbie Murphy for his executive officer. She had been flying the same Mars and Ganymede flights that he was on, and she had been doing it for a year or two longer. More importantly, she had experienced something that only happened once. On a flight back to Earth from Ganymede, her ship experienced engine failure. She managed to repair the engine problem and keep everybody on the ship calm during the thirty-six hours the ship was out of commission. He was sure she would be perfect, and he knew she had applied for the test pilot position, so she would not be concerned for her personal safety. In addition to being qualified, she was also a very close friend.
Next, he thought about the ship’s crew. He simply could not think of any reason to have more than twenty crew members. So, he was going to give Max a list of what he thought was needed for the first mission. If there were any missing positions they could be filled before the second mission.
Two days went by and Jeffrey met with Max in his office. Max was on the phone. After he hung up he looked at Jeffery and asked, “Did you decide on an executive officer?”
“Yes, I gave it a lot of thought and I decided on Debbie Murphy. I think she’d be perfect for the job.”
“I agree. I know she’s between flights now so I’ll contact her when we’re done. Did you think about personnel requirements?”
“I did that too. I can only come up with twenty positions. I’ll send a list to you unless you’d like me to go over it with you now.”
“I have some time, so let’s talk about it.”
“Okay, but I want to point out this list is only for the first mission. If we discover we need additional personnel they can be added to the second mission. This is in addition to the positions we’ve already discussed. I think we should have a person trained as a combination shuttle pilot and navigator. That way we’ll have an additional backup in case I become incapacitated. I’d like to have a videographer who will keep video records of everything accomplished during the mission. I think we should have a linguist, in case we have to communicate with an alien race and, although the officers on board will keep personal logs, that person would also be responsible for maintaining a digital log for the mission. Since we have room, it might be a good idea to have two people who will cook and maintain the kitchens. I’d like to have a geologist onboard and somebody to manage the hydroponic gardens. I also think we will need a minimum of four engineers to maintain the equipment and three or four full-time security officers.”
“I’m sure you realize most of the time these people will be sitting around doing nothing.”
“Yeah, I know that. But as you pointed out, we’ll be on our own during the mission and I want to make sure we’ll be able to handle any problem we run across. Oh, I almost forgot. I would also like to have a nurse and doctor onboard.”
“Okay, send all that in writing to me. I don’t think any of this is a problem. I agree with what you want.”
“Please let me know about Debbie as soon as you can.”
“I’m sure I’ll have an answer within an hour or two. By the way, the group that designed the ship will be here the day after tomorrow and they want to meet with you.”
“Just let me know when and where and I’ll be there. Say hello to your wife for me.”
“I’ll do that. Actually, why don’t you join us for dinner? Meet us at the restaurant at 6:00.”
“Okay, I’d like that. Thanks.” Jeffery left Max’s office and headed back to his room.
Jeffery got to the restaurant a few minutes early and ordered ice tea. Max and his wife, Ann, were a few minutes late. Jeffery got up and hugged Ann briefly and said, “It’s nice to see you again. It’s probably been two years since we last met. You look very nice.”
“Thank you. I’ll bet you’re pretty excited about your new assignment.”
“I certainly am,” Jeffery replied, then he turned to Max. “Did you speak to Debbie?”
“I did; it took her almost three seconds to agree to her new assignment.”
“That’s great! When will she be here?” Jeffery asked with a big smile on his face.
“She’s scheduled to go to Ganymede next week, but she’ll be here in a few days. After the trip, she’ll stay here so you two can work together. I hope you only asked for her because of her abilities, not because you’re attracted to her.”
“We’re friends, and have been for eight or nine years. We had dinner together a few times but our relationship is based on mutual respect. There won’t be any romantic entanglements. I promise.”
“Good. Now let’s order dinner. I’m picking up the check,” Max said.
THE STAR ROVER
2116—2120
A few days later, Debbie arrived at the station. She went to Jeffery’s room and knocked on the door. Jeffery had ordered breakfast to be delivered fifteen minutes earlier so he didn’t think twice about answering the door, even though he was only dressed in a robe and boxers. When he opened the door Debbie looked at him, smiled, and said, “Were you expecting me? I thought I’d surprise you.”
Jeffery replied, “I knew you were coming, but I thought it was going to be in the afternoon. Besides, you’ve seen me wearing less.”
Debbie came into the room and they hugged and kissed each other lightly on the lips. Then Jeffery said, “I told Max we’re simply friends, and there wouldn’t be any romantic entanglements. I don’t want him to think I lied. Besides, you’re still the most qualified of all the pilots for this job.”
“I know, and I think we can manage to keep our hands off each other for a while. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, this mission is too important to let anything stand in the way. I’m sure we’ll be able to find some time to get together in private. Anyway, as long as you’re here I have some things I want you to look at. The plans for the Star Rover are on my computer. So is a list of the crew positions. Please review them and let me know your opinion.”
“Okay, but I have a meeting with Max in fifteen minutes. I’ll come back after the meeting.
” They kissed again and Debbie left.
A few minutes later the steward brought Jeffery his breakfast. He was relieved the steward hadn’t come while Debbie was there.
When Debbie returned she said, “Max and I had a long talk and he made it very clear we can’t be more than friends at this time. I assured him that wasn’t a problem. I really don’t know why he’s so concerned, but I think it will be best if we don’t do anything that can create any kind of problem. I asked him about the mission parameters, but he told me to discuss that with you. So, what are they?”
“There are two missions planned. The first one is short, only four months. We’ll be going to Gliese 876. That system has four planets and we’ll spend a week or so studying each of them before returning to Earth. Gliese 876 is fifteen light years from Earth, so it will take forty days to get there, a month to study the planets, and forty days to return to Earth.”
“That should be very exciting. Is the second mission longer?”
“Yes, that mission will last two years. I don’t think a decision has been made as to where we’re going, but I think the goal is to find intelligent alien life. Anyway, the computer is set up for you. Please go over the plans for the Star Rover. In a few minutes, I’m going to a meeting with the designers to review the plans. I think they’ll be here for a few days and I’ll make sure you’re included in the next meeting.”
“Okay, I’ll see you here after your meeting.”
There were several meetings with the ship designers over the next several days. In the end, they decided to build one large dining room with the capacity to hold up to seventy-five people and a single large kitchen next to the dining room. The kitchens on the other floors were converted into small break rooms. The rest of the design was unchanged. Construction was scheduled to start in January 2117 and was expected to take three years.