“What about radiation?”
“Peanut’s already got that covered. He’s tuning the shields and is going to make sure the hull is complete before it sails off anywhere so we can put a magnetic field around the whole station like we have here.”
You know, maybe it would be good for the three of us to go on an adventure together. How long has it been, Chuck?”
“A long time. But things are a lot different now, we have a whole community devoted to your dream. We live out by the asteroid belt for fuck’s sake. It’s not like we did all this just to prove something, or to impress anyone. We did this to completely control our destiny as blacks from America. As for you? You have nothing to prove to anyone, Chris. The existence of this colony is a testament to the fact that African Americans are better at everything than anyone else on Earth. No one will ever be able to argue against the fact that your G-wave technologies were the most significant scientific advancement in history, the same thing with our ability to live a significantly longer life span than everyone on Earth.”
“I admit I sometimes forget about the sheer scope of our collective achievements compared to those we left behind. One of the reasons I like the idea of the new hab being able to travel anywhere in the solar system is that it’s the next evolution of our community. Let’s say Peanut’s interdimensional travel project pans out, I would be a lot happier if we can take a base station to explore other star systems instead of just sending jumpers or whales.”
“Think of it, Chris: what if we locate a galactic organization of different beings from other star systems? And what if they’re willing to share their culture, their art, maybe even their technology with us? We’d want to hang around to learn what we can. Once our explorers determine everything is on the up-and-up, we could send a base station for a longer stay,” suggested Chuck.
“But what about the risks?” asked Christopher.
“Yeah, what about them? Do you realize the balls it took for us to decide to live on the moon in the first place? Is meeting galactic neighbors any riskier than being the first men and women on the moon?”
“Who the hell can say? But we were stupid back then, or more like ignorant to the risk. Yes we had to work out the technology, develop, and construct equipment never done before, but we conquered every single obstacle, overcame every challenge,” Christopher pointed out.
“And, we lost one of our brothers in the process. But even that couldn’t stop our progress,” Chuck reminded. “If it had been me who had an accident, Riley wouldn’t have tried to stop us from going any further and I wouldn’t have expected you to either.”
“I’m not trying to stop progress, Chuck. However, I always want to minimize the risks we take. Riley’s death broke my heart. We were all family back then, a lot more so than now because it was all so new and so exciting. And yes, I haven’t been able to forgive myself for his accident even though I know it was nobody’s fault.
“What makes me seriously consider going with the hab for water is that I’m getting a little stir-crazy, feeling a little stale. And with Ben moving to his own place, maybe what I’m feeling is old age creeping up on me,” Christopher concluded quietly.
“Dude! Is something wrong health-wise? Have you seen Doc or told Pat? Is something going wrong with the retrovirus?” Chuck interrogated.
“Whoa! Whoa! Slow down there, Tex. There’s nothing medically wrong with me, so I don’t have to go see Doc for a damn thing. But what’s plainly evident is that your efforts to protect me has only made me more restless. Let’s table the discussion over me going on a mission or not and wait until the decision is made by Ops, one way or the other,” Christopher offered. “Can we agree on that?”
Chuck grinned broadly. “Ain’t nothin’ but a thang, Brother!”
The two chatted for another hour about the colony, with Chuck informing Christopher that his son Benjamin was at the top of the list of volunteers for the ice asteroid retrieval mission. He also mentioned that he and Iris were tossing the idea back and forth about having children of their own.
“That’s great news! Pat is going to hit the roof over this. Whose idea was it?” Christopher asked, slapping five with Chuck.
“I don’t know, I guess it came up when we were talking about Ben leaving home and getting out on his own. Besides, it would be a damn shame if we don’t pass our superior genes along. Can you imagine what our kid would be capable of?” said Chuck with a laugh.
The conversation shifted to how Christopher and Patricia raised Benjamin, the unexpected things they went through being parents, and how Christopher never imagined trying to raise a son in outer space. Christopher’s greatest joy was watching Benjamin grow up, watching the light of discovery and learning glowing in his son’s eyes. It was this joy that Christopher described and promised that nothing would compare to sharing the joy of one’s child’s life going by day by day. Benjamin had brought he and Patricia closer, something that Chuck could look forward to with Iris.
“Man, I never thought I’d catch you waxing poetically about anything! All this sounds pretty good, but I’m also going to ask Pat to weigh in, you may be under some kind of spell,” Chuck said.
“Let’s call Peanut and Bernice, see what they’re up to. You call Iris, let’s all go to dinner,” Christopher suggested.
“Great idea! I can torture Peanut about when he’s gonna have more kids,” said Chuck, wearing an evil grin.
They had Genesis contact everyone to coordinate the dinner, and Chuck made a reservation at Sherman’s, requesting an out of the way table for some privacy.
* * *
Benjamin was in the locker room checking over his suit, finished transporting crew to and from the new hab when Genesis informed him that Joy was on the line.
“Hey, Joy. What up?”
“Want to join me, Sam, Virginia and Lois for dinner?”
“Sure. Anything special going on?” Benjamin inquired.
“Heard a new rumor that I’m sure you’ll be interested in. We’ll tell you about it when you get to the commissary,” she promised.
Benjamin finished servicing his space suit, polished his helmet visor, then stowed it. He made a quick detour to his quarters to grab a shower and get into some fresh clothes, then walked to the colony’s common eating area. He stopped just inside the entrance, scanning the crowd, when off in the distance he saw Joy waving at him.
He went through the line, selected his food, then headed over to the table.
“Hey man,” Sam said, kicking out a chair.
“Sam, ladies,” Benjamin said, sitting down.
“How many round trips did you do today?” Virginia asked.
Virginia and Lois were also members of the second generation of colonists, both several years older than Benjamin, but younger than Joy. Sam’s birthday was within eight months of Benjamin. At various times growing up they shared a number of projects and school assignments.
“Six. I had one run with the jumper filled with equipment. Today wasn’t too bad. So what’s this rumor that’s got you all so wound up?” Benjamin asked, around a mouthful of food.
Joy blurted out, “If no one else will say, I guess it’s on me. Lois was working in Ops today and overheard your Uncle Peanut discussing putting together a mission plan for taking the new hab out to either Saturn or deep into the asteroid belt to find ice to provision it instead of dragging ice asteroids here!”
“No shit?” Benjamin asked, his dinner forgotten.
“No shit, Bud!” Sam confirmed. “We’re trying to figure out how we can all join the construction or mission crew. Any ideas?”
“Only one so far. Genesis?”
“Yes, Benjamin. How may I be of assistance?”
“Has a new mission plan for the hab been completed, one that involves sending it to collect the water needed to put it into full service?” he asked.
“No, there has not. However, there is such a plan currently in the works. The c
onstruction team has reassigned most of the crew to get all the construction supplies brought over, then finishing the outer hull. The astrophysics department is currently installing additional shield emitters and propulsion G-waves in the event such a mission will be approved. The next scheduled meeting to discuss the practicality of sending the new habitat away for provisioning is 14:00 tomorrow in the astrophysics department. Is there anything else I may assist you with, Benjamin?”
“Not at the moment, Genesis. Thank you. Okay, you all have known about this longer than I have. Do you have a plan?”
From the looks on the others’ faces, Benjamin knew they didn’t.
“That’s the reason we called you, and because you’re our best bud. We’re hoping with you in the mix we can come up with a strategy that gets all of us on the mission. You’re one of the colony’s top pilots, it’s a cinch you could get to go; well except for your dad putting his foot down,” Lois said.
“Hey! I’m an adult now. I can do anything I want,” Benjamin said defensively.
“Admit it, Ben. Your dad is the closest thing to royalty we have here, he and your uncles,” said Lois.
Benjamin was always uncomfortable that his father, Uncle Chuck and Uncle Peanut were often regarded as special. To him his father was just Dad. Same for his mother. All the colony’s “originals” were looked upon as special, kind of like colonial elders. Perhaps that wasn’t exactly how it was, the community was far more logical and grounded in their beliefs and in how they treated each other. They all were proud of their accomplishments, and to a person, each one of them excelled in every task they undertook. “Okay, if the mission is to go to Saturn, let’s put together an exploration mission that can piggyback on the supply mission,” Benjamin suggested. “Genesis?”
“Yes, Benjamin. How may I be of assistance?”
“Will you inform me when any mission to collect water for the new hab is completed? I need to know the mission profile, especially the proposed destination.”
“Understood, Benjamin. Is there anything else I may assist you with?”
“Thank you, Genesis. No,” replied Benjamin. “Okay, now the rest of you need to begin writing up a scientific study of the likely destinations for a collection mission. If it’s Saturn, maybe checking out Titan. It’s got atmosphere and probably some water on the surface. With the help of Genesis, we can create an exploration and collection mission that should more than likely be approved by the Science Department. Between all of us, we have the necessary skills to successfully complete a science mission. And don’t forget redundancies, safeties and any kind of risk reduction you can think of.”
“Saturn’s an easy one, Ben. But what if it’s out to the asteroid belt?” asked Virginia.
“Then we have to go to Astronomy and see what items of interest they may have earmarked for exploration down the road. Frame the mission as a two birds with one stone opportunity for our team, maybe a couple of extra scientists if they absolutely insist to help carry out the exploration,”
Benjamin laid it all out while Joy took notes on her datapad. “See what Piper is up to in the Science Department. She’s our age and is turning out to be one of their best mission specialists. She’s also an extraordinary pilot. I’m not sure what the rest of you are currently working on, but I’m tied up with hab transport duties and can’t really help with mission planning except after my shift. So, see if Piper is up for joining us and I’ll keep my ears open during the day, maybe drop in early on Ops in the mornings,” he suggested.
“I just sent all my notes to your datapads,” said Joy. “If you have any additions, send them back to me and I’ll keep them, and any mission profiles we develop, up to date.”
“Let’s configure our missions for a twelve-seater, that way the jumper can be half-filled with provisions and equipment, but still seat all of us,” suggested Sam.
“Good idea,” said Benjamin, resuming eating.
The rest of the conversation revolved around each one’s present work, some juicy gossip and a couple of digs at Benjamin and the various uses for his new-found privacy. And though Benjamin and Joy were very close, they hadn’t gotten into really deep romantic action in their relationship. However, that didn’t stop the two of them from blushing at the suggestion. With colonists’ life spans greatly lengthened, the majority of the “second gens,” were in no hurry to make lifetime commitments so early in their years.
Once Benjamin was finished eating, the group broke up. Benjamin headed back to his quarters to research everything the colony had discovered about Titan and to see if astronomy had targeted any ice asteroids of interest in the belt already.
Low Rider
Aidan was up bright and early, and when he saw that Valerie was still in her room, he started some water to boil, then grabbed a container of yogurt.
Ten minutes later, Valerie exited her room, talking on her mobile phone. When Aidan pointed to his cup of tea asking whether he brew one for her, she nodded. While he was getting her cup ready, he overheard her arrangements with one of her distributors for a parts pickup.
Once she was off the phone, Valerie said, “Sorry about that. Some last-minute things with someone I’ve never done business with before. As usual, they were anxious about payment. When they heard what card I was going to be using, all of a sudden they couldn’t be happier.”
Aidan laughed. “I guess you really are well heeled! Maybe I should come work for you. Although now that I think about it, this is one of the priciest cities in the country. Probably too high priced for this poor, country Negro!”
“I doubt that! Ready for a real breakfast?” she eyed the empty yogurt container on the table.
“I could definitely go for something more substantial. How long do you think it’s going to take to get parts?”
“Unfortunately, most of the day. When we’re done, let’s pick up take out to bring back to the house.”
“Sounds good. Finish your tea and let’s get this party started!”
After a quick but tasty meal at Valerie’s favorite breakfast and brunch spot, they set off to visit all the distributors and specialty shops to pick up the equipment to build the prototype laser array.
Altogether, they visited eleven different businesses, stopping midday to grab lunch at Valerie’s favorite sushi restaurant, which was a treat for Aidan, who never had it before. Later in the afternoon, when they stopped to pick up the actual LED lasers, Valerie introduced Aidan to one of her friends.
“Aidan, this is Robert Nakamura. Robert, this is a friend of mine from Colorado, we’re working on a project together. Bob has pulled my chestnuts out of the fire when I’ve gotten in over my head,” Valerie explained.
“She’s exaggerating a bit. What I usually end up doing is just a little cleanup. But she always brings me something fun to work on,” said Robert, shaking Aidan’s hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Aidan replied.
“If we had more time, the two of you could get to know each other better. Even though your areas of expertise are different, you’re both at the head of the class. Maybe next time we can grab lunch together,” she suggested.
“That would be great. Let me know,” Robert said, handing the box of equipment to Aidan. “Nice meeting you.”
“Same here,” said Aidan, nodding.
A couple of hours later they were back at the house, unloading the trunk and overflowing back seat, taking all the boxes downstairs. While Valerie started disseminating the boxes, Aidan set up several folding tables.
Once finished, they retired to the dining room table and partook of a veritable banquet of Chinese food. Over dinner, they discussed how they would proceed in building the prototype. Aidan was going to start with the laser array, building a stand for the unit, and aligning the lasers with a design he had thought up the night before. He sketched it out on a napkin. He had added the parts for the holder at the shop where they picked up the liquid cooling unit. Too excited to start
in the morning, they ran downstairs as soon as dinner was over.
Valerie had a workbench configured to meet her needs as a hardware developer. She could etch breadboard circuit boards from scratch and photo-etch printed circuit boards as well, using laser etching techniques seen in much larger development shops.
Her original design was stored on her primary workstation, and since Aidan had changed nothing in the circuitry, she readied the equipment needed. Aidan was picking out the right size drill bit for the holes through which the lasers were going to be anchored and aligned. The two worked on their separate tasks in companionable silence, occasionally lending each other a hand, working well into the night.
By the time they both took a break, sitting down with tea and cookies, they were both tired, but enthusiastic about their progress.
“What time is it?” Aidan asked, suppressing a yawn.
“After 3 A.M. How are you holding up?” Valerie inquired.
“Running out of gas, the time zone change is working against me, and my adrenaline is wearing off. But I got a great start, so if I knock off for a few hours of sleep I’m not going to really be behind,” he replied, stifling another yawn.
Valerie laughed. “We’re not on a deadline. Unless you have to get back home in a hurry?”
“Nope, my time is my own. But I do need some sack time, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. You go ahead. I’m going to shut everything down and go on to bed myself.”
* * *
It had only taken Dr. Orlando a day to identify a suitable target for General Archer and to send him the orbital coordinates. And, as requested, Orlando did not share the details with anyone else.
Archer called Fleet Admiral Park to his office to plan for the weapons test. When Admiral Park arrived, Archer got right to the point. “I have forwarded to you the orbital coordinates of the target satellite we will be destroying with ordinance from a ship-mounted DS500 railgun. I want you to schedule the test when the satellite and the fleet are on the opposite side of Earth from that damn space station. Also, make sure we task at least one surveillance satellite to observe the target during the test.”
Quarantine Page 14