“I know that’s a long time. And, I know this means you’ll age thirty years, instead of twenty, but that’s still a whole lot better than ageing sixty years,” he finished, then looking around saw, they still didn’t seem any happier.
“If you can’t see the positives of that. Then try looking on the bright side. We’ve still got two weeks to go, so we might receive another five of the stasis chambers that were promised to us,” Traven added, then paused again. “But, even so, we’ll still only have ten crew members active at a time. So we need to stagger the stasis times.”
“Assuming we get the other five chambers. Have you decided the stasis order for the three ten-man teams?” Steven asked.
Traven, slightly exasperated by now, said. “Yes, you’ll see the rota later. But I can tell you now that my team will be active throughout both the first and last sections of the voyage.” Then, looking at Tony Mears, urged him to continue.
“Yes sir,” Mears said, “Right, so maybe ageing thirty years won’t be too bad. On the other hand, if we don’t get the other stasis chambers, we could wake up a few of the settlers instead. Then dump them off the ship, and we’ll only be in stasis for twenty years,” he joked.
Then, looking more business-like, pointed to the images showing on the main screen. “You all know the difficulty we’ve had in trying to determine the destination point using predictive calculations. Yes?” he asked. He looked around expecting a reaction. However, no one made a sound and disappointed, he continued.
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve finally cracked it.”
“About time,” Nick remarked.
“Maybe so. But the problem was in knowing exactly where the star would be.”
“Yes, but that’s common knowledge,” Nick snapped back, sounding impatient.
“No. There is also a time factor in this. We have to use predictive endpoint calculations, to predict where the star will actually be in sixty years,” Mears replied.
“Well, that should be easy with modern day computing, surely?”
“In different circumstances, it might be, Nick. Nevertheless, we have to take into account the time that light, from a particular star, has taken to reach Earth in the first place.
Therefore, if, for the sake of argument, we say that a star is sixty light years away. Then the same number of our years will have passed while its image is travelling to us.”
“Yes.” Nick reluctantly agreed.
“In effect, we would actually be looking at where the star was sixty years ago,” Tony Mears continued.
“But it certainly wouldn’t be there now. To overcome this problem, we have to predict an intercept point. The point at which the star will be when we arrive. Naturally, the closer we get to the star, the more accurate the intercept predictions will be, making it easier to carry out our in-flight corrections.”
“Yes. Most of us understand that.” Nick replied.
“Next. The pulse sequence, for the nuclear detonations,” Mears said. Then paused, more for effect than for anything else. “We are only going to be able to use one nuclear pulse detonation to test the system. Then, if we have a problem, we will still be able to abort the mission and return to Earth.
However, if we don’t, or can’t abort within the first hour. Then the automatic detonation sequence will come into effect, and we’ll be committed to our current destination point in the Procyon star system.”
“That’s not strictly true, Tony,” Tommy interjected. “When we close on Procyon, we can check our destination point much more accurately. Then, using the jet ring, we can make any adjustments that may be necessary before we rotate the ship to slow down.”
“Agreed. We’ll be doing that anyway,” Captain Traven said, “And we’ll also have enough fuel to enable us to shift our trajectory considerably,” he added.
“In that case, sir. What’s the real reason for this meeting?” Captain Appleton asked.
“Well, I intend to get everybody up and onto the ship within the next two weeks. Then, to get those people who are scheduled for stasis, into stasis as quickly as possible.”
“Yes. The less time we take to batten down the Acarea, the better. There are too many killings going on to risk the mission being sabotaged by a lack of crew, any longer,” Tommy, the Acarea’s pilot, agreed.
“Once everyone’s on board, we should move out to the departure point straight away. Then wait there until we’re ready to leave,” Traven added.”
“But, even so, the seventh of April next year is a long way off, surely it’ll be too soon,” Jack Appleton commented.
“No, there’s a lot more work to do on board before we actually initiate the departure sequence,” Peter Merance put in.
“Right. Then, we will work on the basis that we’ll be firing the rockets to take the Acarea to the departure point, in two weeks’ time. No later,” Captain Traven finished.
All of them nodded acceptance.
“Good. Get your operations geared to that timescale. Remember, we must keep quiet about what we are doing. Yes?”
“Absolutely sir,” they all agreed.
The meeting then ended. With Traven, thankful for their cooperation, smiling at everyone as they left the room.
Traven sat back in his seat, as thoughts about the mission flooded his mind.
He shivered, seeing in his mind all of them sitting virtually on top of the nuclear explosions. Eighty explosions in all being needed to get the ship up to speed.
His mind ran away with him as he envisaged all sorts of disasters. Then, he finally decided that it would be alright. After all, every detail had been rechecked.
“Or will it?” He then wondered, speaking aloud, and thinking about the recording that Michael Bernstein had played to him a month ago.
It was an old Digi-record, and on it, Cedrick Ervin, who had died back in about 2092, had given details of what he had learnt, from this, someone called Micky Sanderson.
Micky Sanderson had referred to a different launch date for the Acarea.
The official date of April the 7th, 2109, had been set from the beginning of the project. However, Micky had apparently said that the ship must be launched on the 16th of December 2108. Or the whole project might be a failure.
Then Traven, thinking on, decided that this 2108 date was a bit suspect. As Michael hadn’t seemed to know where this, Micky Sanderson guy had got his information from.
On the other hand, he wondered. Could this Micky be right, and would the earlier launch date, of the 16th of December 2108, really be better?
At least, it would cut short the ongoing risk of someone sabotaging the project by firing missiles at the Acarea.
Then he gave up thinking about it. There was no evidence to prove that this 2108 launch date would be correct.
His mind then returned to the Acarea itself. Would the ship just fall apart as the nuclear detonations pushed her violently onward? Or would the ‘G’ force just kill them all anyway? He wondered. Then shook his head again, took a flask of whisky from his pocket and drank the whole lot.
“Now I know, I really must be mad,” he said aloud.
Chapter 5.
Preparations.
The Starship Acarea was ready to go at last and had been waiting in orbit for the last passengers to board. There were just two days left, for the Acarea’s shuttle to carry these passengers up to the ship, to ensure that Captain Traven’s deadline for everyone to be on board would be met.
The Bernstein’s had indeed kept their promise to Micky Sanderson. In ensuring, that members of the Bernstein family would be involved in the Acarea project and that some of his and Charlie’s descendants would be on the ship. With Harry, Anna, and Susie, being three of the eighty-five or so settlers.
They were also lucky in that they would make the whole of the sixty-year journey in stasis, thereby aging by just two years.
Trisha Bernstein and her husband were almost the same age as her cousin Anna and her new husband, Harry
Turner-Bernstein. However, unlike her cousins, Trisha and Joe had been involved in the Acarea project for some time now and were members of the Acarea’s crew, as was Trisha’s other cousin, Henry.
Yesterday, while working in the embarkation terminal, Trisha had finally met Susie, Henry’s twin sister. Both Trisha and Joe immediately liked her and wished they had been able to meet her sooner, so were looking forward to seeing her again before she went into stasis.
She knew that her uncle Michael was quite influential. Even so, Trisha wondered how he had been able to get Susie selected without even having to attend an interview. It was a shame that Michael had been too old to join the Acarea, as he would have loved to go with them, she thought to herself.
Trisha and Joe were in the Acarea’s Shuttle departure area at the Kennedy Space Centre. They were busily vetting people in the embarkation terminal. Then explaining the sequence of events to personnel preparing to go on board. Many of them still coming to terms with the reality that they would never see Earth again.
As the last pair, having passed all of their checks, left to board the shuttle, they finally relaxed. Everyone now knew exactly what was going to happen to him or her once the shuttle docked with the Acarea, later this afternoon.
A short time later they both collected their bags and joined the others queuing to board the shuttle. Then, as Trisha followed Joe up the steps, she heard a voice from behind her and turned to see a young and very attractive man following her.
“Hi, I’m Jeff Jackson,” he said with a smile.
“I’m Trisha. That’s my husband Joe, up front,” she said blushing as she spoke. Then turned back and carried on up the steps.
“Nice legs,” he commented.
She ignored his compliment but smiling to herself decided that she already liked him.
The transportation shuttles had a double row of seats, each side of a central aisle, and were able to carry up to twenty-two passengers, with two more seats earmarked for one shuttle crew member and a security guard. There were windows on each side of the shuttle. With the glass automatically dimming, when necessary, to protect the passengers from the harmful rays of the sun.
The shuttles had short and stubby variable geometry wings that automatically altered their shape, to provide maximum lift during take-off and when landing in earth’s atmosphere. Its two massive air-breathing engines, one mounted beneath each wing, enabled the shuttle to take-off and climb up to the near edge of space. Then two rocket engines at the rear of the shuttle would take over, and carry it on and up into space, and to the Acarea.
As soon as they had all boarded, and buckled themselves in their seats, the shuttle door closed and the cabin pressurised. Then the rows of windows dimmed for take-off, and a voice was heard over the cabin’s sound system.
“Good evening, I'm Captain Grantham. This shuttle will not be rotating so you will be in a zero gravity situation once we are in space. Please stay in your seats for the whole journey, seat belts on. The transit time will be approximately forty minutes, but I am afraid, there will be no refreshments.
You know how to use your magnetic boots. So, remember that they will keep your feet on the floor when you disembark from the shuttle, and board the Acarea.”
As the shuttle’s engines started up. Trisha held Joe’s hand, tightly. The engines roared as they reached full throttle. Then the shuttle vibrated as they accelerated faster and faster down the runway. Until, suddenly, the nose lifted, and they started climbing away from Florida’s coastline.
The green and luxuriant Bahama Islands, now already well below them, came into view then shrank rapidly as the shuttle headed on up towards space.
The rows of windows on the opposite side to Trisha then dimmed again. Thankfully, for her and Joe, they had a clear view on their side as the horizon began to curve.
Then Captain Grantham’s voice was heard over the shuttle’s sound system. “In exactly two minutes, the shuttle's rocket engines will fire up, and we’ll experience high vibration and an increase in the G force for the entirety of the sixty-eight-second burn.
Do not worry. The rise in both the G-Force and the vibration level is entirely typical of this class of shuttle. Then, the shuttle’s rockets will take us on and up to Acarea’s orbit. Thank you.”
Below them, Trisha and Joe could see the curve of the Earth in all its glory. A thunderstorm raged over Europe, with flashes of lightning flickering from under the clouds.
Looking at it, both of them felt sad at leaving Earth, but at the same time, the prospect of a new life elsewhere was very inviting.
“The two air-breathing engines are struggling now. Can you hear, Trish?” Joe asked as the noise and vibration rapidly diminished.
Then, as the air-breathing engines died, the shuttle’s rocket engines fired, and took over. Sixty-eight seconds later, the burn suddenly ended and silence reigned, apart from the steady hiss of oxygen in the cabin as the shuttle surged onwards towards Space, and the Acarea.
“Some flight Trisha,” Joe remarked, as he strained to see out of the nearest window.
Another five minutes passed, with the shuttle using her thrusters to execute the change-of-course manoeuvres. Then, the massive ‘pusher plate’ of the Acarea came into view.
“Geeze,” Joe exclaimed. “It’s enormous.”
“I can see why all the heavy machinery is up the other end,” Trisha remarked.
“Of course. It’s counterbalance for when we land on another planet.”
“Yes,” she snapped.
“I understand all about the centre of gravity effect when landing,” she muttered while wishing that he would stop patronising her.
“Sorry, I seem to have a habit of stating the obvious,” he added, having seen her facial expression.
As they slowly passed by the Acarea, disappointment showed on some of the non-tech people’s faces. With them having expected the ship to look, at the very least, like the spaceships that portrayed in science fiction books and films from the early part of the 21st century.
None of them realising that those Phantasy ships, with their curving lines and sleek appearance, would not have been able to withstand the forces the Acarea would be under when the multiple nuclear detonations took place.
Instead, of glitz and glamour, the Acarea had been designed, with reliability in mind. So, although the Acarea’s body looked cylindrical. In cross-section, you could see that the bottom was flat and had been re-enforced to safeguard the ship against breaking up during landing.
As the shuttle moved slowly along the side of the Acarea, they saw the first hydraulic shock absorbers and caught a glimpse of the nuclear delivery and storage units that sat between them. Then they passed the Secondary shock absorbers. These were black and much larger than the first set.
The shuttle moved further on and along the central silver looking habitation section with its observation domes and manoeuvring thrusters. After which, the two rockets bolted to the Acarea’s side, came into view. These would push the Acarea away from Earth. However, they seemed much smaller than either Trisha or Joe had thought.
Then the shuttle finally curved round and passed by the massive fourteen-metre diameter airlock. The airlock was open, and they could just see glimpses of the heavy equipment inside, including earthmovers and scout ships. Just below the airlock, they could see a large ski-shaped piece of metal.
“What’s that, under the airlock,” Trisha asked.
“That’s part of the airlock’s metal shield,” Joe replied. “The shield’s sort of ski-shaped, but at the moment it’s in a lockdown position,” he added.
“Isn’t it a heat shield as well?” She queried, hoping to catch him out.
“Yes, of course,” Joe snapped, looking daggers at her
“When we land, it’s supposed to come up and protect this large airlock,” he added, hoping that he’d got it right.
By this time, Trisha was seriously beginning to wish she had never married him.
The
shuttle moved slowly on around the end of the ship, then along the other side until it came to a smaller airlock, then stopped beside it to enable the transfer tube to be attached to both vessels so the passengers could disembark.
Captain Grantham’s voice came over the cabin’s sound system, again. “We are about to dock. Please remain seated and secured. Once the airlock is pressurized, it will open and our steward will guide you out through the coupling. We do not want you drifting all over the place, so please remember your training with the mag boots. I hope you all enjoyed the trip and wish you all good luck."
There was dead silence, for a moment. Then came a loud hiss, and a clunking sound, as the shuttle’s airlock opened. A smartly dressed young man drifted out of the coupling tube and held onto the shuttle’s open door, then pushed his feet downwards to anchor himself to the floor, and walked in.
“I’m Doctor Jacobs,” he said introducing himself. “I hope you enjoyed my display. I know you’ve all had simulated Zero-G training, so make sure your mag boots keep your feet on the floor like mine did. I am afraid everyone has to put up with zero gravity on the Acarea.
Those of you who are going to be in stasis from the start of the voyage, please place your designated items in the numbered container underneath your seat,” he then ordered.
“Don’t worry these will be off-loaded separately and put in your stasis units. Ok. Unbuckle yourselves now,” he finished. Then, turning to leave, ordered them to follow him to the central reception area.
Trisha’s job now was to help get the would-be settlers into Acarea’s central reception area in an orderly fashion. Once there, they would be allowed a brief period to get to know each other so that when they were initially brought out of stasis, they would be amongst friendly faces. Later, they would have a final meal before separating into groups and going to their allotted cabins and stasis chambers.
Acarea. A Triumph or Disaster? (SpaceFed StarShips Series Book 5): A Novel by Gerry A. Saunders (SpaceFed StarShips Trilogy) Page 4