Marge shook her head. “It’s fine, really. I’ve worked with Maria for a while now and she’ll do fine. Besides, I wouldn’t want to miss working with Doctor Navari now, would I?”
“That will be peachy,” Jack said.
“I can’t wait,” Marge responded.
Chapter 11
Crew
People’s Republic Space Command
Beijing, China
In the near future, Year 4, Day 13
Things were firming up now for Hun and his team. He was allowed by the military to select his crew, small as they were, for the upcoming launch. Each of the three ships that they had built was designed for four crewmembers. Hun was told to use only two of the slots, which severely limited his selection process. Normally he would have a pilot, co-pilot, and two mission specialists. Now he was down to a pilot and a specialist, and this was against all safety protocols of their space program.
The small silver lining was that some of his crew trained in piloting the ships and landers, and he could double them up if necessary. Also a couple of the soldiers selected had spent time in flight training for the landers, though not the ships. They were all commandoes, trained in martial arts, close combat, and other disciplines, according to the brief that General Wang gave the day before.
So he watched the board up front while shuffling his notecards on his console in front of him. Unlike the Americans’ somewhat diplomatic way of selecting their crews, the Chinese were authoritarian, even in the civilian sector. Hun was told to fill the six positions according to the specs and certifications that the military gave him, and he would. There would be no debate and no dissent, only obedience and compliance.
So, who to select? He was fairly certain that the Americans and the Russians had the same limitations that he did. He had to have three pilots out of the six, and that hurt. The other three had to at least be flight certified on the landers, if not also their ships. The first thing he did was to discard over half his cards, each one representing a candidate. That was easy, he thought to himself.
Of the remaining eleven cards, only five were pilot certified. Their flight certification wasn’t particularly harsh or hard compared to the other countries. They were going to have computer assistance over all three via the RF band. It was a bit of a formality, but a necessary one to be safe. He quickly picked two of the candidates and placed each one on top of the three cards he had at the top of his console. The cards said Divine Dragon, Roaring Tiger, and Wise Snake. Hun was pleased that the other animals of the zodiac were not used, no matter how flattering the adjective. Wonderful Pig or Illustrious Rat just didn’t seem right.
The last one he hesitated for a moment, wanting to pick one, but remembering what the general had told him. The crew members had to be strong and able to fight if necessary. Plenty of the women in his program could fight, but they weren’t pilot certified as well. He put the card for the sole woman down and selected a third male for Wise Snake.
Another issue he faced was putting a female anywhere, since the general informed him that all six commandoes were men. He went through the remaining cards, picking them up again, as he didn’t need the pilot certification anymore. He had to take care to be sure that the lander certification was included in each ship. He picked out three cards and laid them out, looking at their profile pictures. Two men and one woman.
He put the two men behind the Dragon and Tiger ships and hovered his hand over the third and final card. Would he be the man responsible for sending an all-male crew to Mars to make history, knowing how he felt? Screw it, he thought to himself, shuffling into this discard pile to find the female pilot that he had discarded earlier. He brought that card out and removed the one by the Snake. Again, his hand hovered for a moment, but he took a deep breath and sighed, moving the two men under the Dragon over to the Snake and placing his all-female crew under the empty Dragon card.
There, that looked not only right but . . . fateful. Something had guided his hand, and he admired his handiwork for a moment while he collected the remaining cards and put them back in the locked box he had nearby. Yes, it was very good the year of the Pig or Monkey wasn’t selected. That could have been a disaster. Let the general make the call if he didn’t like his Dragon crew. Hun would not make the wrong kind of history.
*****
Minister of Space Command’s Office
Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
In the near future, Year 4, Day 14
“Glad you made it. How was your flight?” Dmitry asked as Vlad walked into his office for the second time in less than two weeks.
“Good as always. How have you been doing?” Vlad asked, taking his customary seat and nodding as Elena poured him a cup of tea. Their routine had become habit over the years.
Dmitry took a moment to sip his tea and ensure it was to his taste, as it almost always was, before responding. “I’m actually feeling pretty good. It’s not so cold this time of year, and my legs ache when it gets below zero,” the man said, referencing their Celsius scale.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Vlad said, picking up his own cup. “Any news?”
“Nothing that you haven’t heard,” Dmitry said. “The crew from the Red Star landed and underwent a full medical at our space command center. They flew in from the Pacific yesterday after the successful landing.”
“Yes, I watched in on Channel One.”
“The other crew members we talked about are also in Kalinin and awaiting orders,” Dmitry said.
“We going together, then?” Vlad asked.
“Da, we need to look them in the eye before we send them out there,” the older man said, nodding his head toward the window and looking out it toward the sky.
“Agreed,” Vlad said.
Dmitry paused long enough to take another sip of his hot tea, allowing himself to swallow, and set his cup down on the table before grabbing a paper lying next to it. “So do you hate this man?”
“Hate whom?” Vlad asked, also putting his cup down and trying to look over the top of the paper.
“Your commander,” Dmitry began. “You know, the man doesn’t get along with his co-commander.” It was a statement more than a question.
“I know, but actually, if you read the doctor’s report, they seem to do better together under pressure. I do admit, during downtime, not so much,” Vlad said.
“Won’t there be more downtime than stress time?” This time Dmitry did ask.
“Probably,” Vlad admitted, “but I’d like to add that this is manageable, and when things become stressful, the pair will function the best together . . . better than any other flight pair we’ve had the last decade of our space program.”
“That’s saying a lot,” the minister said. “Why do you seem so positive of this?”
Vlad almost held his breath. “Ah, actually, I don’t know how to answer that.”
Dmitry laughed. “You think I haven’t read the details of your flight reports the last ten years, do you?”
“I didn’t say that,” Vlad said, feigning offence.
“No matter,” his boss said. “The fact of the matter is I not only read them, I studied them, and so have my aides. We understand your concern.”
“You do?” Vlad asked.
“Of course,” Dmitry said, picking his tea up and sipping it gently. Its steam still rose in the cool air of his office.
Vlad waited for a moment, but left his own tea cup on the table. “So you understand . . .”
Dmitry chuckled again. “You worry too much. I agree with your assessment, though sex is only a release, perhaps a necessary one, especially considering how long they will be isolated up there.”
Vlad nodded, knowing his boss was following his logic. “Perhaps, but that is part of the reason why I like the pairing. Commanders Temshenko and Petrov have no interest that way in each other. They are completely businesslike when working together.”
“Come now, Vlad. We are beyond that with Yuri and Olga. Besides, are you su
re their relationship is plutonic? It could be that they have fooled even you.”
“Not a chance,” Vlad said firmly. “I’ve been working with them for years now, and I’m wrong about some things, but not this.”
“If you say so,” Dmitry said. “So what about the other crew? Have you given thought to that?”
“I have,” Vlad said, looking out the window at the blue sky and watching as a black raven flew by in the far distance. Not a cloud in the sky. “I want to send Oleg as our mechanical engineer and Elena as our electrical.”
“Solid choices,” Dmitry said, nodding in the process, “as long as it’s not my Elena.”
Vlad laughed quietly, looking at the closed door. “No, Elena Alitaliya. She’s done very well with the simulations and the training. Then, we can send Viktor as our secondary lander pilot and communications specialist.”
“The same from the Gordust?”
“Yes,” Vlad said. “The three of them have worked well together.”
“Very well.”
“Then I was thinking either Ekatarina Smirnov or Anya Molodets.”
“You mean Katya?” Dmitry asked.
“Yes,” Vlad said.
Dmitry nodded for a moment and then went back to sipping his tea before commenting “You know Katya’s father is the Assistant Director for Economic Development?”
“I do. That is part of the reason why I want her,” Vlad said. “She studied in the West before the Second Revolution and has a very open and scientific mind.”
“That is why she wasn’t on the initial list you sent me,” his boss looked at the paper. “You knew you’d spring this on me at the last minute, didn’t you?”
Vlad nodded. “I know the list I sent you would be read before it got to you, and I didn’t want a decision made before you considered it first. Are you angry?”
Dmitry shook his head. “No, you’ll replace me soon at the rate you’re going. You’re learning, Vlad, learning to navigate the political waters that us scientist types find ourselves in.”
“Will you make the case for me, then?”
“You said Anya Molo—”
Vlad interrupted. “Forget Anya. She’s a fine candidate, but I want someone who can get the job done.”
“Fine,” Dmitry said. “Let me see what I can do. Elena is certified, but has half the time as Anya.”
“You’ve read their profiles to that level of detail?” Vlad asked.
“Yes, a necessary part of dealing with my fellow ministers,” Dmitry explained. “Besides, your man Aleksey’s crew is up there now finishing the necessary tether attachments. This at least will keep the Spetsnaz on one side and your crew on the other.”
“During sleep and off time,” Vlad agreed. “Mission time they’ll share the main ship’s quarters and cabins.”
“You’re good, then, with our complement?”
“I think so,” Vlad said. “They should have everything they need to succeed.”
“The resupply ship will be ready as well. Make sure your manifest is updated if you need to make any changes. It will launch soon as well,” Dmitry said.
“I’ll see that it’s done.”
“One more thing,” Dmitry said. “The Chinese have moved another infantry division into the Kayshon valley.”
Vlad was getting ready to stand when the news hit him. He leaned back in his chair. “You think this means something?”
“Now, no. They can’t stop the Red Star, but they can hamper us with future missions if this continues.”
“Have we responded? What did the premier say?” Vlad asked.
“The usual,” Dmitry said. “He ordered another brigade of ours into the breach. What else can we do?”
“We can’t keep up with this,” Vlad pondered. “One division and we send a brigade?”
“We only have to play defense. It’s easier than attacking.”
“They already have twenty divisions in the area. That’s what? Three large army groups, four or five corps? How many do we have?”
“Eight.”
“Damn.”
“Relax.” Dmitry leaned forward and placed a hand on his forearm for a moment before releasing it and sitting back. “We have better trained troops and better technology. Eight will be enough.”
“Who said they will stop at twenty? One point six billion to our three hundred fifty million? The Americans are lucky that they have two oceans to separate them from the horde. They have no appreciation.”
“We have a deterrent,” Dmitry said.
“Let’s hope it works,” Vlad said. “Because if it doesn’t, this can get ugly. Better if that damn discovery had never happened.”
“You’re probably right,” Dmitry said, “but that discovery got us to the moon for the first time, and now we go to Mars. Who would have thought to see this in our lifetime?”
“Yes, but at what cost? What cost, I wonder?”
Dmitry didn’t respond, simply sipping his tea and allowing the moment to pass. He would wait till he heard the familiar thump-thump-thumping of the helicopter’s blades through the thick air, announcing its arrival to the Kremlin. Then they would take an hour flight to their space headquarters to the north of Moscow and meet with the crew, detailing their decisions. Vlad didn’t know it, but Dmitry had gotten approval for all the people on his list and several not on it, but they were in the training program as Katya was. Katya had a powerful father, and he was a good ally to have in the Kremlin.
They would be ready to boost if the Chinese didn’t pull another stunt first. In the meantime, they had fed the Chinese a bad schematic for the flow valve regulators to their engine technology that they thought they were hacking from the Americans years ago. A little payback for their farce that nearly got him killed years ago. It could start a war if they found out. Hell, war could start without that. Dmitry didn’t care, and neither did his premier. The Second Soviet Union would do what it took to reach Mars first, and China didn’t have a monopoly on risk taking.
Chapter 12
Combat
NASA Space Command
Houston, Texas
In the near future, Year 4, Day 21
“How are we doing today?” Lisa asked, sitting down at the round conference room table that overlooked the control room. She sipped her coffee and looked around.
“Doing well,” Marge said. “Where’s Jack?”
“He’s fussing with the cream and sugar,” Lisa said, allowing a smile to cross her face. “Where’s the brass?”
Marge looked at Rock for an answer. “He’ll be here,” Rock said. “Be nice, both of you.”
“We’re nothing but smiles,” Lisa said.
“Right,” Rock said, grabbing his own cup and taking a sip.
“You’re taking this rather well,” Marge said, looking at her boss carefully.
“Yeah, has Sally mellowed you out after all these years?” Lisa chimed in.
Rock nodded. “Partly that, and partly the lot of you.”
Jack entered the room. “Did I miss something?”
“No, we’re waiting for the brass to be nice,” Lisa said, and both her and Marge chuckled.
“I’m really missing Tom right now. He’d know how to handle this.” Jack stood with his coffee, looking at the seat between the women.
“It’s still too early for that,” Marge said.
“Right,” Jack said, sitting down with his coffee and looking at Marge. “You drinking that juice again?”
“Healthy life, long life,” Marge said.
“I thought you said it was too early for that?” Jack asked.
“Not fair,” Marge said. “Different context.”
“Richard.” Lisa turned to her boss. “What’s up with the delay? I thought we were supposed to receive this brief over a week ago?”
“We were, but the admiral wanted it done when we had our senior crew Earth-side.” Rock looked around the table.
“Whatever for?” Marge asked. “We can handle this.”
“Yeah,” Jack added, “what she said.”
“You’re not going to be sucky face today again, are you?” Lisa asked, turning to Jack.
Jack didn’t have a chance to respond when their senior command crew entered the room. Rock greeted them, motioning to the empty chars around the table. “Please, have a seat.”
Julie Monroe and Neil Sullivan had arrived a few days earlier and had gone through their medical testing just the day before. They hadn’t been notified yet of their assignments—that was still a matter of speculation as far as they were concerned—but they had met and had a debriefing the day before on the Polo One incident, so pleasantries were dispensed with today.
“Good to see you guys,” Neil said, smiling at the control center crew, pulling out a seat for Julie, who accepted it, and then he seated himself. Before anyone could answer, Major Carter entered the room. “Ah, found you.”
“It’s a big building,” Lisa said.
“I know. I was looking for this on the first floor,” Carter said, moving around the table to the last vacant chair next to Rock. “The control room is on the first floor.”
“Yeah, but the conference room overlooks it and is on the second,” Jack said, stating the obvious and receiving a look of caution from Rock.
“Yes, I see that now, thank you,” he said, and then turned his attention to Rock. “Why did you want a second briefing?”
“I wanted to review the mission profile with my team, now that we’ve had a chance to review your proposal,” Rock said.
The major looked at Rock’s team and nodded, seeming to understand that sometimes it was better for bad news to come from a different source. Mr. Richard Crandon had been elevated to his current position by the president, and Major Carter was no fool. Despite being a soldier and not a politician, he understood the implications. “What can I clarify for your team?”
“First, you can explain how we’re going to add the amount of mass to the ship and get enough fuel to still launch within an acceptable window. Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to go over the protocols for working together in close quarters,” Rock said.
Red Horizon: The Truth of Discovery (Discovery Series Book 2) Page 11