by Rick Lakin
“Thanks, Mom. You didn’t have to do this.”
“Might as well get used to it. You are going to be the most important producer in Hollywood when Galaxy Warrior starts filming in a couple of years.”
“Not gonna happen. I'm not going to become one of those stuck-up self-important execs that everyone hears about. Where's my double-shot Caramel Frappuccino?” Sheila gave her daughter a stern look. “Just kidding. I'll go get it,” Jennifer said.
“What are your plans for the day? You told me it was a short shooting schedule. We have dinner at seven,” Sheila said.
“Yes, and then I'm going sit in on a simulation on the Brilliant. It’s David’s birthday present to me.”
“Jennifer, dangerous things happen on that junk-heap of a prop.”
“Seriously, Mom.”
“Just a simulation. Promise?”
Jennifer hesitated. “Promise.” It was only the second time she ever lied to her mom.
“Don’t be late then, we have reservations.”
“Thanks for breakfast, Mom.”
Jennifer arrived at the lot, stopped at Craft Services for her second caffeine fix and entered the Writers' Room five minutes early. There was conversation among those present, but Susie was missing from her seat. She was usually the first one there.
At eight o’clock, Susie came in with a cupcake and a lit candle. The writers began singing "Happy Birthday". Jennifer blew out the candle. Hugs and congratulations were shared. Gia presented her a gift bag containing a t-shirt that said, “Screen Writers never miss a period.”
Jennifer laughed and said, “I love it.”
“We are just buttering you up so you will put us on your writing team for Galaxy Warriors,” Susie said.
“I'll keep you in mind. Again, thanks for letting me be on the team.”
“We have some changes for next week,” Gia said, and the crew began their daily writing assignments.
Jennifer got to Sound Stage One at nine. It was a short day for the Brilliant crew, but it was a full schedule for the others with B-Roll and effects in the afternoon. It was just fine with Jennifer that there was no mention of her special day and it was business as usual. Her mind was occupied with what was to come later. She didn’t even notice when David snuck up and kissed her.
At eleven-fifteen, the Assistant Director announced, “Virtual, set up the next shot.”
They were off-script. “Harper?” Jennifer said.
“Didn’t you get the memo?” Harper said.
The main set transformed into something she recognized.
“Harper isn’t that the Cantina from.…”
Just then the aliens started playing "Happy Birthday.”
She looked around nervously and saw Tayla next to Riley, smiling at her and singing. What is she doing here?
Just then David emerged from the Cantina carrying a giant birthday cake with Jennifer’s name on it and seventeen candles. The crew applauded.
The AD announced, “Everyone, have some cake and then break for lunch.”
Jennifer shared some hugs, blew out the candles, and said, “This is my best birthday ever. Thanks, everyone.”
David hugged Jennifer and said, “As soon as you saw the cake, I thought you were going to fall on your butt.”
“Seriously, movie star, that's only happened twice.”
Tayla hugged her. “Riley invited me for this and a tour of Brilliant.”
“A tour, huh?” Jennifer looked at Riley, and he winked.
Navvy came up with an older woman that Jennifer guessed to be his wife.
“Jennifer, I'd like you to meet my Hanna,” Navvy said.
Jennifer offered her hand but instead received a very tight hug as she said breathlessly, “Nice to meet you.”
“You've made Navvy so happy since you came to Tovar. Thank you and Happy Birthday.”
“You may need to open this right away, Happy Birthday,” Navvy said as he handed her a package.
Like a little kid, she ripped off the wrapping and found the cerulean and maize colors of the Brilliant flight suit with the name ‘Jennifer’ embroidered above the left pocket.
“Omigod, Omigod. Thank you, Navvy. Thank you, Hanna.” She hugged both of them again.
“It feels almost like the real ones.”
“Jennifer, it’s real, and it has all the tech.”
“Thank you so much. I'll cherish it forever.”
Jack Masing came up. “Happy Birthday, Jennifer.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“You are out of uniform, young lady. We launch in forty-five minutes.”
“Yes, Captain.”
She was starting to understand what it feels like to be seventeen.
Fourteen
StarCruiser Brilliant
Jennifer ducked into a dressing room and donned the Brilliant flight suit. It seemed a little baggy, but when she closed the final fastener, the suit seemed to come alive, and it snugged-in close. She took a look and found that it fit her curves perfectly. I'm ready to ride my dream, she thought.
She came out of the dressing room, and David approached, “StarGirl.”
“Jendroid to you, Spaceboy,” Jennifer said.
As they walked toward the Brilliant Facility, Jennifer reviewed her walking tour the week before.
“We have a few minutes before launch. I can offer you seventy-five cents worth of the dime tour,” David said.
“I did a walk-through at lunch last week. The ship is beautiful.”
“Then this way to your carriage, birthday girl.”
“The words, videos, and pictures in the Brilliant Tech Manual don’t do her justice.”
“Seriously, has anyone ever actually read those? It is definitely not your summer beach read.” David continued, “I learned most of what I needed as I was growing up, from Navvy, my dad, and my simulator time. But, I refer to the Manual now and again.”
Just then, Tayla and the rest of the crew arrived. “This looks like a real spaceship,” Tayla said.
David got a twinkle in his eye, “Yeah, something like that.”
“Brilliant is amazing. I always thought that it would look much smoother up close, but the grain of the surface, the realistic seams, the fittings, even the sensors are an incredible design,” Tayla said. “It looks as if it could take off and fly into space.”
Just then, Jack, Riley, Dr. Goldfarb and the NASA complement, joined them.
“Tayla, I’ll pass along your kind words to Navvy,” Jack said. “Are you ready to come aboard, Jennifer?”
“I have been ready for a long time, Captain,” Jennifer said. David went to the Number 5 strut, to a panel with a camera and a display panel.
“Good morning, Ani. Request permission to come aboard,” David said
“Permission granted. I know everyone except the New Girl.” Ani stood watch continuously on board the StarCruiser Brilliant.
“This is a beautiful model of a spaceship. I always thought the computer voices were actors,” Tayla commented.
“You will find that the 'model' has quite a bit of its own computing power,” David responded. Again, the twinkle.
Ani interrupted, “Does New Girl have a name?”
“Ani, this is Tayla Mendoza. she'll be riding along today,” Riley said.
“Welcome aboard, Tayla, and happy birthday, Jennifer,” Ani said.
Tayla played along with what she thought was a sophisticated computer simulation. “I'm honored to take a tour of your beautiful ship, and you can call me Tay.” Then she spoke to Jennifer, “It's an amazing simulation, for a computer. It could almost pass the Turing Test like steveLearn.”
“Miss Mendoza, it is impolite to talk about someone in the third person when they are present in the conversation, I prefer the pronoun 'she,' and who's this Turing person and why do all of these people think I should take Mr. Turing’s test?”
Jennifer smiled and David apologized, “You have to excuse Ani. She has a bit of an attitude and tak
es things personally until she gets to know you.”
Tayla was suffering from sensory overload. A ramp began descending. Her consciousness was fighting a battle between the vision that was forming, the reality that she knew to be true, and what she was seeing. It was in this haze that Jennifer guided her best friend up the ramp.
Tayla looked around in amazement, “Jennifer, this is just like the Manual.” She looked to the left, “That's the Auxiliary StarDrive Console.” She looked to her right, “And the Gravity Drive. The ship's just as I pictured it.”
“You’ve been reading the Brilliant Tech Manual?” Jennifer asked.
“You got a job; I got bored. Why do they need all this equipment if the interiors are shot in virtual on the soundstage?” Tayla said.
“We like to keep the simulations as realistic as possible,” Riley said. “Let’s get up to the bridge and see if this simulated model flies.”
To complete the tour, they walked to the aft ladder, came forward on the second deck past the galley, crew quarters, and sickbay, and then up to the bridge.
Jennifer climbed the ladder and emerged in the center of the bridge, held her breath, and felt very much at home. Almost all the flat vertical spaces were covered with displays that simulated depth. Jennifer looked forward to the ship’s lone hull penetration, a transparent viewport facing forward with a rope hanging down to sound the ship’s bell. The Commander’s seat dominated the bridge. Jennifer had the same overwhelming feeling she had had when she visited the week before. With her perfect memory, Jennifer could operate any console she learned on her simulator at home.
David sat at the pilot console. “Recognize spaceboy847. Good afternoon, David.” Ani said.
Jack Masing assumed the center seat. “Recognize Brilliant. Welcome aboard, Captain,” Ani said.
“Where can I sit?” Tayla said.
“Sit at the communications console next to Jennifer,” Jack said.
Tayla sat at the communications console. Tayla was not entirely honest with her best friend. She spent many hours studying the bridge consoles along with many simulator hours on the Communications and Ops/Weapons console where Jennifer was sitting. She tried on the headphones and heard from Ani: “Authorization?”
Tayla kept her voice low. “Ayiiia.”
“Welcome aboard, Tayla. Comms configured to your settings.”
“Thanks, Ani.”
“Who are you chatting with, Tayla?” Jennifer asked.
“Brilliant is amazing. It already knows my playlists,” Tayla wanted to keep her qualifications to herself. This was Jennifer’s day.
Jennifer sat in the Ops/Weps seat. “Authorizing Jendroid on ops. Welcome to Brilliant, Jennifer,” Ani said.
“Thank you, Ani. What's our weapons load?”
“Full Dazzler, full-power close-in Plasma and two Smart Tactical Autonomous Long-Range Torpedoes,” Ani said.
“Ani, how are the STALTs currently programmed?”
“STALT 2 is on the port rails in standoff, and STALT 1 is loaded as a war shot and set to acquire and chase.”
“Planning on some target practice, Jennifer,” Jack said.
“Captain, the manual requires that I query the weapons load before launch,” Jennifer said.
“Yes, it does, Ops. Ani, time till launch?”
“One minute, forty seconds to launch window. SoCal Tracon reports we have a three-minute clearance westbound through the southbound commercial corridor. International traffic has been diverted south.”
“Very well, Ani.”
Riley took his seat. “Recognize stardancer. Hi, Riley.” the Engineering Intelligence said.
“Hi, Engi. Give me a status update.”
“Em Drive ready for launch, Gravity Drive and StarDrive ready. Life support nominal. Auxiliary systems are fully functional,” the Engineering Intelligence said.
The Captain announced, “Strap in everyone. We are launching NASA Mission 615 to Comet 2943. Begin pre-launch checklist. Reports, everyone. NASA?”
“NASA is Ready,” Dr. Goldfarb said.
“Propulsion?”
“All Modes ready. Life support nominal. The ship is space-ready.” Riley reported.
“Pilot?”
“All flight controls responsive. Ready to rock and roll.” David reported.
“Ops, what's our departure profile?”
“Captain, we'll raise the ship to 100 feet, cloak Brilliant, ascend subsonic at a sixty-degree climb westbound over Malibu to Flight level eight-zero-zero, and then conduct unlimited vertical acceleration to the atmospheric boundary,” Jennifer reported. She rehearsed this procedure many times last weekend at home with every simulated casualty possible. She was ready for anything.
“Tayla, are you strapped in?” the captain asked.
“Um, oh yeah. The Simulation. Strapped in.”
“Ani?”
“All systems nominal. Brilliant is ready for launch. Our window opens in fifteen seconds…ten seconds…”
“Ready to raise ship, Pilot,” Jack said.
“Aye, Captain,” David said.
“… five, four, three, two, one,” Ani said.
“Take us up, David.”
There was a rumble.
Tayla grabbed her chair and thought, This is way too realistic.
“Ops?”
“The ship is cloaked.”
“Very well. Pilot, begin the ascent.”
“Ay, Captain. Thrusters engaged subsonic.”
“Jennifer, is that your house on the right?” the Captain said.
She was occupied with her console, but she glanced at the display. “Yes, Captain, thank you. Tayla, is that your mom’s car in our driveway?”
“Omigod, yes. How realistic is this simulation? She said she was going to visit your mom for lunch,” Tayla said.
“Twenty-thousand feet. We are clear ten miles around,” Jennifer reported.
“Wow, the beach looks small,” Tayla said.
“Forty-thousand feet. We are clearing commercial flight levels.”
“Very well, Ops. Ani, plot a Tranquility Pass when we are spaceborne.”
“Aye, Captain. To the Moon and beyond.”
“Sixty-thousand feet.”
“Engineering?” Jack asked.
“Gravity drive ready in all respects and shields ready, Captain,” Riley reported.
“Pilot, on my order, engage gravity drive and accelerate to one-half percent light-speed. Shields up, Engineer.”
“Half-percent lunar approach, Pilot, aye,” David said.
“Eighty-thousand feet, Captain. Sensors indicate clear space above,” Jennifer said.
“Very well. Pilot, engage. Ops, decloak at the Karman Line.”
“Aye, Captain…decloaked at one-hundred kilometers above the surface,” Jennifer said.
“This is the Captain, unstrap, get your space-legs, and enjoy the view. In a few minutes, we are going to pass by Tranquility Base where Neil and Buzz took a walk.”
Tayla stood and walked around the bridge, “Mr. Masing and everyone, thanks for the nice tour but I want to grab lunch before I head home. I have an appointment to get my hair cut and styled.”
“Sorry, Tayla, but you are stuck here for the duration,” Riley said.
“Seriously, Craft Services is only a hundred yards away.”
“Miss Mendoza, if you open that hatch, there will be a big sucking sound, and we'll all have a terrible day,”
“But, this is just a simulation. We are on Earth,” Tayla said, but there was doubt in her voice.
“This is the Captain. We are going to lighten things up. Grab it if you need to. Bag it if you are going to blow lunch. Engineer?”
Jennifer knew what was coming, she stood, held a strap, and looked at her best friend who didn’t.
“Engi, set gravity to zero,” Riley said.
“We are weightless.”
Tayla’s stomach wasn't where it was supposed to be. She looked down, and her feet were definitely not
where they were supposed to be. She looked around as she floated in weightlessness. Jennifer was horizontal, and Riley was upside down. Then she screamed. She started to flail and grab at nothing. Riley launched from his console to the rescue, grabbed onto Tayla, sailed to the opposite bulkhead, then gracefully bounced back to Tayla’s chair and assisted her in securing her belts.
“Breathe, Tayla.”
“Omigod, Omigod. We’re in space…Riley, you saved me. I could have been killed,” Tayla said.
“No, the interior surfaces have cushioning force fields. For a dancer, you aren’t very graceful in zero-gravity.” Riley said.
“You could have warned me,” Tayla said.
“And miss the show?”
“This is the Captain. We are going to set lunar gravity and do some maneuvering. Engineer, set inertial dampeners to one-half G. Pilot, give us a rollercoaster ride to the Moon.”
“Aye, Captain. Engi, set gravity to sixteen percent and inertial damper to point-five G's,” David said.
“Pilot, maneuver at will and set us up for an Honor Pass over Tranquility Base with Earth above the horizon.
Jennifer handed her best friend a barf bag with the Brilliant logo on it. Tayla clutched it like a talisman.
David gave everyone a fun ride, and beautiful views of the approaching Moon and the receding Earth. “Orbit is set, Tranquility Base just over the horizon. Ready for StarCruiser Brilliant Honor Pass.”
Everyone stood. Tayla stood but held on tight.
Ani announced, “Hand salute.”
The crew responded, facing forward. Jack then repeated words from his past in another timeline, “To the pioneers of the past, we honor you. To Orville and Wilbur Wright who took to the air, to Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield who went to the edge of space, to Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn, Valentina Tereshkova, Alan Shepard, and others who crossed the barrier into space, to Neil Armstrong, Palton Vendarko, Cindy Brennaman, and others who first set foot on other planets, we honor you. To the crews of Discovery and Challenger, to Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee and to the many others who gave the supreme sacrifice, we remember you. To every pioneer who brought us to this place and beyond, we honor and salute you. Ops, as the junior member of the crew, join us and sound the ship’s bell a single time.”