"I have reviewed Lui Wong's bio and feel that she is unlikely to have formed a resistance to the fuel transition to Helium-3. Most of her working life has been spent working with IT, and she has shown some strong leanings toward assisting companies involved with alternate fuels in her spare time."
Jet responded, "I must admit that I know very little about her. She's an attractive girl but not very outgoing —almost a bit withdrawn and shy."
The Commander agreed. "She is very good at what she does, the very best, in fact!"
"So...will you approach her then?" asked Jet.
"I certainly will. She has access to all the computers being used on the Base and should be able to hack into them without anyone being aware of it." Miller sat forward, placing his elbows on the desk. "I will call you in so that we can assess her reaction together."
"Thank you, sir," said Jet, feeling a surge of excitement. He then left the office and went to the gym for his routine workout.
∞∞
Chapter Thirteen
The New Bigalow International Space Station
Monday, July 13, 2026
1100 hours
The Super Shuttle sat on the launch pad like a giant metallic bird restrained by its tethers, waiting for its release into the beckoning sky. Wisps of condensation erupted from several cryogenic hoses, attached like umbilical cords, to the conglomeration of shining metal. The Space Flight Mission Control personnel at John F. Kennedy Space Center were sitting at their consoles, eyes glued to the monitors, waiting for the countdown to begin. The third mission for the retrieval of lunar resources was about to get underway.
The Super Shuttle was a new generation of spacecraft designed in the image of the older retired shuttles used by NASA in the twentieth Century.
Because of the shuttle's size and weight, using rocket boosters to provide the fuel for escaping the earth's gravity well, was still a viable solution although private enterprise had come up with some new designs for crafts that would be able to take off without the need of boosters. These required the use of a nuclear fuel source with accommodating propulsion rockets not yet tested, but slated to make an appearance within the next two years.
The Super Shuttle differed from its predecessors both in size and payload capacity. A great deal of liquid fuel was required for the burn to propel the shuttle across the 240,000 mile stretch of space and into the moon's orbit. In early 2007, NASA had decided to go metric, so in official space language this would be 384,000 kilometers. Two large boosters were required for the shuttle's escape from the earth's gravity at a speed of 27,000 km/hour. Both the rockets and supply tank would fall off into the sea after the initial burn, a normal feature of the older design.
Two large on-board fuel tanks had been added to the Super Shuttle's hull but remained empty, thus reducing the weight for the Shuttle's escape from the majority of earth's gravity. To fill these tanks a mandatory stop at the New Bigalow International Space Station, in Earth's orbit, would be made before the long haul to the moon. Construction of the old ISS which had begun in 1998 and completed in 2010 was no longer used for Lunar trips as it lacked adequate storage and living space. The new Bigalow station had been built to accommodate the requirements of future travel into the Solar System and beyond.
The Super shuttle's hull and superstructure were made from the very latest carbon nanotube material, known for its strength and weight properties. Nanotubes greatly increased the safety and reduced the overall weight of the space craft significantly.
There were only two astronauts in the cockpit, making the two-day journey to retrieve the 'gasbag'—a container made from another newly developed material called flex-steel. Flex-steel was much stronger than conventional steel and as flexible as canvas. Flex-steel could be shaped into almost any form at the right temperature. Compartmentalized bags had been designed specifically to contain the Helium-3 gas and transport it inside the shuttle's cargo bay. The bags could be folded when empty and were a great space-saver. The new Super Shuttle had enough loading space for thirty tons of Helium-3 and the cabin could take a crew of sixteen people.
The pilot, Colonel Ian Masters, busied himself with the preflight check while Captain Darryl Thompson, the co-pilot, called out the procedure. Both men had extensive flight experience and this flight was to be their second moon mission. NASA had curtailed its space program in 2011 but revived it again in 2017 to join with the other space agencies involved in the project.
The pilots completed their preflight check and called in the status quo to Mission Control; all was ready for take-off. A claxon sounded in the cabin to indicate that the countdown was about to begin, several LEDs on the command console turned from red to green and the two astronauts leaned back in their flight couches in anticipation of take-off. Both men felt the stimulation of preflight nerves as the booster rockets were brought up to full power, causing the shuttle to shudder and sway. When the Mission Control countdown reached zero the famous words were expressed through the intercom, "We have lift-off!" The immense power of the rockets catapulted the Super Shuttle into space with a galactic roar of defiance.
The two men were pressed back into their flight couches as the effects of gravity increased their mass to three and half times the norm. Their bodies, conditioned through years of rigorous training, strained to endure the crushing weight as they focused to remain conscious. With the pilot's eyes glued to the instrumentation, the spacecraft barreled its way through the ever-thinning atmosphere. Finally, the two booster rockets and the huge fuel tank fell away diminishing the roar of the rockets to zero. They were released from the majority of earth's gravitational pull and were silently coasting through the blackness of space into orbit around the Earth. The shuttle's predetermined orbit correlated with the orbit of the Bigalow International Space Station which allowed normal docking procedures to be followed.
Both pilots unstrapped themselves and began removing the spacesuits that were worn during take-off as a precautionary measure. Once free from the cumbersome suits, they relayed the all-clear to Mission Control and made sure that everything was running smoothly.
Within forty minutes they would be ready to dock with the space station and take on the extra fuel that would propel them to the Moon and back. Ian Masters would be glad to see his brother Ken, commander of the space station. They had not seen each other since the trip four months earlier when the resident lunar mining crew had crossed over with their counterparts.
The time passed quickly and after thirty minutes the space station loomed into view with Darryl Thompson making the first contact.
"Bigalow International Space Station Command? Come in please. This is Spirit of Victory, Captain Thompson requesting permission to initiate docking procedure."
"Welcome Spirit of Victory! You are cleared for docking procedure. This is Lieutenant Colonel Masters. Put that renegade brother of mine on the line."
Darryl Thompson laughed and answered, "I've had to lock him in the brig, Sir - misbehaving as usual!"
Ian spoke up for himself, "You'd better hide all the silverware, Ken, if you have any, that is!"
The station commander couldn't hide the emotion in his voice, "It's good to hear your voice little brother; it's been a while. We'll talk as soon as you and Darryl complete docking. Start your approach."
Darryl Thompson took over the conversation. "We've successfully locked onto the docking airlock guide. Docking will be completed in twenty minutes."
The docking of the Spirit of Victory was completed without a hitch and at 1200 hours the two men finally disembarked through the airlock into the receiving bay. Ian and Ken embraced briefly while Darryl stood aside with the briefcase containing communication briefs. With the preliminaries finally over the three men, in zero gravity, floated through the long cylindrical chamber, which connected the docking platform to the rest of the station. The new station boasted gravity assimilation and looked like a huge, oblong balloon, slowly spinning in space to produce the gravitational effec
t of the earth's surface. It was always a weird feeling to pass through the dock connector, with its zero gravity, into the one third gravity of the station's main body.
The three men walked into the commander's office and sat down. Darryl Thompson handed over the briefcase and the usual small talk ensued. Ken gave them the latest space station news and confirmed with the Rocket Fuel Production Manager that there was more than enough fuel for their planned trip to the moon. The rocket fuel production crew were already preparing the Super Shuttle for fueling. The two on-board boosters would take several hours to fill.
Ken then lowered his voice so that his secretary in the office next door would not hear. "There is something you should be made aware of. I'm not sure if you were briefed by General Hollings of the Joint Chiefs?"
Without waiting for an answer Ken continued. "If not, then you will not be aware of the problem with Lunar Base communication. I'm not sure at this stage what the cause is but we haven't been able to communicate with John Miller for the last twenty-seven hours."
Ian frowned, "That's a bit unusual isn't it?"
Darryl cocked his head and asked, "You mean that even the standard reports on their production status are not coming through?"
"That's correct," Ken answered. "I've checked with Earth Mission Control and they haven't heard anything from the moon either."
"Could this be an IT problem or signal interference from an asteroid or something like that?" Ian enquired.
Ken looked doubtful, "I don't think so. We are tracking everything out there—everything that's between the moon and ourselves, that is. We would have picked up on any asteroid! Lui Wong is in charge of the IT on the Lunar Base and she is the best, so hopefully we will hear from them soon."
Ian asked the obvious, "Is it perhaps possible that this could be linked to the hijacking of the SWANC system two weeks ago?"
"I don't know—it's possible. If this group, called the OLF, is for real then their tentacles could reach as far as the lunar operation. If we don't hear anything from the Lunar Base before you leave, I feel you should consider leaving the shuttle in orbit at the platform and one of you make a trip down the cable elevator to the surface to see what's happening."
Both Ian and Darryl were quiet for a moment before they nodded in agreement.
Ken finally concluded, "I will clear this with the President, but let's just hope it won't be necessary."
The gasbag platform was situated in geostationary orbit around the moon, attached to the surface by a nanotube cable. An elevator zoomed up and down the cable, carrying people, cargo, or towing a gasbag of Helium-3. The shuttle simply docked at the platform airlock and remained in orbit. An astronaut was required to do a space-walk during the Helium-3 loading procedure, to make sure that the gasbag was accurately placed in the cargo bay by the space crane, a part of the Super Shuttle's equipment array.
Ian and Darryl had both done this before, one remaining in the shuttle while the other did the space walk. This would be the first time, if it was required, that one or both of them would take the elevator down to the surface. Ian was concerned but not unnecessarily worried. It might not come to that. Contact with the Lunar Base could resume anytime during their trip to moon's orbit.
"We will wait to hear from you as soon as you have heard something," said Darryl rising from his seat.
Ian nodded again in agreement and looked thoughtful. "If there is some sort of connection between the two incidents, how do you want us to proceed?"
Ken responded gravely," You are authorized to take whatever action that does not endanger any lives, but at the same time, brings stability to the situation."
Ian asked quietly, "Will I be able to draw a weapon from your armory? In case we discover a threat?"
"Yes, we have three 45-caliber revolvers and three semi-automatic rifles! You can take whatever you think you may need. Just pick them up at the armory and I will sign for them."
The meeting came to an end and the three men made their way to the rocket fuel production section to check on the fuelling of the shuttle. The refueling process generally took three hours to complete, followed by a two-hour inspection before undertaking the next leg of the journey. They didn't want to waste any more time than was necessary—the news of the lunar communication loss posed a significant enough problem and needed to be resolved as quickly as possible.
The Spirit of Victory was scheduled to leave the Bigalow Station at 20:00 hours on July 13, 2026.
∞∞
Chapter Fourteen
Surveillance Review
Monday, July 13, 2026
5:00 p.m.
It was a beautiful day in Baltimore and the rays of the late afternoon sun streamed through the single window, bestowing warmth upon the surroundings of the small office. Jake squinted at the screen of his laptop. He was watching the conversation between Senator Jackson and Mia Anderson, the woman who called herself Wolverine.
The picture resolution was good and the voices came through clearly and concisely. Arthur Jackson, dressed in a light, green golf shirt, white summer trousers and brown leather shoes, posed a contrast to the immaculately dressed Mia Anderson, Deputy Director of the CIA. Her business jacket matched a dark, tight skirt and with one leg crossed over the other, she showed off a pair of sleek, but muscular, calf muscles. Mia was obviously still in good shape despite her age, the legacy of being a highly trained operative capable of hard physical abilities.
Jake could tell immediately that these two people were definitely not having an affair. The body language was stiff and formal. The greeting ended with each offering a stiff nod, and they sat with a reasonable amount of space separating them. He listened intently to the conversation which was short and to the point, no explanations or incriminating talk, nothing given away.
Mia Anderson's training was obviously at the base of her sparse conversations when meeting anyone in settings such as Lafayette Square. Senator Jackson also limited his words, almost as if they both knew their meeting could be overheard by people with the proper equipment.
What Jake did pick up from their conversation was an apparent change of strategy, the moving away from lobby tactics and the advancement of Valkyrie to the end of Phase One.
Jackson relayed Condor's question regarding Sammy Binks. "Was everything in place to facilitate Valkyrie?"
Wolverine answered in the affirmative. "Valkyrie will be ready to roll on the target date."
Jake recalled his earlier mental note regarding research of the name and decided on an immediate internet search.
There were several websites providing the information he was looking for. The first site was about the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler's life by his own subordinates during the Second World War in the previous century. Valkyrie was the code name for the assassination plan.
Jake was astounded. Could Jackson's strategy be an assassination attempt, and if so, on whom? He began to consider the different pieces of information, trying to fit them together. It was like a jigsaw puzzle. The disruption of communication to the Lunar Base had to relate in some way to Jackson's "Valkyrie" and possibly a humongous amount of money going to certain members of the GICC. Possibly pay-offs for providing Congress with false environmental information?
On further deliberation a picture began to form regarding the present political tensions produced by the Energy Participation Agreement. Colleen had edited many stories regarding the issue and Jackson was definitely against the transition period agreed to by the member countries of the Energy Accord.
The questions left him in a highly contemplative mood. There were so many questions and only some apparent answers. Jeremy Gibson's quest to expose Jackson as Tony Underwood's murderer had turned into something much bigger. Jake decided to marshal his thoughts by opening a file called Valkyrie and began preparing a record of events, including the relevant information and what he thought it all meant.
Another question plagued him. Was there anyone else except Colleen that
he could confide in? If the head of the CIA was a player, then maybe nobody in the Agency would be of any use to him. He thought of a possible visit to the FBI, but remembered Jeremy's advice.
Had Jake read a bit deeper into the Valkyrie story he might have been even more disturbed; however, it was time for the cursed injection. The wall clock registered 5:30 p.m. by the time he had shot-up the cocaine and absorbed its effects. Closing down the computer, he left the office to walk back to his apartment.
Later that evening Jake pulled into St. John's Lane and headed toward the family home. He had arranged with Colleen to take Kenny for a guys' night out, something they did every other month. Father and son had decided to go to the movies to see the latest Jack Reacher thriller.
After parking the Mercedes Jake climbed the stairs to the front entrance. The old swinging bench on the porch brought back a flood of memories and at the same time he noticed how prolifically the jasmine, planted six years ago had scaled the porch roof supports, encircling the overhead beams. The floor planks of the porch squeaked slightly as he stepped toward the front door and reached for the doorbell.
He could hear Colleen calling for Kenny at the first ring. When Kenny didn't appear after thirty seconds, he could hear Colleen's footsteps heading for the front door. Jake stood back as the door opened half-way with Colleen leaning against the door jamb, her body partially hidden.
"Hi, Jake. Kenny's quickly putting the finishing touches to his hair. He'll be out in a second or two. Would you like to come in?"
Jake hesitated for a moment before brushing passed her into the hallway. The slight contact with her body set his emotions on a rampage, causing a constriction in his throat and making it difficult to breathe. Colleen always looked stunning. Several days had passed since his last visit and he had constantly thought of her. He realized that he was still hopelessly in love with his wife.
She wore a tight blouse, which despite the kitchen apron, nicely accentuated the shape of her breasts. The tight jeans showed off her sleek hips and the long blonde hair was pulled back while she worked at the stove.
The Helium-3 Conspiracy Page 10