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In Main Control, Christy continued to listen to the status reports between the FarQuest and the Space Platform. From what she could tell, everything was going smoothly. She glanced over at Margaret who was glaring at her board, which was lit up like a Christmas tree with messages from Earth demanding attention. Christy had instructed her earlier not to answer any of them unless it was Mase Colton from Tycho City or Tim McPhryson on Earth. Christy didn’t know that Mase was also en route back from Earth to Tycho City in another shuttle that had launched right after Steve’s.
“Everything is proceeding in the green,” Lieutenant Commander Kevin Anderson reported after completing his rounds of Main Control. All of our monitors indicate the FarQuest is performing flawlessly.”
“A perfect launch, so far,” replied Christy, watching the large screen on which the FarQuest was now only a brilliant pinpoint of receding light. She knew the next few days would be difficult, particularly after the president’s speech.
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The Main Control crew continued their vigil for the next few hours monitoring the Space Platform reports, comparing them with their own readings and data transmitted back from the computers on the FarQuest.
“Everything looks good,” Christy said to Todd over the com system. She was feeling immensely satisfied with the current status of the FarQuest. She breathed out a sigh of relief knowing that the mission was well on its way now.
“Yes, it does,” Todd responded, relieved the launch had proceeded so smoothly. “According to Commander Erin and Captain Simpson the FarQuest is performing exquisitely, even at the higher ion drive rate of one-fifth gravity.”
“The launch went exactly as planned,” Christy added, thankful that it hadn’t been necessary to initiate a temporary launch hold for anything.
“The ship’s systems are all showing in the green,” Todd continued. “Not a single amber or red light has showed up.”
“Let’s just hope that it stays that way,” Christy commented. “How is your communication console on the Space Platform? Ours is lit up like the fourth of July. Everyone wants to know where the FarQuest is going. Several have even asked about the neutron star. We have an automatic message responding to each call saying that more information will be given out tomorrow.”
“Same here,” Todd replied. “The messages have been nonstop. We are playing the same automatic message you are. I imagine we are making a lot of people down on Earth extremely unhappy.”
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It was hours later that Christy stood in the reception lounge in the upper wheel, waiting impatiently for Steve’s shuttle to finish docking. Communication with the shuttle had been minimal to avoid anyone on Earth overhearing their conversations.
“Christy,” Steve said, walking through the door in long, hurried strides followed closely by John. He was anxious to hear her report on the launch.
“How is the FarQuest mission going?” asked Steve, giving Christy an affectionate hug, embarrassing the receptionist who turned and busied herself at her console.
Freeing herself from Steve’s embrace, she smiled shakily back at him. These public showings of affection were going to take some getting used to.
“I checked with Ty just before coming up here,” Christy replied. “Everything is proceeding as scheduled, and they are preparing to eat their evening meal. Lieutenant Strett reported that the crew is holding up well under the low gravity.”
“All right you two,” John said teasingly, with a smile on his face, standing just inside the door to the reception area where he had watched the two embrace. “Let’s cut out this affectionate stuff. We have work to do.”
“John’s right,” Steve said, releasing Christy’s hand. “The president is making her address in a few hours, and I want to speak to all station personnel and the Space Platform immediately afterwards.”
“How much is the president going to tell everyone?” Christy asked, concerned. She still had relatives down on Earth.
“Most of it,” Steve said, his face taking on a grimmer look. “She won’t tell them everything, but she is going to tell them enough to seriously shake up a lot of people. You and I need to prepare a presentation for the station.”
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Three hours later, Steve and Christy were sitting at their control console in Main Control. The president’s speech would be carried on all the main screens through out the station and the Space Platform.
Steve and Christy had spent the last several hours going over the FarQuest launch, and Steve had spoken briefly with Ty confirming that everything was operating smoothly and wishing him good luck on his mission.
Senator Farley’s messages had taken on a more threatening tone, and he was now trying to contact Mase Colton on the Moon to see what he knew. Farley was also demanding that the FarQuest be recalled immediately and its mission canceled. Steve could only imagine how upset the senator would get when Mase refused to answer his messages as well. If he ever found out that both of them had been down on Earth without his knowledge, he would undoubtedly explode.
“It’s time,” Christy said as the main viewscreen switched to show the president sitting at her desk in the White House. “In a few minutes, the whole world will know,” she whispered, gazing expectantly at the screen.
Steve reached over and took her hand squeezing it reassuringly. It had become acutely quiet in Main Control. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the main viewscreen as they waited to hear the president’s words.
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“My fellow Americans and citizens of Earth,” President Kateland began, her eyes focusing steadily on the cameras. “I come before you tonight with news of an impending danger to our world. A danger that even now we can only guess as to what its final consequences may be. As some of you may have already heard, just over a month ago the giant radio telescopes at the Farside array on the Moon detected a mysterious object coming toward our Solar System.” The president paused, letting the audience grasp what she had just said.
“Upon further investigation, the experts at Farside determined that a neutron star is approaching our Solar System at a tremendous speed,” she continued, gazing steadily at the cameras. “For those of you that don’t know, a neutron star is a star similar to ours that has used up most of its energy and collapsed into a dense, compact ball of matter fifteen to twenty miles in diameter.” She reached down and picked up a yellow tennis ball that had been lying on her desk and held it up for the audience.
“The matter on this star is so dense that if this tennis ball was composed of that matter the strongest person on Earth couldn’t pick it up. In fact, this ball would weigh more than the biggest aircraft carrier ever built. It’s because of this tremendous mass that the neutron star may pose a future danger to us here on Earth. We know from computer studies that the star will come far into our Solar System, close enough to affect the orbits of almost all of the planets. It will certainly affect the Earth, but just how severely we don’t know,” she paused, looking directly into the camera and at her now captive audience.
Many of the well educated, she knew, would understand what she was saying. She also knew that there would be many people who wouldn’t.
“We could see an increase or decrease in temperatures. We may be in for periods of heavy storms, and there is a possibility of increased earthquake and volcanic activity. Much of this is still conjecture; it still remains to be determined,” President Kateland paused again for a moment before continuing. The next part would be the hardest.
“As a result of this impending danger, as president and with the approval of the Joint Chiefs, we are placing the country under a state of emergency. Until the exact threat of this impending danger is determined, it will be necessary for us to take some extraordinary steps to ensure the safety of the people of this great country. All the resources of our country will be used to build safe bunkers from the coming storms deep underground. We shall store large supplies of food and other materials to ensure that we survive as
a nation. We will be furnishing instructions to everyone on what they must do in order to survive this coming cataclysm. We will be mailing out information to every American about what needs to be done to make your homes safer, prepare basements or storm shelters, and make living in the months ahead possible. There will also be a government website online tomorrow detailing the same information but in much greater detail. The coming days may try many of us, but I have faith in my countrymen that we will triumph over this great danger.” The president paused once more, taking a sip of water and allowing her audience time to digest what she had just said.
“In an effort to learn more about this threat, a special space mission commanded by Commander Tyler Erin of Star One has been launched using the Jupiter Probe ship. That was the bright light that many of you saw earlier today in the sky as the ship blasted off from the Space Platform to undertake this dangerous journey. Changes were made to the Jupiter Probe to allow it to make the long journey required to rendezvous with the neutron star. Even as I speak, the ship is already well under way. The crew has renamed the ship the FarQuest because they will be going much farther into space than man has ever gone before. I would ask that each one of you say a special prayer tonight for the safety of the ship and its brave crew. What they discover in a few short months will allow us to better prepare to deal with the approach of this star.”
President Kateland was silent for a moment, and then continued in a serious tone of voice. “I know that many of you have a lot of questions. Right now, we don’t have all the answers. In an attempt to allow everyone to understand the situation, we are distributing stellar photographs of the neutron star with additional information to all of the major newspapers. There will also be a special video of the FarQuest launch for the media stations to broadcast. All of this will also be available on the government website. Because of the seriousness of this situation, and I repeat it is serious, the military in this country has been placed on alert to ensure that there will be no violence in the streets of our cities. Violence of any type will be dealt with quickly and severely under martial law.”
President Kateland was quiet for a long moment, gazing into the cameras. “I know many of you will have questions, and some will not want to believe. As president, I will do my best to protect and preserve this great country of ours. I just ask each one of you to remain calm,” she paused, looking down at her desk, then her eyes rose to meet the camera once more. “May God be with all of us in this time of judgment, and may He see fit to preserve this great country. Thank you and good night.”
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Main Control was eerily quiet. No one spoke; no one moved. Everyone’s eyes turned slowly toward Steve.
Steve watched as the screen faded out to be refocused on the distant point of light that was the FarQuest. Nodding to the communications officer, he prepared to address the station over the com system.
“People of Star One and the Space Platform,” he began, preparing to commence with the speech he had thought so hard about and gone over with Christy earlier. “You have heard the president’s message. I can assure you that the threat is real and that preparations are being made to survive it. We feel that the Star One space complex with the new covering of Luxen we are installing has a high chance of surviving the coming ordeal.” Steve paused, looking over at Christy who smiled and nodded back for him to continue.
“Because of that, we will be inviting immediate station family members still on Earth to come up to the station. In addition, anyone who would prefer to transfer back down to Earth for the duration of this emergency will be allowed to do so. I have the strongest confidence in the crew of this station and the Space Platform; together we can accomplish almost anything. There will be a full briefing on the neutron star and the FarQuest mission on the station’s information channel at 22:00 hours tonight. It will be repeated every four hours to allow everyone on the station and the Space Platform to see it. If anyone has any questions, you may ask your respective department heads beginning tomorrow morning. Thank you. This is Commander Larson.” Steve stopped and stared at Christy, who reached out and squeezed his hand firmly.
“Will anything ever be the same?” she asked quietly, her blue eyes gazing deep into Steve’s brown ones.
“I don’t know,” replied Steve, looking away from Christy and at the main viewscreen with the distant, bright dot, which was the FarQuest. He wondered just what Ty would find on his mission. “I think the world is about to change, and we are going to have to change with it.”
They both sat in Main Control watching the viewscreen. The FarQuest was still the brightest point of light in the ocean of stars, which were crying out for the ship to join them. The greatest space journey ever embarked on by man had begun. In the back of both of their minds, they wondered if they would ever see Ty and the FarQuest again.
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In deep space, the neutron star rotates, sending out the deadly warning of its approach in a loud burst of x-rays and radio waves twice every second. It has come to kill a star system, and there is nothing that can stop it. But the neutron star also holds another even more dangerous secret. It is not alone!
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The action picks up and continues in the second part of this story. Read the exciting conclusion as Star One, Tycho City, and Earth struggle to survive the approach of the neutron star.
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To be continued in
Star One: Dark Star
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Turn the page to see other books by Raymond L. Weil
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Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Other Books by Raymond L. Weil
Available at Amazon
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Dragon Dreams: Dragon Wars
Dragon Dreams: Gilmreth the Awakening
Dragon Dreams: Snowden the White Dragon
Dragon Dreams: Firestorm Mount (2014)
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Star One: Tycho City: Discovery
Star One: Neutron Star
Star One: Dark Star
Star One: Tycho City: Survival (December 2013)
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Moon Wreck: First Contact
Moon Wreck: Revelations
Moon Wreck: Secrets of Ceres
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy
The story continues in
The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact
The Slaver Wars: First Strike (October 2013)
Turn the page for a brief description of Star One: Dark Star.
Star One: Dark Star
The FarQuest has been launched on her mission of discovery to the approaching neutron star. On Earth, unrest is quickly growing as people realize that life on Earth might shortly come to an abrupt end.
President Kateland is doing everything in her power to try to preserve at least a small portion of the human race. However, a powerful U.S. Senator does not believe the neutron star threat is real.
The situation on Earth is about to explode as Star One and Tycho City struggle to survive in an uncertain future. What is even more frightening is the dark secret hidden by the neutron star. A secret that is so deadly that it makes any chance of survival seem almost impossible.
This is the exciting conclusion to Star One: Neutron Star.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089SM0X0/ref=cm_cd_asin_lnk
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Turn the page and read the first part of The Slaver Wars: Alien Contact.
The Slaver Wars
Alien Contact
The 1,200-meter b
attle cruiser StarStrike slid quietly through empty space. The ship was a Conqueror Class Command Cruiser, one of the most powerful warships ever built by the Human Federation of Worlds. There were only four of the powerful ships of war in the Federation’s entire fleet. The StarStrike and its small fleet were on a fact finding mission deep within suspected enemy territory. The 1,500-meter Galaxy Class Battle Carrier Victory was above the StarStrike, along with its four light cruiser escorts. Several small fighter craft flew around the small fleet keeping a constant vigilance for any incoming threats. Two space destroyers were ahead of the fleet scanning for any potential enemy targets. It was essential that the human fleet remain undetected until it had completed its reconnaissance mission.
Fleet Admiral Hedon Streth sat at his command console watching the main viewscreen on the front wall of the Command Center. He was of medium build, and his dark hair was just starting to turn gray on the sides. The admiral was forty-two years old, and the worry lines on his face showed that he had been through a lot the past few months. Months he would like to forget. It had been a trying and desperate time for the entire human race.
The viewscreen showed unwinking stars ahead, and the scanners and long-range sensors were free of threats. The Command Center was in the shape of a rectangle, and its twenty-crew personnel were efficiently going about their jobs. At the reinforced security hatch, two heavily armed marines stood guard. No one entered the Command Center without the proper clearance. Two more similarly armed marines stood just outside the hatch in the corridor. Security now was much more obvious than a few short months ago.
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