She pursed her lips. “Should I come out?”
“Na, we don’t want you missing any more work.”
She chewed her upper lip for a second. “And you’ll be back on Friday night?”
Peter decided this was a good time to tell her about the White House visit that Gavin had told him about earlier. Apparently the President wanted to present him with some medal on the following Sunday if he wasn’t in space. “Hopefully sooner. I would prefer to watch the launch from Mission Control, but they may want me there up until the last minute, and of course there could be delays. Regardless, I want to be home by next Sunday for a special meeting.”
Anya lifted an eyebrow. “What meeting is that?”
“How would you like to visit the White House with me and meet the President of the United States?”
Anya’s jaw dropped. “What? Are you kidding?”
“Nope. He wants to give me a medal. It will be a private presentation that won’t be made public.”
“Congratulations! It would be a thrill to meet the President.”
“Well let’s hope I don’t have to fly in space then.”
Anya put her hands together. “Believe me, that request is already in my prayers, regardless of any White House visit.”
He smiled. “Hopefully I get out of Nevada on Friday and you can make me these dumplings again.”
“They’re called Pelmeni and the soup was Okroshka.”
“I remembered the name, Okroshka. In fact I just like saying the word.” He slowly sounded out the word trying to add a Russian accent. “Ok-rosh-ka.” Peter then gave a modest shrug. “But since I love the Pelmeni, I can tell you the truth. I wasn’t a big fan of the soup.” He lifted both hands with a grin. “But I still love saying, Okroshka.”
“Really? You should have told me earlier. It wouldn’t have hurt my feelings.”
“I felt bad after you spent all day making all of this. I’m glad I enjoyed the main dish.”
Anya’s seductive smile teased Peter. “Who says that was the main dish?”
A big grin crossed Peter’s face as he shifted in his seat. “Oh, I thought you were going to be the dessert.” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows.
She lifted her glass. “Maybe with some whipped cream.”
“Mmmm, perfect.”
THE SCREECHING SOUND of Peter’s phone had rudely awakened him from a pleasant dream. Chris Riddick was calling, demanding Peter get to the office for an emergency meeting. Apparently, the old man wanted to speak to the crew about some new developments before they were to fly to the Nevada launch site. Though he should have gotten right out of bed when he hung up, he instead gave into Anya’s requests to stay. It’s Sunday; there won’t be any traffic. He rolled over and cuddled up to his lover’s warm body and easily fell back to sleep. Fortunately, Anya stayed awake and woke him a short time later.
Right before opening the door to Chris’s office, Peter glanced down at his watch. Damn it, I’m fifteen minutes late. He did a soft knock as he slowly opened the door.
Chris straightened up in his chair. “Oh, guess who decided to join us.”
Peter wanted to smack the asshole after that comment, but instead, took a deep breath and reminded himself his direct employer was SID. “Sorry I’m running late, I hit some unexpected traffic.” Blake and Jesse were both in casual clothes sitting across from Chris’s desk. They turned around to greet their boss. With no seat available, Peter grabbed one of the plush chairs from the sitting area and quickly dragged it over toward the men. Blake moved his chair over, giving Peter a spot between them. “Thanks, Blake.”
Chris leaned back in his chair. “We were going over the preflight procedures, but since we are on a tight schedule, I’m going to get right down to why this meeting was called.”
Getting a quick flash of Chris’s Rolex reminded Peter of when he snuck into the man’s office. He couldn’t contain his sly smirk as he looked down at the front of the desk, remembering when he was curled up on the floor on the other side just inches from Chris’s boots.
Chris’s voice was soft-spoken and intense. “We have made a change in the flight plan. We have decided to do Blake’s spacewalk after rendezvousing with the space station and cancel the second EVA.”
Peter jolted upright at hearing this surprising change. Though he was happy they were cancelling the second spacewalk, something seemed odd, especially considering Walter’s desire to get the world’s attention before visiting the station. He kept his cool. “Why the change?”
“It was a management decision. Our concern is if we have any issues during the spacewalk, we may have to scrub flying to the station, which is our main objective. First and foremost, this mission is to show NASA our capability to achieve a successful launch and being able to get into ISS’s orbit. We want to show NASA we can place a manned spacecraft within yards of the station and then return home safely. Basically, we want to do everything short of docking. Doing the spacewalk is more of a historic feat, but not a requirement of getting the NASA contract.”
Though Chris’s comments made sense, Peter was sure management must have thought about this before setting up the flight plan. Something must have come up to change their minds. Obviously Chris wasn’t going to elaborate on the reasoning. Showing he was a company man, Peter spoke up. “I agree with the change. I always felt the second spacewalk was a little too ambitious for our first manned mission anyway. This might be our only shot to show what we can do.”
“Exactly. So we have rescheduled your first broadcast to happen sometime when you’re next to the station.”
Peter scratched the back of his neck as he nodded. Something just didn’t feel right.
20
SPACEPORT
The aircraft engines hummed in the background as Peter studied the mission’s revised flight plan. He sat by the window next to an empty seat in the back of EarthOrbit’s corporate jet. He decided to give his brain a rest as he scanned the plane. Only five passengers were on the flight. Chris and Walter were sitting side by side chatting in the front row, while Blake and Jesse sat in separate rows in the middle of the plane. Blake had headphones on and appeared to be sleeping while his commander looked to be studying the same manual as Peter.
Turning to look out the window, Peter saw Las Vegas in the distance, signaling they would soon be arriving at the spaceport. An unexpected pang of longing hit him as he thought of his lover. I need to take Anya to Vegas someday. He closed his eyes, remembering their last kiss. A startling nudge on his shoulder broke his concentration. He turned to see Walter standing in the aisle with a slight smirk.
Walter pointed to the empty seat. “Mind if I sit?”
Peter wondered if he was trying to get away from Chris. “Not at all, please do.”
Walter grabbed the front seatback before falling back into the recliner. “You know it was a plane like this that your dad rolled.”
A faint smile crossed Peter’s face thinking of his dad pulling off the crazy stunt. “I betcha that was some show.”
“I thought it was hilarious.” He raised his hand waggling a pointed finger. “Of course, don’t you get any ideas.”
Peter chuckled. “Okay, no barrel rolls today.”
Walter looked toward Jesse and Blake before turning back. “So you think your guys are ready?”
Peter spoke with assurance. “They’re ready. You have two of the best flying.”
Walter leaned in, nudging Peter’s arm. “Are you sure you don’t want to go?”
Peter took a sharp breath. “I’d love to. I’m sure launching in a Zeus rocket would be a one hell of a ride. But you want to send the men best trained to do this mission. Both have put in long hours and are the right men for the job.”
“I agree. Of course it would definitely help us get better press coverage if the man flying was the same man who just went to the moon.”
SID would prefer him to avoid press coverage. The comment sparked Peter’s curiosity as to why Walter had a
greed to move the EVA, which still gnawed at him. “I expect you’ll get good coverage, but I was surprised we moved Blake’s spacewalk. That definitely would have gotten the world’s attention.”
Walter reclined his seat back as he made himself more comfortable, settling his arms on the armrests. “It just makes more sense. I think I was getting a little greedy trying to do too much on this mission. Chris suggested we drop the second EVA, feeling we were biting off more than we could chew, and the more I thought about it, I realized he was right. He opened my eyes to the risks. The purpose of this flight is to show NASA what we can do, and doing a spacewalk is just an impressive feat.”
Peter’s hunch was right, Chris was behind the change. “I do agree holding off on that second EVA. In fact I was going to suggest this later in the mission if all went to plan.”
Walter raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you say something?”
Peter clenched his jaw. “I’m still new. I guess I wanted to see how the mission went first.”
“Well, it sounds like we are all in agreement.” Walter looked toward the front of the plane for a moment before turning with a questioning look. “So how does a guy working at Byington Corporation in the UK end up with SpaceQuest flying a mission to the moon?”
Peter went into spy mode, answering the question as scripted by SID. “Actually, Allen Ferguson was friends with my dad. Allen’s a big fan of NASA’s early space program and over the years had made an effort to get to know most of the moonwalkers. He was probably closest with my father. When China claimed landing on the moon was a big hoax, it pissed Allen off. He considered all moonwalkers to be national heroes and felt it was his duty to prove China was full of crap. His team came up with how they could get to the moon and prove we did land. Allen discussed the plan with Pop before he passed away, expressing his desire to have a NASA astronaut fly the mission. It was obvious that wasn’t going to happen, so Dad suggested me. He informed Allen I was well-qualified after spending years training at NASA. Of course, Dad had no idea at the time the operation was going to turn into a suicide mission. He was just trying to get his son into space.”
Walter interjected. “You know, that has been bugging me. How come someone with your skill and credentials never flew the shuttle? It sounds like you were one of NASA’s top astronauts.”
Peter fought the impulse to badmouth Chris. It wouldn’t be in the best interest of the assignment. So he swallowed his pride and took the high road. “I’m not sure, probably politics.”
A skeptical look crossed the president’s face. “Wasn’t Chris your boss?”
Expecting the question, Peter said quietly, “Yes, but he wasn’t the only decision maker.”
The plane started to go into a slight bank, pulling Peter toward his window, which was filling up with the landmass below. Walter’s arm shot across Peter’s chest, pointing outside. “There’s the spaceport.”
The complex came into view. What caught his eye was an ultra-modern building shaped like a stingray located right in the middle of the compound. The eye-catching feature looked to be resting on the desert floor, waiting to strike. All the roads of the facility fanned out from the large building. Peter followed one with his eyes as it led out to two launching pads, on one of which the massive Zeus rocket was patiently waiting. A ping of jealousy rang through him as he stared at the glimmering machine.
With a proud tone, Walter said, “You’re looking at the only commercial spaceport in the world. Not only will EarthOrbit’s rockets fly out of there, but someday soon we’ll lease out those pads to other space companies, some sending tourists into space.” Walter nudged Peter’s arm. “Of course that’s after we have a NASA contract in hand. We don’t want to give the competition any help.”
Peter stared out of the window as they came closer and more of the complex came into view.
“See that building in the middle?”
Without turning, Peter assumed he was talking about the one that looked like the stingray. “Yeah.”
“That’s one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the world. For example, the air circulating throughout the interior is cooled by a chiller that takes advantage of the lower temperatures below the desert surface. Water is circulated through pipes that extend deep into the earth before passing through the chiller. Also the exterior glass is coated with a special glaze to lower the carbon footprint. There are skylights throughout for interior lighting. Basically there are tons of features in that building that allow us to have one of the smallest energy footprints for a commercial building in the world.”
Though Peter was impressed, his gaze stayed fixed on the Zeus rocket.
After landing, Peter turned on his phone. He was pleased to see a voice message from Jose Calma. He was hoping the tycoon was able to get meaningful information on Krause. He watched Walter get up from his seat and walk toward the exit as he played the message.
Peter put the phone tightly to his ear and bumped the volume down.
Hello, Peter, this is Jose Calma. I’m calling you back to give you an update on what I’ve found out about Krause Aerospace. Though most checked out fine, I was surprised to hear a major explosion killed one of our factory workers when working on one of the parts for EarthOrbit. Apparently, the pyrotechnic device used to deploy the parachutes was way too powerful. I have been assured this was corrected before the units were shipped. Of course, this is inside information. I hope this does not prevent your company from doing business with us. If you need anything further, please feel free to call me directly. And once again, thank you for saving my son.
Peter’s brain went into overdrive as a concerned fear caused his gut to churn. Could there be a bomb in the parachute deployment device on their spacecraft? He stared straight ahead as Blake reached the door, the last to depart the plane. The young pilot turned around. “Peter, are you coming?”
Peter took a deep, calming breath as he gave a casual wave. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
Blake lifted his arm signaling he understood before ducking his head and exiting. The plane was empty except for the pilots behind the closed cockpit door.
Putting his elbows on his knees, Peter cupped both hands over his mouth. He wondered what his next move should be. He needed to know immediately if there was any chance an explosive device could be onboard their ship. Jose’s message was not enough to disrupt the mission’s schedule. He needed more concrete evidence. He started shaking his foot as he wondered who he could trust. Got it, I’ll call Carl and have him inspect the backup unit. All parts for each mission had at least one spare unit, which the shop manager would have access to.
Peter quickly scanned through his list of contacts on his smart phone before finding his reliable ally. As he speed dialed Carl’s number he spotted the men through his window walking toward a waiting van. Through the short conversation and without giving much detail, Peter instructed Carl to immediately inspect the spare parachute deployment device for their mission, focusing on the pyrotechnics. He stressed to examine it in private and relay his findings directly to him, no one else. Since Carl was the one who originally expressed concern on the German parts, he accepted the request without any questions.
After hanging up Peter hustled out of his seat and down the aisle knowing the others were waiting. As he approached the exit, Walter stuck his head into the plane with a concerned expression. “Hey, Peter, are you coming? We’re all ready to go.”
Peter’s gut told him to inform the president. Walter was the only one who could postpone the launch, and if Carl came back late with bad news, there may not be enough time to deliberate on what to do. Avoiding that mess would be best. He tried not to be too specific. “Walter, I just got off the phone with one of our factory workers. Apparently there might be some issues with the parachute deployment device on Iris 1.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The manufacturer had some early problems during testing of the pyro charge. Apparently it was way too powerful,
killing one of their employees.”
Walter looked relieved. “Oh, we were informed of that accident. It was sad to hear someone died. The incident prompted us to send one of our inspectors overseas. He supervised the final testing and confirmed the problem was solved. Everything since has checked out fine. We even did a detailed inspection of the units after they were received. So sounds like you have some old news. That unit should be fine.” Water patted Peter on the back. “I do appreciate you bringing this to my attention, however. We can never be too cautious.”
Peter was encouraged to hear an inspector was sent out. “Okay, well then it’s probably best we keep this to ourselves. No need alarming anyone if you feel it’s a nonissue.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m happy you informed me, and I want you to communicate that to the factory guy. That’s working as a team, which is what all our employees need to do to ensure we succeed in this competitive space business. So who informed you?”
“Carl Stewart, he’s an old friend.”
“Well, you tell Carl good job and we’ve already checked it out.”
Peter nodded. He would call Carl, but only to inform him of this conversation to be prepared if Walter spoke to him. He was still going to have his friend inspect the backup unit, if only for his own peace of mind.
EXHAUSTED FROM THE long day, Peter sat with Jesse at the dinner table in EarthOrbit’s cafeteria. It was well after 8:00 p.m. and he finally got his first opportunity to sit and relax. Not only did Peter go through every exercise with the two astronauts, he also had to get up a few hours earlier to take care of his other responsibilities as their boss. During all this activity, worrying about what Carl was going to find festered in the back of his mind.
Peter took another bite of his lasagna then looked over to see Jesse in the same stupor. The two hadn’t said two words since sitting. The silence was broken when Blake walked up from behind, dropping his tray hard on the table. Peter turned to see a mischievous grin on the energetic young man’s face.
Space Hoax (Hoax Trilogy Book 2) Page 20