by Bob Blanton
Blake looked at his HUD and did some calculations, “I could start moving production next week. Our limitation is more labor than equipment, so by next week, our production capacity here starts exceeding our labor supply.”
“Okay, we should go ahead and start moving it, then.”
“And did anyone check out the new condos yet?” Blake asked. “We should be moving in this week. Better pick out the one you want.”
“I want one that is far away from that landing strip you have planned,” Samantha said.
“The landing strip is along the east edge; the condos are along the west edge of quad one. That’s as far away as you can get until section one is finished. That will be six weeks, plus however long it takes us to put up new condos.”
“Our airport?”
“We’re spitting out columns and pontoons as fast as we can. We’re still six to eight weeks away from having beam and plate capacity to start actually building it. We need more workers.”
“I’m working on it,” Kal said. “Starting up a new pipeline is slow. Margaret ’s not even here yet.”
“Liz, how is our friend Herr Johansson doing?”
“They’ve started making cars, and they’re ramping up fast. Fred will have to tell you about sales, I’m ready to hand this whole thing off to him.”
“What about a second plant?”
“What do you think about Morocco for our next location? Ignoring our last problem there, it seems a good choice. They have the population to support the manufacturing, the government is only marginally corrupt, and it’s perfectly located to export to Europe,” Liz said.
“Sam?”
“Liz and I have been talking about it. You want a place that will take the immigration pressure off Europe, that needs help with income disparity, and has a relatively stable political environment, Morocco is it. The other choices would be Egypt or Syria, and their political situations are untenable.”
“Okay, let’s shoot for it. How does Herr Johansson like the idea?”
“It’s closer to Germany, he likes that,” Samantha said. “Casablanca is a nice city, at least in places, so he’s game.”
“So, you’re going to start negotiating with the government?”
“First meeting is in two weeks,” Samantha said.
“Catie, how’s the Oryx design going?”
“We’re almost done,” Catie said. “We’re down to selecting components and where we can get them. A lot of the interior is based on the C17, so Boeing is our friend, or at least their subcontractors are.”
“And, how are your plans for the asteroid mission coming along?”
“I’m thinking that I’ll have all my other assignments under control by next week, then I’ll be ready to select and train the crew.”
“Have you decided on your copilot yet?” Marc asked Catie.
“I was thinking Liz,” Catie said. “I don’t want to be stuck in a Lynx with just a bunch of guys.”
“No fair!” Blake and Fred said together.
“I was thinking you might want an all-woman crew,” Marc said. “Kal, don’t you have a woman in your crew who can handle the heavy lifting?”
Kal was still stunned to learn that he didn’t even have a chance to be the muscle on the mission. After a moment, he recovered, “Sure, Natalia Ortiz is as big and strong as most of the guys. She’s got a level head on her shoulders and has a pretty good sense of humor. She was a cargo specialist in the Marines. But she’s not cleared for duty for another week.”
“If it’s all girls, then how about the twins?” Catie asked.
“The twins, why would you take them?” Marc asked. He leaned back in his chair, trying to control his frustration.
“Come on, Daddy, the chance to be part of the first human space flight to go beyond the moon. You can’t deny them that opportunity.”
Marc sighed and shook his head. “If their mother is okay, I guess I can’t see a reason why not.”
“Then I’m going too!” Samantha said.
“What!”
“They need a cook and someone to look after the twins,” Samantha said. She pointed to Catie, “Besides, what she said, honey.” Samantha really stressed the honey.
“I thought you didn’t do camping,” Marc said.
“I’ll make an exception this once,” Samantha said. “Besides, Catie and Liz told me it wasn’t that bad living on the Lynx.”
“Marc, you’re going to lose your man-card,” Blake laughed, “by being the leader who authorized the first human mission beyond the moon and Mars to be an all-female crew.”
“Hey, you men got to be the first in space, you got the mission to the moon, it’s only fair that we women get the mission to beyond,” Samantha said. “Consider it payback for Jerrie Cobb.”
“Never argue with a lawyer,” Blake laughed. “And who’s Jerrie Cobb?”
“She was the first woman to be tested for astronaut training; she outperformed the men; then politics preventing her from joining NASA.”
“Ouch,” Blake said.
Marc waved at Samantha to get her attention, “And if Dr. Sharmila says no to the twins?”
“I’m still going.”
“Alright, I give. Catie, you’ll need to take everybody to the Sakira to get fitted for suits once you get the answer from Dr. Sharmila,” Marc said, surrendering to the inevitable.
◆ ◆ ◆
Samantha walked into Marc’s office, “We need to talk.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Marc said.
“It’s about Catie and this asteroid mission,” Samantha said.
“Are you having second thoughts about going?”
“No, not that. I’d like to know why you’re sending Catie. It’s hard for me to imagine why you’re sending your thirteen-year-old daughter,” Samantha said. “Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the all-girls mission and making up for Jerrie Cobb getting aced out of the space program, but you have to admit a thirteen-year-old in charge is a big stretch.”
“I know,” Marc sighed. “Since I realized I had to have the asteroids, I’ve been racking my brain for a way not to send Catie.”
“Why don’t you tell me why Blake is not the right guy?”
“Blake is a smart guy, and I love him, but he’s more of a point and shoot type of guy. I’m not sure he could pull it off,” Marc said. “Catie has run hundreds of simulations on the Lynx and the Foxes, she’s done simulated space missions, and planetary landings. I can’t even begin to actually list all the things she’s run a simulation on.”
“But can’t Blake do that?”
“Sure he could, but Blake’s biggest weakness is he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. He can build an entire plan with a gaping hole in it and not realize it. That’s not usually a problem because he tends to know everything about the field he’s operating in.”
“And Catie?”
“Well, that hole looks like a blinking light to her. She sees it and fusses with it until she figures out what it is, then she fixes it,” Marc said.
“What about you leading it?”
“I thought about that, but I’m not that flexible. I like to plan in straight lines,” Marc said.
“You handle curveballs all the time,” Samantha said.
“Sure I do, but I do it by sitting down and replanning,” Marc said. “I can think on my feet, but not outside the bounds of what I know and expect. To do that, I have to sit down for hours. Catie can replan in a second, and that’s what we need.”
“Well, what are her weaknesses?” Samantha asked.
“She has two big ones,” Marc said. “One: she doesn’t realize that other people don’t see what she sees. When something is obvious to her, she assumes it’s obvious to everybody.”
“And two?” Samantha prompted.
“She likes to plan in private, tie everything up into a neat package, and put a bow on it. I think that comes from having her teachers accuse her of claiming she solved a problem when they think she must have
read the solution somewhere. She wants to prove she’s not a little kid and can solve things on her own.”
“So how does that not become a liability on this mission?”
“She and Liz make a perfect team,” Marc said. “Liz is her friend, not her parent or some teacher, so when Liz asks Catie to explain something, she doesn’t think she’s being patronized. And then her desire to help her friend understand means she explains everything. And Catie takes direction from Liz and Kal, without even realizing she’s doing it. They tell her to do something, it makes sense, so she just does it. When I try and tell her something, half the time she gets defensive.”
“So, Liz will keep us from killing ourselves?” Samantha asked.
“Catie’s pretty cautious, but yes, Liz will keep things grounded, if you can use that term for a space mission and not jinx it,” Marc said, laughing a little as he thought about it. “Liz has been perfect for Catie, like a big sister. I hope they continue to enjoy working together.”
“I suspect you’re safe there,” Samantha said. “Catie really cares about Liz and wants her to be successful. She’s always reviewing stuff with her. Even more since the space station design thing.”
“I’ve noticed. I like having them room together. It builds on that sisterly bond,” Marc said.
“Linda would have a fit if she knew what you’re letting Catie do,” Samantha said.
“She might,” Marc said. “We’ve talked about trying to hold Catie back from things she wants to do and can do. You can only say they’re too young so often.”
As Samantha left the room, Marc whispered to himself, “How does one keep a songbird from singing?”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Dr. Sharmila, can we talk?” Catie asked.
“Of course, come on in,” Dr. Sharmila said. Catie entered her office, followed by Dr. Metra. Dr. Sharmila gave Dr. Metra a curious look.
“I’m here for what Catie calls moral support,” Dr. Metra said.
“Something serious?” Dr. Sharmila asked Catie.
“I guess you could say that,” Catie answered. “I wanted to talk to you about a trip I’m getting ready to make. You know we’re building a space station, right?”
“Yes, I’ve heard,” Dr. Sharmila said. “Very exciting.”
“Well, in order to build it, we need to go get some asteroids,” Catie said.
“Why in the world do you need asteroids, and where would you get them?” Dr. Sharmila asked.
“We need them for the material to build the space station. And we would get them from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter,” Catie explained.
“You mean you’re going to go into space, that is very exciting,” Dr. Sharmila said, clasping her hands together and leaning forward on her desk. “I’m sure you’ll have a fun time.”
Dr. Metra suppressed a laugh, getting a sharp look from Dr. Sharmila. “I’m afraid to ask why my friend would think that was funny,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, the space mission,” Catie said.
“I don’t know anything about space missions,” Dr. Sharmila said. “Surely you should be talking to Dr. Metra.”
“It not about medical advice,” Catie said. “You know it’s going to be a big historical event. Eventually, it will go into the history books.”
“I would think so, the first mission beyond the moon, beyond Mars even,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“Yes, and I’m going to lead it,” Catie said.
“Oh, that will really be one for the history books then,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“That’s my problem,” Catie said. “Your daughters are like sisters to me, and I think they’re going to hate me if they find out I went on this historic trip and didn’t take them.”
“Well, children can’t do everything. They will understand it is dangerous. In fact, I’m surprised your father is letting you go,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“That’s it, it’s not that dangerous. We would be taking the Lynx, and it’s very capable. We could take the twins if you would let us,” Catie said.
Dr. Sharmila sat back in her chair in shock. “Take my girls into space? And you knew she was going to ask,” Dr. Sharmila accused Dr. Metra.
“I did know, but just an hour ago,” Dr. Metra said.
“So now they will hate me because I didn’t let them go,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“We can always blame my dad,” Catie said. “But they’re pretty smart, and they’ll probably figure things out. I think they’ll believe I should have asked to take them.”
“But it’s too dangerous,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“I’ve had ADI analyze the risk,” Catie said. “It would be pretty safe for the twins.”
“Explain.”
“Well, going there and back in the Lynx isn’t that big a deal. It’s designed to do that and ADI could actually fly it if necessary.”
“And if something should happen to the Lynx?” Dr. Sharmila asked.
“We have the Foxes for backup. ADI could fly them out to get us if necessary, but she says the Lynx has a ninety-nine percent reliability rate. And we won’t be doing anything unusual with it. The risk will be when we’re working on the asteroids, and we would make sure the twins were aboard the Lynx while we were doing that. They would be safe then. Sam’s going to come so she would be able to watch them,” Catie said quickly.
“Who else is going to go?” Dr. Sharmila asked.
“Liz and a woman from Kal’s team. She’s experienced dealing with cargo and is pretty big so she’ll be able to move the larger equipment around,” Catie said.
“So, all women?” Dr. Sharmila asked.
“Yes, that’s why I thought we should take the twins. They’ll have a lot of fun,” Catie said.
“I’m not worried about how much fun they would have,” Dr. Sharmila said. “Dr. Metra, what do you think? This is insane even for you, isn’t it?”
“I would have let my children go on a similar mission,” Dr. Metra said. “But of course, I grew up with the technology and implicitly trust it, and I especially trust ADI’s assessment.”
“But if I let them go, they will know everything about Sakira and Dr. Metra,” Dr. Sharmila said.
“They already know a lot,” Catie said. “They’ve been around the hospital a lot, so they know about replacing people’s limbs and stuff. I think they’ll be able to keep it a secret.”
“Yes, I’ve told them that everything we do here is a secret and sworn them to secrecy. They’ve been very good about it.” Dr. Sharmila sat back in her chair, “What did I do to deserve such Karma?”
“I think it’s good Karma,” Catie said.
“You would, you’re not the mother,” Dr. Sharmila said. “I will think about it and let you know.”
“Thanks,” Catie gushed.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hello, Natalia, I’m Catie.” Catie extended her hand to the six-foot-tall woman who had just come to the door at the compound. She looked her up and down, realizing the woman must weigh two hundred pounds, and none of it looked like fat. Catie had just gotten word from Dr. Sharmila that she would allow the twins to go on the mission. Now it was time to get prepared.
“We’re meeting in the dining room, come on in,” Catie said.
“I know who you are,” Natalia said to Catie as she followed her into the dining room. “Everybody calls me Nattie. Are you guys really going into space?”
“Yep, pretty crazy, huh.”
“After your doctors replaced my left leg, nothing is crazy,” Natalia said. “I just hope you decide to take me with you.”
Catie led Natalia into the dining room. “Here are the other members of our crew, Samantha Newman, our cabin specialist; Liz Farmer, my copilot; Aalia and Prisha Khanna, our trainees, we just call them the twins.”
Everyone waved hello to Natalia. The twins walked over and looked up at her, “She’s so big,” Prisha said.
“Prisha,” Samantha scolded.
&
nbsp; “Don’t worry about it. I understand being big is why you’re considering me for this mission. One of the few times in my life that being the big girl has been an advantage.”
“I wish I was big,” Prisha said.
Natalia knelt down, “You will be, little one. You just have to wait until you grow up,” she said. “For now, I’ll be big for you.”
Prisha giggled, and she and Aalia ran back over to Catie.
“I’m good,” Catie said. She looked at Liz and Samantha to see if they agreed.
“Works for me,” Liz said.
“Welcome to the team,” Samantha said. She walked over and shook Natalia’s hand.
“That’s it?” Natalia asked. “One minute and you’ve made up your minds.”
“My mind was pretty much made up when Kal recommended you. I just wanted to be sure you didn’t have two heads,” Catie said.
“Nope, one head’s all I’ve got. It’s pretty hard, but there’s still only one.”
“Good, now let’s do some basic planning,” Catie said. “I understand that you’re still under medical restrictions.”
“That’s right. The doctor says no strain on the leg until next week.”
“Okay, now does anyone have any dietary restrictions?” Catie asked. “We want to make sure we’re taking the right supplies along with us. There are no supermarkets up there that we can stop by to pick up something we forgot.”
“I eat anything,” Natalia said.
“I checked with Dr. Sharmila,” Samantha said. “Besides the fact that they don’t like broccoli, the twins don’t have any restrictions.”
“So, no broccoli,” Catie said.
“Right!”
“As for me, no food allergies,” Samantha said. “But I prefer to limit fat and sugar.”
“Don’t we all,” Liz said.
“We don’t!” the twins said.
“Not yet anyway,” Liz laughed. “I’m good with anything. The Marines break you of any fussiness about food.”
“Okay, we’ll have chicken breast and filet mignon for meat,” Catie said. “So, we need to come up with a set of menus for three weeks built around that as our source of meat. Sam, you volunteered as the cook, do you want to take that on, or was that just your way to get my dad to let you go?”