by James Duggan
Gambiadini’s disposition also changed significantly as he slapped Ringo on the back.
“Well done son. We’ve been so intent on sorting this other stuff out we’ve been too close to the problem and missed what was staring us in the face.”
His eyes lit up in recognition of the new situation.
“We might have lost a month getting to this stage, but we’ve gained a potential three. I make that a net gain of two months.” he said.
“Yeah, what a result!” exclaimed Buck, whose confidence in Ringo’s capabilities was returning.
“Okay now pal?” said Ringo, grinning broadly.
“Okay now mate.” replied Buck, returning the grin.
“Now let’s see if this creation of yours works.” he added, enthusiastically.
***
Unlike a conventional rocket launch there was no need for a rigidly controlled countdown. However, they had still taken the precaution of remaining in a blast protected bunker for the first activation of this new and untested technology.
Through the observation window they could see the object of their attention standing on the launch pad in all its glory. The vintage red Chevrolet glinted in the midday sun as it stood awaiting its fate.
“Come on Molly. We’ll give you the privilege of pressing the start button on this first launch.” said Buck, as he ushered Molly towards the window over the desk on which the button had been placed.
Molly grinned in anticipation as she peered out at her target expecting to see a ten metre silver cube. All she could see was the red Chevrolet. Her surprise was self evident.
“Well you didn’t think we were going to waste a pod on the first test firing of an untried technology did you?” said Buck, in jocular tone.
She laughed aloud at the thought of a red Chevrolet orbiting the earth driverless as it joined Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster with ‘Starman’ at the wheel. He had sent it into earth orbit in February 2018 as a test for his SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket launcher.
“We’d better send up some traffic lights as well.” she quipped.
Buck urged her to press the red button. She did so eagerly. To the dismay of all those present nothing appeared to be happening; there was just silence.
“So much for your vacuum vortex.” said Gambiadini, scathingly, his mood changing yet again.
“Keep watching.” replied Ringo, unruffled.
They all craned their necks to see the image of the red Chevrolet. After about thirty seconds a faint blue haze began to appear around the vehicle. It grew in intensity and depth to a bright electric blue quivering in the heat of the hot summer’s day.
The observers watched with bated breath; not knowing what to expect next. After another thirty seconds the view of the car was completely obliterated by the all enveloping light. There was the faintest of hums as the spectacle began to rise silently from the launch pad and gently begin its journey to the stars without any apparent effort.
There was no fierce acceleration as it rose aloft at what, in terms of space launches, was a serene sixty miles an hour. With their eyes transfixed the small group watched in utter amazement until the blue light gradually disappeared out of sight.
Four hours later it would smoothly enter into earth orbit and join the ISS at a height of around two hundred and fifty miles. The observers turned and looked at each other in disbelief at what appeared to be an anti-climax before rounding on Ringo.
“Is that it?” said Buck, incredulously.
“Is that all there is to it?”
“That’s it mate.” said Ringo, looking rather pleased with himself.
***
They remained in the bunker monitoring the progress of the launch and watched as ground crews prepared the first pod to get the same treatment.
The whole process of getting it onto the launch pad took about four hours which coincided with a voice coming over the speakers.
“Hey you guys down there. We’ve just been overtaken by a red Chevy. Do you want us to pull it over for a speeding ticket?” said Slim, unable to hide his surprise nor the merriment of his crew in the background.
“Well if you can all stop laughing it might be best to pull it in and park it up next to the ISS. It might be useful for something somewhere along the line and it will keep it out of harms way for our next despatch.”
“Copy that.” said Slim, casually.
“What’s next?”
“Well now we know this works we’ll try sending up a pod. It’ll be all kitted out with mod cons; a veritable home from home. Use it as your new base.” replied Gambiadini.
“Copy that.” said Slim, once more.
“Okay guys, now for the big one.” said Gambiadini, nodding to one of his team.
“It’ll take another hour or so to get it ready for the actual launch. So I suggest we go grab some lunch. That little trick has given me an appetite.” said the NASA man, well pleased with the outcome.
“That little trick, as you put it, has taken millennia to perfect.” said Ringo, indignantly, in an unguarded moment.
They all looked at him perplexed; eventually putting his remark down to his eccentricity voicing some kind of reference to mankind’s advances over the past couple of thousand years.
***
Buck cut into a steak pie which would have given ‘Desperate Dan’ a run for his money. He looked around the table at Gambiadini and the others clearly wanting to open up the conversation on what their next move should be.
“So what now?” he said, to no one in particular.
Montgomery glanced around at his co-diners.
“Well assuming the next launch is as successful as the first I think we should start throwing up the six outer skins of the inner sphere and coupling them up to house and protect the energy plant.” he said.
“How difficult is that to do?” said Buck.
“Well it’s not actually that difficult at all. The adjoining neoprene rubber sealed edges are locked in place to make them airtight by simple cam operated arms. They’re placed every foot or so and can be manipulated from the outside.
Each of the six metal skins has in the centre a one and a half metre diameter airlock docking system for attaching the first service pods which form the main spokes of the Cube.
I’m not trying to make out it’s an everyday job, but Slim and his guys should be able to manage it without too much trouble; that’s why they were chosen for the mission.”
“Okay, so what then?” said Buck.
“Well ‘what then’ is probably even easier. We send up the first twelve service pods and attach them to the sphere. They just lock on in tandem fashion with the already tried and trusted airlock docking systems. Then we send up the rest of the service and residential pods in the same way.” said Gambiadini, casually.
“You make it sound like one ginormous Lego construction kit.” said Molly, as she took a bite from a burger almost as big as herself.
“Well yes. I suppose that’s about what it amounts to. It’s all down to Buck’s original ideas for the whole project.” replied Gambiadini.
“If it all works as planned we’d better find him a place on board.” he added, full of appreciation for the concept.
***
With lunch finished they all trundled back to the bunker for the launch of the first pod. The Chevrolet had been sent up with comparative ease, but these pods were considerably larger and heavier. It was still an untried and unproven system for consignments of this size and weight.
Once more Molly was given the privilege of lighting the blue touch paper. Again nothing appeared to happen as they watched for the anticipated blue haze to develop.
Buck had his fingers crossed behind his back once more. It was becoming a habit of his in times of stress whilst witnessing untried technology. Strangely he noticed Ringo had done the same.
‘That must be a bad omen.’ he thought.
“If the source of this new technology has his doubts, what chance is there of success?�
�� he whispered to himself.
A full minute and a half passed by without the expected glow appearing. Gambiadini’s emotions were having a bad day as they ebbed and flowed with each turn of events. He turned and looked to Ringo for some clarification. If he was expecting encouragement, he didn’t get it. Ringo’s face was displaying his own apprehension.
Finally Molly shrieked excitedly.
“It’s started.” she squealed.
“It’s working. Look…look it’s working.”
Applause rang out amongst the small group and their assembled technicians as the haze increased in intensity just as it had with the Chevrolet. Finally it started to rise from the launch pad and follow the same path into orbit. Its journey was slower, but the final result was the same.
A million pairs of binoculars beyond the perimeter fence around Paine Field watched the strange phenomenon in awe as it made its ascent. A couple of billion pairs of eyes around the world did the same as they were glued to their television screens and a variety of electronic hand held gadgets.
Quite how the word got out amid the tight security of the launches no one knew. But in these troubled times there was always someone prepared to sell their soul for tomorrow’s lunch; or maybe it was just because of their disintegrating and uncertain futures.
They were certainly treated to a show the like of which none had ever seen before. It was like watching a slow motion rewind of a lightening bolt captured on film. In spite of the threatening nature of the spectacle there were few who did not want to be a passenger at some time in the next twenty-nine months.
Gambiadini looked at Ringo; his eyes seeking an explanation for the variation in the launch. Ringo shrugged in his now well established fashion.
“It’s all relevant to size and weight pal.” he said, sheepishly.
He knew in his heart he should have pre-warned them of what to expect.
“Perhaps I should have mentioned it mate.” he said, as if unconcerned.
“Perhaps you should.” replied Gambiadini.
“My ticker’s not as strong as it used to be.” he added, reproachfully.
“I’ll try and remember that in future old pal.” said Ringo, apologetically.
“But I think you can relax a little now mate. The worst of the preparations is over. We’ve got all the pieces of the jigsaw ready to put into place. The rest is down to Ford and Boeing to produce the goods.” Ringo reassured him.
***
A few hours later a familiar voice crackled over the speakers.
“Hey! You down below, there’s a fucking great ice cube approaching on a collision course. Hope you’re sending up the bourbon to go with it.” said Slim.
His light hearted way of telling them the launch had been successful brought a smile to Buck’s face. It needed a man like that, with nerves of steel, to pull off the task he had been set.
“Hey Slim, don’t forget these things have their own built in artificial gravity. We don’t want you falling on your ass when you open the hatch. You’re no good to us with concussion.” advised Gambiadini.
“Copy that. But if it was my ass I fell on it wouldn’t be concussion I’d get. Where the fuck do you think my brains are?” replied Slim, scathingly.
“I’ve often wondered.” said Gambiadini.
“Look after yourself up there Slim.” he added, in a concerned tone.
***
THE STRIKE.
WITHIN the next couple of weeks a very streamlined and efficient launch program had been established and was being executed. The simplicity of the launches backed up by the steady supply of pods from the converted tracks of the automotive industry enabled them to send up daily consignments of the Cube’s components.
One delivery a day was all Slim and his crew could handle as they glided gently around on their space skis manoeuvring the pods into place and flicking the cam arms to lock them in position. Although it appeared serene to the observer the initial daily grind was in fact hard and arduous work which began to take its toll on the crew.
After the delivery and construction of the six outer skin components of the energy sphere and the subsequent twelve service pods were connected to it the decision was made to ease the crew’s workload and let them rest up.
The first of the residential pods besides their own was sent up with a complement of sixteen astronauts and cosmonauts who had already been in the training program for conventional space flights. This event was met with a cheer from Slim’s crew who were now relegated to directing operations and letting the new arrivals take the load off.
It was the first time a launch had been made via the vacuum vortex with passengers on board and no one quite knew what effect it would have on the human body. On the day of the launch apprehension was high and the tension was higher.
Each of the volunteer intrepid flyers was strapped into the bunk in their individual capsules as a precaution. Until this manned trial there had been no way of knowing what went on inside a pod during a launch.
Buck had been invited back to Paine Field to witness this latest development in the new launch system. There was no change in the preparations for the flight and he watched anxiously as the red button was pressed.
As before the now well established blue haze appeared and after a short wait the pod began its journey.
“What’s that noise?” exclaimed Buck, worried that something had gone wrong.
“No worries.” said a voice over the speaker.
“Old Molinski has nodded off. He’s snorting like a volcano.”
There was a collective expellation of air by the ground controllers followed by a ripple of laughter as the comment assured them everything was okay on board.
***
With all the hard initial planning and development completed Buck could now take a back seat and relax a little. He fell into a daily routine of watching his vision take shape whilst also monitoring the approach of Ceres. He was both anxious and yet thrilled as the endeavour which was his brainchild grew before his eyes.
Those on the ground were able to watch the Cube grow via the on-board cameras of the ISS which had been directed to monitor the construction alongside it.
In truth the assembly of the Cube appeared to many to be slow and tedious as did the image of Ceres which grew imperceptibly each day. People actually began to lose interest in the same way human nature has of blocking out the development of some tedious ongoing news saga.
But due to Buck’s close association with the project he felt obliged to spend every hour he could watching and monitoring the growth of the Cube and the advance of Ceres. He had an uncontrollable feeling of responsibility for the overall project and in spite of their successes a sinister foreboding that it could all still go wrong and blow up in their faces.
“Tomorrow never knows what the following day will bring.” he would answer when asked why he was so attentive to the task in hand.
***
It was upon one such vigil that the door to his office burst open. The highly agitated figure of Charlie appeared in the frame of the door.
“Boss…my god boss. Have you seen what’s happening?” he spluttered, almost incoherently.
Buck knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. Charlie had never called him ‘boss’ before. It had taken years and the threat of Ceres to stop him addressing him as Mister Buchanan.
“Charlie…Charlie calm down. What’s the problem?”
“Look at your screen.” shouted Charlie, gesticulating wildly towards Buck’s monitor.
Buck swung around on his chair.
“My god!” he exclaimed, as he watched the image of Ceres visibly enlarging at a faster rate than before.
“What’s going on?” he barked, as he looked at Charlie in dismay.
Charlie threw out his arms in despair. He had no answer.
Buck frantically fingered the keyboard trying to establish whether it was a computer glitch and hoping beyond hope that for once such a failure would be a g
ood sign.
His efforts were in vain Ceres was getting bigger and bigger; a clear sign that its speed had inexplicably increased.
His trust in computers had always been fragile at best. He rushed to a window to see with his own eyes a light in the night sky about the size of a tennis ball. He watched it fearfully as it gradually increased within minutes to the size of a basketball.
“My god Charlie! We’ve bollocksed it up. I don’t know how or why, but at this rate it’s going to strike in about ten minutes.”
The two men stood looking at each other in despair. Charlie was frantic.
“How could we have been so wrong?”
“I don’t know old friend.” replied Buck, who quickly became resigned to their fate.
“But I’m afraid we will never know and there is little point in trying to find out at this late stage.”
The two men flopped into their chairs in front of the window wondering how the rest of the world was dealing with this catastrophic development. All the work which had been done in an effort to save the vestiges of the human race had all been in vain. No one and no thing would survive; not even the planet itself.
The image of Ceres began to fill the night sky whilst lighting it up at the same time. The detail of its pock marked surface caused by its own flirtations with other asteroids became clearly visible to the naked eye. The moon became obscured as it was eclipsed by it. Ceres steadily grew a tail as its surface ice began to burn off on close encounter with earth’s atmosphere.
Shock waves created by the advance of this six hundred mile diameter minor planet began to shake the windows. Buck imagined the havoc it must be wreaking around the world as the Earth’s gravity was being torn apart by the interference of this deadly menace with the Moon’s own gravitational influence.
Oceans would become cauldrons of apparently boiling water creating tsunamis high enough to engulf the Empire State Building. The pressure would trigger earthquakes all over the world with high rise buildings crashing to the ground destroying all around them.