Space Corps - Explorer (Book 1) (2 page)

Chapter 3

Call of Destiny

When her phone rang only three days later, Ashley assumed the call came from her father or a friend she had ignored since her return home from school. Looking at the caller ID however, she found she did not recognize the number.

“Hello?”

The person on the other end of the line cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m looking for Ashley Sorrells, please.”

“This is her. May I ask who’s calling?”

“I’m sorry. I’m Jean Tillson with the US Naval Academy, calling on behalf of Captain Howard. He has requested a meeting with you as soon as possible.”

Ashley’s face flooded red. “I’m sorry, but what is this about?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. I was simply told that it was urgent.”

Beginning to pace her room, Ashley wracked her brain trying her best to think what the captain would want with her. “Is there a way I could call him?”

“I wish there was, but I was instructed that it simply had to happen in person. Will that be a problem?”

Ashley froze in her tracks. Her thesis paper. She could think of nothing else. She didn’t think it was due for several more weeks, and she kept her record at school perfectly clean. If the meeting regarded anything else, she would have heard about it before she returned home.

“No,” Ashley said, though her voice began to tremble. “I can meet the captain. I’ll have to set up a ride, but I can be back at the school in a day or two.”

“I’m afraid that won’t do. There will be a car there for you within the hour to take you to the airport. Will that work for you?”

Ashley swallowed a lump in her throat. “I’ll be ready.”

Jean’s voice suddenly grew cheery. “Wonderful. I’ll let Captain Howard know you’re coming.”

Within twenty minutes, her father came home from work. When he did, Ashley met him at the door.

The door swung open and the smile of Ashley's father broadened as he looked at her. “I got here as fast as I could. I really hope this is important if you’re calling me home from—” He stood for a moment looking her up and down. With a kick of his foot, he closed the front door and said, “What’s going on?”

Ashley stared at the ground. “Dad, I don’t know what’s going on. I got a call a little while ago and was told that I need to go back to the school to talk to the captain in person. They have a car on the way to take me to the airport. I couldn’t go without saying goodbye first.”

Her father studied her face for several moments. He could tell something was bothering her, but couldn’t quite tell what. “Do you know what they want to see you for?”

“No.”

“Not even have an idea?”

“I think so,” Ashley said. “I think they want to talk to me about my thesis paper. The problem is I can’t figure out why. I did everything exactly as they said, and you know as well as I do that it isn’t due for a few weeks still. I just can’t think of what I may have done wrong. It’s been driving me insane.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Ashley’s father stepped behind his daughter and rubbed her shoulders. “You need to relax, because if you can’t think of anything you’ve done wrong, then chances are pretty good that you haven’t. Did it occur to you that maybe their calling you up to the school is a good thing? Why else would they send a car for you?”

It saddened Ashley that her father couldn’t join her in her trip back up to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, but she understood that he had to work. No matter how much she wanted him to join, she couldn’t stop the bills from coming in and couldn’t remove his commitment to pay them. She would have been more than happy to have her mother join, but she wouldn’t return from her business trip for several more days. Unfortunately, Ashley went alone.

As usual, she stood in awe at the sheer size and beauty of the academy. Established in 1845, many of the buildings bore the old style from that period. Walking onto the campus felt almost like walking back to a time when things weren’t so complicated. Everyone understood the meaning of responsibility and wouldn’t shy away from it.

Ashley didn’t want to keep Captain Howard waiting, so she walked with a quick pace toward his office. Dressed in her uniform, a quick gait came naturally. Along the way, she faced interruption by the random lower classmen that happened to be standing around the campus. As soon as she passed, they snapped to attention and issued the standard salute.

At the desk of the captain’s secretary, Ashley checked in.

“Can I help you?” The secretary asked.

“Yes, ma’am. My name is Ashley, and I’m here for my meeting with Captain Howard.”

“Absolutely,” was the cheery reply. “I’m afraid he’s currently in another meeting and has asked not to be interrupted. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let you know when he’s ready to meet with you.”

She expressed her thanks, and then Ashley sat down. If she paid attention, she could almost make out the conversation taking place behind the closed door of the Captain’s office. Listening close, she could hear three different voices of men who were getting along in years. What they were talking about, she couldn’t tell, but it sounded important, and it sounded like they had been talking about it for quite some time.

Within minutes, to Ashley’s surprise, the secretary called her name.

“Ashley, Captain Howard will see you now.”

The fact that she didn’t see anyone exit the captain’s office seemed more surprising than the short wait. She didn’t know if that was going to be a good thing or a bad thing, but she knew she would find out shortly. With a nod to the secretary, Ashley entered the office.

Upon seeing the captain seated behind his desk, Ashley gave her best salute. Few students ever saw him, and Ashley refused to make a bad impression. The two grey-haired men sitting in the chairs in front of the desk stepped forward to shake Ashley’s hand. Though curt and firm, the shakes didn’t come with the expected introduction. Through all of this, the captain remained seated.

With no seat left open, and neither of the two men offering their chair to her, Ashley remained standing.

“Ashley,” the captain started, “I’ve been the Commandant of Midshipmen here at the academy for eight years now. In those eight years, I’ve seen many brilliant men and women, not unlike yourself, work their way through the curriculum and go on to what promised to be fulfilling military careers. Several of these have gone on to change the way things are done in our armed forces.

“You have always struck me as an interesting individual. I’ve seen a few who were more intelligent, but rarely have I seen someone with such drive and ambition. However, most of those who come through these halls are looking for something. Is it safe to assume that you are no exception to this?”

Ashley nodded, “Yes, sir.”

“And what is it then that you are looking for through your enrollment in this academy?”

“Experience, sir. I need military experience to increase my chances of one day joining NASA. I was told that enrolling in the Naval Academy was one of the best ways to prepare myself for enlistment in the Navy.”

The captain slowly nodded his head and reached into a filing cabinet off to his right. He removed from the cabinet a rather thick file and laid it upon his desk.

“It is one of the best ways. So is having a degree from a university. You received your Bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, didn’t you?”

“I did, sir.”

“Then why would you enroll in the academy?”

“Sir, I was brought up under the belief that more education is rarely a bad thing. I had reason to believe that the education I would receive at this academy could do nothing but benefit me. After my four years here, I stand by that belief, sir.”

Captain Howard smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Now I’m left with more questions. In your file here,” the captain motioned to the file on his desk, “I have a paper you wrote back at MIT. It’s a rather interesting paper. When it was brought to my attention, I’ll be frank, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. In it, you cover the theory of what you call an Ion Pulse Drive.

“The reason the paper was brought to my attention to begin with is that no one has ever created an Ion Pulse Drive, and no one has done enough research to justify the length of your paper. We were then forced to ask if your paper had any credibility. My friends here are the Associate Administrator of NASA and Admiral Wilson from the Navy. They had their men look over your paper, and, apparently, they believe you may be onto something.”

Ashley did all she could to avoid staring at the men on her sides. She felt so small now that she knew who they were, but was determined not to show it.

“Ashley,” the captain continued, “as you’re aware, you’re required to serve for six years in the Navy upon completion of the academy. You had expressed interest in serving on a nuclear submarine, something else that struck our interest. We have another idea in mind.”

The captain motioned toward the Associate Administrator of NASA before folding his arms.

The man cleared his throat quickly before looking at the young woman. “NASA has always been a civilian entity. However, that is going to change. It hasn’t become public knowledge yet, but I think it’s in your best interest to know that NASA will soon be changing its name to the United States Space Corps. It will be reorganized into a branch based off a design similar to that of the US Navy, but using all the current resources of NASA.

“We’re looking for leaders. We’re looking for officers. Even our most experienced people in the military do not possess the necessary background to make an effective leader in this new branch. We intend to change that.”

Ashley couldn’t help but turn to face Admiral Wilson as he began to talk.

“You’re currently slated to join the Navy for no less than six years. If you agree to it, I will gladly reassign your commission to the US Space Corps.”

Ashley could say nothing. She always knew she would have to wait until after she served her time with the military before she would get a chance to start working with NASA. Now, everything was turned on its head, and things were going to be completely different. Shocked but excited, her body didn’t know how to react to the news.

Admiral Wilson smiled because he knew her answer. “All I need from you, Ashley, is a nod.”

She nodded before she knew it. Ashley fought the urge to cry tears of joy over the news. Normally, she would have wanted to consult her parents over such a large decision, but they had always taught her that she should let nothing stand in the way of her dreams. As far as she could see it, the opportunity available to her was nothing short of the realization of those dreams.

Chapter 4

Test Flight

After more than a year of hard work, Ashley and her team with the US Space Corps were ready to perform the first manned test of her Ion Pulse Drive.

Having undergone months of training with the Navy, Ashley felt prepared for just about anything. She guided a nuclear submarine across the globe, led an aircraft carrier in the annual war games, and she confronted pirates in the Indian Ocean. When she helped with the launch of the New International Space Station, she felt closer to her dream than ever before.

Finally, docked at the New International Space Station was a ship that held the test model of her engine. Of everyone on the planet, she and master pilot, Robert Harris, were chosen to take it on its test flight. The two came into the Space Corps at the same time, and were becoming close friends.

The night before the test flight, Ashley couldn’t get any sleep. On the station, it was odd enough to be hanging from a pole rather than tucked in a bed because of the lack of gravity. That alone would have been enough to cost her sleep. However, with the coming flight, the excitement overcame them.

“Ashley?” Robert called out from his half of the room.

Though all the lights in the room were off, the light reflecting off the Earth and coming through the window allowed the two to see each other.

Ashley laughed as she saw Robert bounce off the padded wall.

“What’s up?”

“Do you think the engine’s going to work properly?”

“Come on, are you trying to say you don’t trust my work?”

Robert shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just that I’ve never piloted a ship with that kind of engine before. All I really have to go on is what the manual says it will do. I just want to make sure you think they got everything right.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

“But you know I will.”

“Yeah, but I promise I double checked every piece of that engine yesterday. Everything’s exactly like it’s supposed to be.”

Robert forced a smile.

“Besides,” Ashley said, “if I didn’t think it was completely safe, I wouldn’t let the ship take off. You know me well enough to know that. I’m just as excited as you are, but we have to get some sleep.”

“Test vessel X-759, have you completed pre-flight checks?”

Ashley took one last look over a checklist before securing it under a piece of Velcro.

“That’s affirmative, Command,” Ashley responded into her radio.

“Test vessel, please begin the ignition sequence as we remove the docking clamps.”

It took several minutes for Ashley to run through the series of buttons she had to push to prepare the engines. To her delight, she didn’t hear a single unexpected noise as the engines began winding up.

“Alright then, Robert. It’s ready to go.”

Robert smiled. He couldn’t contain his excitement over flying something no one else had ever flown.

Robert said, “Command, engines are prepared. Please confirm that the docking clamps have been fully removed.”

“It’s confirmed. Docking clamps are removed.”

“Glad to hear it. Requesting permission to depart.”

The voice on the other end of the radio changed to that of the former Administrator of NASA. “Test vessel, you have permission to depart. Have a safe journey.”

When the transmission ended, Robert hit a series of buttons that fired off a few thrusters. They pushed the test vessel to a safe distance away from the station before thrusters on the other side of the ship brought it to a stop.

“Are you ready for this?” Robert asked.

Ashley couldn’t say anything, but didn’t need to. She double-checked the harness that held her to her seat before gripping the arms of the chair.

“We’ll start this off slow,” Robert said as he carefully pulled a lever toward him.

Robert pulled the lever and a whooshing noise filled the tiny vessel as the engine slowly started pulsing. The more he pulled the lever, the faster the engine pulsed, and the faster the noise went. The ship jolted as it moved forward.

On several screens in front of her, Ashley watched as data came through about the status of the engine. So far, so good.

“Ashley, we’re coming up on twenty percent of top speed.”

“Alright, everything’s looking good. Feel free to go faster if you want.”

“You know I do.”

Robert pulled the lever farther back and watched as the ship sped up to fifty percent of top speed.

Leaning forward, Ashley strained to see the moon on her left as they passed it.

“Can you believe it?” Robert asked. “It took Apollo Eleven three days to get as far as we are.”

“And we just did it in three minutes.”

Robert tried to catch a glimpse of the monitors in front of Ashley.

“How are we looking so far?”

“Great,” Ashley replied. “Want to take it up to top speed?”

“You know I do.”

The ship pushed forward at speeds never before seen by mankind, but they hardly felt it inside the cockpit. With the emptiness of space around them, Ashley and Robert could hardly tell they were moving at all. The only indication they had was the steady whooshing noise of the engine.

“Command to test vessel, please come in.”

As if broken out of a trance, Robert jumped before grabbing the radio.

“Command, this is test vessel, go ahead.”

“Excellent flight today. Come on home. We’ll see you back in Houston soon.”

When the vessel landed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas a few hours later, dozens of emergency vehicles greeted it along with thousands of camera flashes created by the media and excited spectators.

Coming to a complete stop, several fire trucks sprayed down the X-759. Most of the water evaporated instantly from the heat caused by reentering the atmosphere. Several minutes passed before the fire chief determined that Ashley and Robert could safely exit the craft.

A crew of men rushed around the test vessel. Some set up a stage with a microphone and podium. Others set up a red carpet leading from the ship to the stage. Still others set up a mobile staircase to the cockpit door.

Armed soldiers of the US Space Corps marched forward in a column. They formed a line on each side of the red carpet and set up a border around the stage. The crowd of media and spectators, barely able to contain themselves, swarmed in.

Several helicopters approached from over the horizon and landed beside the test vessel. Out of one came a column of very important military men that made their way to the stage. Out of a second came a column of men who were vital to the success of the test flight. Out of the third, the unmarked helicopter known as Marine One, came the President and his wife. They walked past the saluting guards, stopping to shake hands on their way to the stage.

At last, the cockpit door of the test vessel popped open, and out stepped Ashley and Robert. Their legs trembled, having just returned from space, but they paused at the top of the temporary stairs and waved to the crowd. Everyone, the President included, erupted in applause.

As the pair walked down the ramp, the President stepped up to the podium.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Ashley Sorrells, the engineer behind the engine in the craft, and Robert Harris, the pilot of today’s successful test flight.”

Again, the crowd erupted in applause. While the pair made their way to the stage, showered in ribbons and salutes, the crowd never once showed signs of growing quiet.

Once onstage, more hands were shaken, more salutes were given, and even the occasional high five was seen. The President made a speech, but almost no one in the audience could hear it.

Finished with his speech, the President shook Robert’s hand one last time before grabbing Ashley by the shoulder and leading her and his wife to Marine One.

The helicopter took off, and left Ashley to wonder what was going on. She wanted to ask, but knew that questioning the President, the Commander and Chief over all the US military, was not the proper thing to do.

“Dear,” the President’s wife asked Ashley, “aren’t you the least bit curious where we’re going?”

Ashley fought the urge to look out the window to see the vast crowd that remained gathered around the podium on the ground below.

“Yes, ma’am. Very much so.”

The President smiled. “Ashley, the US Space Corps is still young. It’s great, but it has a long way to go. It needs leaders. You’ve proven to all your commanding officers during your time in the service that you are capable of being one of those leaders.”

Ashley smiled and looked at the President right in the eyes.

“Thank you, Mr. President, but I—”

“No. You don't have a choice in this one. This country needs people like you in leadership positions. That’s why we are on our way right now for you to stand before Congress. If they see what I see, they’ll approve you for the post I’m appointing you to.”