Star One: Tycho City Survival (12 page)

“Yes,” replied
Linda, brushing her shoulder length brunette hair back behind her shoulders
with her left hand. “She was very surprised and excited. She will be coming up
as soon as she finishes her final exams at college.”

“That’s good,”
replied Mase, nodding his head. “I assume she will be living with Jolene and
you.”

“Of course,”
Linda responded. “We have discussed it. She met Karen while we were going to
college together. Of course, at that time Karen was still a teenager.” Linda
stood up to leave the office. She knew that Mase still had several more
meetings scheduled for that afternoon.

-

Several more
days passed and Mase found himself in the Control Center, which was deep
underground and close to the landing pads. The FarQuest had been launched from
the Space Platform on a shakedown cruise to the Moon and back to Star One. Mase
was in the Control Center monitoring the approach of the experimental
spacecraft. He knew just the launch of the ship was going to cause some
problems as very few people had been informed about the launch ahead of time.

He had already
received several requests from Earth asking what was going on and why the ship
had been launched without permission. Mase only shook his head as more requests
continued to flood the com system. He had instructed the young woman sitting at
the communications console to ignore them for now. Only a limited number of
people, including the president and a few others on Earth, knew the true story
as to why the ship had been launched. For the moment, until the president made
an announcement, both Tycho City and Star One were ignoring all incoming
communications.

“FarQuest,
this is Tycho Control,” Mase spoke as he watched the ship on their tracking
screen. A lot was riding on this test flight being successful. It was
approaching very fast and would soon be going into a slingshot maneuver around
the Moon. “Mase Colton here, Commander. We have you on our screens and are
monitoring your approach.” Mase had worked with Tyler Erin in the past and was
very familiar with the veteran shuttle commander.

“FarQuest
to Tycho Control,” Commander Erin’s voice responded almost instantly. “We are
fifteen minutes away from nearest approach. Everything is in the green, and we
are dead center on our flight trajectory.”

“We
concur, FarQuest,” replied Mase, glancing at the tracking screen. His people
had been watching the FarQuest closely in case a rescue mission was needed. “We
have two rescue shuttles in low lunar orbit in case a serious problem
develops,” Mase stated. They had launched the two small rescue shuttles earlier
as a safety precaution.

“Understood,
Tycho Control,” Ty responded in a calm voice. “Hopefully the rescue shuttles
won’t be needed.”

“Good
luck, Commander,” Mase spoke evenly, hoping everything continued to go smoothly.

He
knew the FarQuest was going to come within eighteen miles of the Moon’s surface
as Commander Erin attempted to put stress on his ship’s systems. Mase just
prayed the FarQuest didn’t end up shattered on the lunar surface. “We will
check back with you just prior to you starting your slingshot maneuver.”

“Roger
that, Tycho Control,” Ty responded.

Mase
nodded and stepped back from the com system. He glanced around the small Control Center. There were a dozen men and women operating the different consoles. From here,
they could monitor all shuttle operations as well as the mass driver launches.
The various screens in the Control Center kept track of everything delivering
real time data on various missions. Currently they were tracking the FarQuest
and monitoring the ship for any potential problems.

“Everything’s
still in the green,” Captain Stephanie Daniels reported. Daniels was the chief controller
for the Control Center. She was military trained and had flown fighter jets
before transferring to Tycho City. “That ship’s really moving. They’re going to
take a lot of Gs on their slingshot around the Moon.”

“I’m
just glad it’s not me,” Anthony added as he watched the large tracking screen
and the bright green dot that indicated the FarQuest.

He
had asked Mase if he could watch the test flight from the Control Center and Mase had given his permission. He felt sorry for Pierre and LeAnn, knowing what they
must be going through as the Gs would soon start to pile on.

“Make
sure we continue to monitor FarQuest closely,” Mase ordered as he sat down in
front of the large tracking screen, which showed the ship approaching the Moon.
He was prepared to order the ship to change its course if necessary. Captain
Daniels had been briefed my Mase as to what was going on with the FarQuest and
the mission the ship was soon to embark on. To say the captain had been stunned
was an understatement.

Mase
watched as the FarQuest came closer and closer to the Moon. He found himself
leaning forward, watching the tracking screen intently. Mase stood up, walked
the few steps over to the com panel, and sent a final message to the FarQuest.

“This
is a systems check, FarQuest,” Mase spoke over the com as he watched the
screen. “What is the current status of all onboard systems?”

“All
systems still in the green, no problems noted,” Erin’s calm voice responded.

“Roger,
FarQuest,” Mase replied in a steady voice. “Good luck.”

He
sat back down to watch the near approach of the ship that he and Steve had
spent billions of dollars on. They were about to find out if it had been worth
it.

Anthony
watched in silence. He could well imagine the excitement that both Captain
Simpson and Commander Erin were experiencing flying this new ship. He felt a
momentary tinge of jealousy. They were flying the type of spaceship that every
pilot had always dreamed about, the first true interplanetary ship!

On
the tracking screen, the ship came closer and closer to the Moon’s surface. It
seemed to be skimming just above the jagged craters and mountains.

A
few moments later, Captain Daniels turned toward Mase. “They are at their
nearest approach, Sir,” she reported, eighteen miles above the Moon’s surface
and starting to pull away.”

Mase
nodded and kept his eyes glued to the screen. The ship was so close to the
lunar surface that it would be visible from the ground if you were beneath it.
He wished he had put some cameras in place to show the ship’s approach to the
Moon. After a few minutes, he saw the FarQuest successfully complete its
slingshot maneuver around the Moon and begin rapidly pulling away. He let out a
deep sigh of relief and looked over at Anthony, who was smiling.

“They
made it,” Anthony said. “That’s one hell of a ship, Commander.”

Mase
nodded in agreement and decided to contact Commander Erin one last time.

“FarQuest,
this is Tycho Control,” Mase spoke into the com system. “We are monitoring your
flight and everything looks on the mark. Did you have any problems during the
slingshot maneuver?”

“We
confirm, Tycho,” Ty responded. “We had a few minor system problems from the
gravitational pull and the slingshot effect, but everything checks out fine
now. Thanks for keeping an eye out for us.”

“Any
time,” replied Mase, feeling relieved that everything had gone so smoothly.
“Have a good flight on your way back to Star One. Tell Commander Larson that he
built us a good ship.”

Mase
and Anthony stayed in the Control Center for another hour as they continued to
monitor the flight of the FarQuest. The ship’s journey to the Moon and back to
Star One was a short one compared to the trip it was about to make. There were
eight brave men and women on the FarQuest who were about to embark on the
greatest adventure in the history of the human race. In some ways, Mase almost
wished he could go with them. He knew that Anthony did.

Mase stared at
the message he had just received from Tim McPhryson. He had been ordered to
return to Earth and meet with the president and a few others over the
developing situation with the approaching neutron star.

“Go to Earth,”
Anthony laughed, his eyes widening at the thought. “They have got to be
kidding. It’s been over seven years since you were there last!”

“I’m afraid
they are deadly serious,” Mase replied with a heavy sigh. “Senator Farley is
demanding a full Congressional investigation into the unauthorized launch of
the Jupiter probe ship. He also wants Steve removed from command of Star One.”

“The
president’s not going to go along with that, is she?” Anthony asked with a look
of deep concern spreading across his face. “Commander Larson has to stay in
control of the space station.” Larson had been there from the very beginning,
and he couldn’t imagine anyone else running Star One.

“No, the
president isn’t going to cave in to Senator Farley and his demands,” Mase
replied with a shake of his head. “I suspect that’s part of the reason I’m
being summoned to meet with her. Get one of the long-range shuttles ready. You
will be flying me to Earth later this afternoon.”

Anthony
nodded. It had been a while since he had flown a shuttle all the way back to
Earth. He would also make sure he had a well-qualified copilot since Mase would
be on the trip.

A few minutes
after Anthony left to go to the shuttle bays, Mase called Linda into his
office. He needed to let her know what was going on.

“Yes, Sir,”
Linda said as she sat down across from Mase. She looked at him inquiringly.

“Linda, I’m
going to Earth for a day or two. Isaac will be in charge while I’m gone, so
route any important calls through to him. The president is going to be making
an address soon over this neutron star situation. I’ve left Isaac a recorded
message he is to play in case I don’t make it back before the president’s
address. Make sure that message is broadcast to all Tycho City personnel as
well as at Farside one hour before her address. I want our people to hear this
from me first. Once the message is broadcast there will be a full blackout of
outgoing communications until I return.”

“A lot of
people are going to be shocked,” commented Linda, knowing how she had felt when
Mase had first told her. She would also be glad that Jolene would finally know
the full truth. It had been difficult keeping this information from her best
friend. “Is there anything else you need me to do?”

“Yes,” Mase
replied. “A lot of people are going to have questions, particularly about their
families. We need to set up a small group of people to help answer those. I
need you to get with Doctor Klein and Isaac and pick six people to be available
to help answer those questions. Once I get back, I will give those six a
thorough briefing on the situation.”

“Okay,” Linda
replied as she thought about who might be good at doing this. “I will have you
a list of names when you return.”

Mase nodded.
Over the last several weeks, he had grown to depend more and more on Linda. He
was only now beginning to realize just how unique and talented she was. He knew
he was wasting her talents by using her as a secretary. When he returned, he
would be changing that by giving her a new job with additional responsibilities.

Linda watched
as Mase left the office. She was growing more fond of her boss every week. She
knew she needed to watch her feelings. It would be so easy to fall head over
heels in love with the guy. Letting out a deep sigh, she turned her thoughts to
the president’s address. Linda wondered just what President Kateland was going
to say.

-

Mase looked
through one of the small viewports at the approaching Earth. He could see it
gradually getting larger as they got closer. They were in a small passenger shuttle
that was used primarily to transport a few people between Earth and Tycho City for business meetings. There were only two such shuttles based on the Moon. The
cockpit had room for a pilot and a copilot and six passengers in the small
passenger compartment.

“Standby for
entry into Earth’s atmosphere, Commander,” Anthony warned through the open
hatch to the cockpit. He looked back at Mase, who was sitting in the first row
of seats. “It’s going to be a little bumpy. After all, I haven’t done this in
awhile.”

Mase nodded as
he felt the shuttle begin to vibrate slightly as it encountered resistance in
the outer reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. Over the next half hour, Mase felt the
resistance increase until the shuttle leveled out at last and began making its
final approach to the cape launch complex. He was still curious as to just why
he had been called to Earth. Leaning back in his seat, he thought about what
the meeting could be about. That it would involve the neutron star and Tycho City were foregone conclusions.

Ten minutes
later, the shuttle landed and gradually rolled to a stop. Mase reached up,
unbuckled his safety harness, and stood up. The entire cabin seemed to sway,
and he felt extremely dizzy. He grabbed the side of the acceleration couch to
help him keep his balance.

“Careful,
Commander,” Anthony cautioned as he stepped through the hatch and put out a
steadying hand on Mase’s shoulder. “You haven’t been in Earth normal gravity
for quite some time. It will take you a few minutes to adjust.”

Mase nodded as
he waited for the dizziness to go away. “How come you’re not affected?”

“I spend a lot
of time working out in one of the special gyms in Tycho City. There are two of
them that are kept at a full gravity for the pilots to use.”

“I may have to
start doing the same,” Mase commented with a halfhearted laugh.

After a few
more moments, the dizziness went away, and Mase followed Anthony to the hatch
and watched as Anthony went through the necessary procedures to open it.

Swinging the
hatch open, Anthony watched as the ground crew wheeled up a stairway so they
could exit the shuttle. He held the commander’s arm as they descended the
stairs, and he could tell Mase was breathing a little heavy. “You will get used
to the gravity again after a while. Just don’t over do it.”

“Thanks,
Anthony,” Mase replied as they reached the bottom and he saw a dark black
ground car was waiting for him. “Get the shuttle prepped for our return flight.
I want to get back to Tycho City as soon as this meeting is over.”

“Yes, Sir,”
Anthony replied as he watched Mase get into the car. He turned back to the shuttle;
he wanted to do a quick inspection before it was wheeled into a nearby hangar
to be prepped for their return flight.

-

Mase
arrived at the White House at 7:00 p.m. and was escorted quickly upstairs to
one of the smaller conference rooms. He had been flown to Washington in an Air
Force high altitude jet. It had probably been close to ten years since Mase had
flown in such an aircraft. The pilot had orders to get Mase to Washington as quickly as possible. Once they reached Washington, Mase had been taken to a
motel where a room had been reserved for him. He had been allowed a few hours
to rest and change clothes before he was chauffeured hurriedly to the White
House.

Two
black suited security agents escorted Mase to his meeting and, opening a heavy
oak door, indicated for him to enter. Stepping through, Mase was surprised to
find a number of people already in the small conference room waiting
expectantly for him.

“Good
evening, Commander Colton,” President Kateland said, rising to her feet. “We
are expecting Commander Larson to be arriving shortly.”

Mase
looked at the president. This was the first time he had actually met her, even
though he had spoken to her several times in the past over the com system in Tycho City. Susan Kateland was in her second term of office, only the second woman to be
elected to the high post. She was a tall woman in her late forties with dark
brown hair and a strong, determined face, which had aged markedly over the last
month. Worry lines were visible on her forehead and under her eyes. They looked
tired as if from a lack of sleep. Mase could easily understand what was
responsible for her deep concern.

“I
believe you know everyone,” she said, gesturing around the room and indicating
for him to take one of the two remaining empty chairs.

Looking
around the room, Mase was surprised at who was there. Tim McPhryson sat to the
right of the president and Avery Karver, with four stars on his shoulders, the
top man in the Pentagon, to her left.

Jane
Kinsey, the chief operations officer for NASA, and her assistant Warren Timmons
who worked primarily at NASA’s main computer center in Houston were also seated
at the long table. The Vice President, Mark Edwards, sat at a chair on the
opposite end of the table from the president with a serious look adorning his
normally well-composed face.

“How
was your flight?” President Kateland asked as she sat back down.

“It
was fine,” Mase replied as he sat down in his chair and found it to be
extremely comfortable. He was also glad to get off his feet. He spent the next
few minutes answering questions about Tycho City, Farside, and the mass driver.
He had just finished discussing the importance of getting a fusion reactor
installed in Tycho City as soon as possible when the door opened once more, and
Steve Larson stepped in.

“Hello,
Steve,” Mase said, smiling warmly. “What took you so long?”

Steve
took his seat responding to Mase. “I’m surprised to see you here. I know it’s
been over five years since your last trip to Earth.”

“Actually,
closer to seven,” Mase confessed. Steve and Mase were close friends. Mase had
been up to Star One on numerous occasions, and Steve paid occasional visits to Tycho City.

“We
felt it was important that both of you be present for this meeting,” interjected
President Kateland, looking over at the two. She stood up and continued
speaking. “There are some things going on that you both need to be made aware
of that have been kept top secret for nearly a month now. How much longer we
can keep those secrets under wraps is becoming a critical question.”

Mase
and Steve both listened to the president, trying to read the hidden meaning
behind her words. Something was obviously going on as the two exchanged knowing
glances. They both suspected it had to do with the neutron star and the
upcoming FarQuest mission.

“Both
of you know about the neutron star and its current trajectory,” she began. “What
you don’t know is that we have used the computers at Houston to determine the
exact effects this will have on the Earth.” President Kateland paused, catching
her breath, and her face seemed to look much older.

She
thought about what the computers had told them. Only a few carefully selected
people were aware of what the computers had projected was going to occur. It
had been a closely guarded secret for the last several weeks. The ramifications
of those projections had been weighing heavily on her shoulders, knowing what
lay in the future for her country and the planet.

“Mr.
Timmons, will you explain in detail what your computers have predicted?” With a
tired look, President Kateland turned to Timmons as she sat down to listen once
more.

Standing
up, Timmons looked around the small group before his eyes focused on Mase and Steve.
“Our computers are a group of Super Crays recently installed in our system
upgrades last year. The only other computer that might remotely compare to
these is Teela on Star One, and she is years away from becoming adept at these
types of computations.”

Timmons
nodded at a security guard standing by the door. The guard pressed a switch,
turning down the lights. A large viewscreen descended to cover the front wall
behind the president. On it, the orbits of all the planets were shown. The
orbital trajectory of the neutron star, marked in red, intersected the plane of
the ecliptic just outside the orbit of Uranus.

“We
ran the orbital data we have on the neutron star and had the computers
extrapolate the effects on Earth,” Timmons spoke in a calm, lecturing voice.
“The results were shocking.” Pausing, Timmons looked at each individual in the
room.

“At
a minimum, we can expect hurricane strength storms all across the globe as the
approach of the neutron star begins to affect the sun,” he said in a more subdued
voice. “Intense plasma storms on its surface, increased sunspot activity, and
massive solar flares far greater than any recorded before will almost certainly
occur. These by themselves will disrupt communication across the planet and
adversely affect our weather patterns. But that’s not the worst of it.”

Turning
to face Mase and Steve, he continued. “As the neutron star makes its closest
approach, we can expect major earth movements along most of the planet’s fault
lines. Earthquakes far greater than any recorded in modern times will shake the
planet, causing massive shifts and uprisings in the crust. Huge tidal waves
caused by the earth movements will flood all the low-lying coastal areas around
the globe. We also expect intense volcanic activity to commence all around the Pacific Rim, throwing millions of tons of smoke and ash into the upper atmosphere. There is
even a possibility that the super volcano at Yellowstone will erupt.”

Mase
and Steve looked at each other, their faces ashen. These were their worst
fears. They wondered if anyone would be able to survive. They had known it
would be bad, but hearing it from Timmons put all of their fears into
perspective.