The Man Who Sold Mars (4 page)

“I see.  Could it be family ties run
deep?  Did not the head of NASA, Doctor Gerard Hillard, serve with your father
in the
US Marines
?  Mentor you through the
U.S.
Naval Academy
,
the
Marines
, and later
NASA
.”

“Yes.  Yes and more.  But, this is the
problem I have.  I am an American and I need access to the American, European
and Asian capital markets in a highly visible way.  Your capital markets are what
they are.”

“We are not as backwards as you think—“

“Parts of your nation don’t have phone
service.  I can make a list a long list of what you don’t have.”

“Did you come here to insult me?”

“No, to speak the truth.  By the way, you
look stunning and if you turn down this job offer again, at least have dinner
with me.”

Tatyana’s eyes sparkled and she grinned.

“I have to not only deal with capital
markets, but American Earthbound Xenophobia as we reach for the stars.  This
has to be an American project based in America—“

“But with a global face to the rest of
the world.  Interesting.  But, I am a patriot.  I am not for sale.”

“I don’t want to own you.  Just rent
you.”

Tatyana smiled at the humor.

“Not only am I prepared to offer you a
generous salary—“

“I would hope at this point you would be
offering me a more than generous salary.”

“Not only am I prepared to offer you a
more than generous salary.  I will have significant portions of the work
performed here in Russia.  Whether you choose to stay with me after the mission
is completed or return to Russia, you will have a much more vibrant space
program developed on my dime.”

Tatyana sat silent and noncommittal.

“You are on the verge of a space race
like no other.  An adventure unparalleled in our recorded history.  Granted,
what I will do will encourage those nations that can afford to play to play. 
But wait until the corporations enter the race.  And they will.  We will have
the discovery of the New Worlds, their colonization and the mercantilism
symbolized by the clipper ships compacted into an instance.  A nation has a
multitude of things it must do, feed, educate, protect, . . .  A corporation
only has one, maximize its share values by managing its objectives.  If you
think your space program is behind others—in some ways, give it a decade.  It
will be Neolithic.”

Tatyana remained stoic.

“The facility that produced your space
shuttles, which never launched with a human crew, is producing diapers now. 
And syringes.  Please think about my offer.”

Tatyana remained unchanged.  “What nation
is “shuttling” your astronauts to The International Space Station, since your
short sighted government decided to discontinue its shuttle program?”

“You know what I mean.  Please consider
my offer.”

“I have.  My decision is the same one I’d
made before you came into my office.”

“I’m sorry.  Thank you for your time.”

“Why are you sorry?  I’m taking the job. 
I’d decided that long before you came into my office.”

I laughed.

She grinned.  “I’m a spurned woman.  I
wanted to hear you beg.”

We laughed.

“Dinner however is out of the question. 
It’s lunch time and I’m famished.”

“Hey Kevin.”

Gardner grinned as he spoke to me as I
entered his more than lavish Young Stellar Resources Penthouse Office.  I glanced
at my watch.  “Hi, Gardner.  Have you heard from Stephen?  What’s going on in
Moscow?”

“No I haven’t.  Gardner hit a number on
his phone and speed dialed Stephen’s number, and the tonal sequence streaked
through its speakers.

# # #

Just opposite the Bolshoi Theater,
transported back in time to an elegant and stylish turn-of-the-century
atmosphere, in my suite at
The Metropol
, the most elegant of Moscow’s
historic hotels, built in the Art nouveau style, my cell phone vibrated across
a night stand, rousing me from my sleep.  I reached for it and caught it as it
bounced and tumbled over the edge.

Half asleep I said, “Hello.”

Gardner asked, “What are you doing in
bed?”

“Sleeping?”

Kevin said, “You never sleep—“ and
paused, cutting himself off as a thought formed.

Asleep, Tatyana laid her arm across my
chest.

And Gardner had his own moment of
discovery.  “Tatyana’s coming—“

Kevin laughed.  “Or came.”

Gardner laughed, “I told you she would. 
Hey, is she hot or what?”

# # #

Purse, valise, and folders in hand, I
walked into Gardner’s office to talk with him and Kevin, but they were too
absorbed in their talk with .Stephen to notice me.

“Yes, she is.  It was a double bogey.”

I wondered, “You double bogeyed.  I
didn’t know you golfed.  When did you pick that up?”

# # #

Kevin, Gardner and I were surprised and totally
speechless.  We had no idea Selena was there.

Quick I covered, “I mean Tatyana is
coming and bring some of her staff too.”

“That’s –“

# # #

I realized a possible meaning to
Stephen’s “double bogie”, the most probable, and was not happy to say the
least.

Fuming, I told him, “You need to put away
your putter and make it back here right away.  We have a lot to do.”

Furious, I stormed out, but waited until
I was outside of Gardner’s office to wipe away the tears. 
Why doesn’t he
want to be with me?

Within Young Stellar Resources’, YSR’s,
corporate offices penthouse, executive conference room, Selena, George, Kevin,
Gardner, Tatyana, and I evaluated potential acquisitions, while Hemmingson made
a drink at the bar.

We’d worked hard, but I drove us harder
in our tasks, “Ladies and gentlemen we have the same old drill before us that
we’ve done time and time again.  This time it differs in that instead of
assembling existing technology to maximize their values, by using them to
obtain conventional results in unconventional means; we are also shooting for
an unconventional result . . . Mars.”

George’s words conveyed all our
sentiments, “Success is never unconventional.”

Kevin agreed, “Here.  Here.”

And Gardner, “I second it.”

I returned us to our tasks.  “Granted,
it’s been years since I earned my masters in aerospace engineering at the U.S.
Navy’s Post Graduate School in Monterey, California and served at NASA.  But, working
closely with Tatyana—“

“I bet.”  Selena’s words sliced through
like a cyclone.

In an uncomfortable silence, the group
reacted to her comment in their own way, but all ignoring it, hoping to remain
neutral to the underlying conflict.  Swift, for the benefit of all, I
continued.

“And with a host of experts, we’ve
assembled a number of choice global acquisitions that will propel the price of
Young Stellar Resources, YSR, through the roof—“

Smiling and in perfect unaccented English
Tatyana said, “And on to the stars.”

I nodded yes. “Some of these companies
will sell themselves willingly.  Some won’t.”

Hemmingson topped off a drink, “That’s
always the case.  Business as usual.  The scopes just broader.”

Selena tipped her wine glass towards
Gardner and he obliged her and poured, while she talked.  “Standard
procedures.  Direction and misdirection.  Award contracts to firms we’re not
interested in.  Ignore others we are and buy in silence through an array of
global groups.”

“Yes.”  I agreed.  “We have to be very
public with many firms, regardless of our interest.  Always keep Mars and Young
Stellar Resources, YSR, in the spotlight.”

Selena mouthed thank you to Gardner, he
nodded you’re welcome, and she continued.  “Always keep Mars and YSR in the
spotlight for the better.  Not a problem.  Not a day has gone by when YSR has
not been.  In a month it will be hourly and in another, YSR will never be out
of it.”

Gardner grinning with the possibility of
our collective futures said, “And we’ll keep the shares of YSR climbing and
climbing and climbing.”

Kevin glanced down at a list of his
questions, “My staff has completed the review of the info you sent and probably
like most of your staffs’ agree they all appear to be good choices.  Whether
they want to be or not.”

Selena addressed anti-trust concerns,
“Senator Symko will never allow us to acquire all these U.S. firms.  He’ll have
the Federal Trade Commission rule we’ll have a monopoly in “some” industry and
there’ll be unfair trade.  He’s going to be expensive.”

Mike Hemmingson’s ear picked up and he
took his eyes off the couple in the adjoining building having torrid sex in a
closed office.  They failed to realize that despite the surrounding offices all
having opaque tinted windows, they could all still see out and into theirs. 
But on the other hand, it may be they did realize it and enjoyed the
voyeuristic company.  But “multi-tasking”, his attention on us and them,
Hemmingson spoke.  “William Symko?”

Selena answered him, “Yes.”

“Mr. Family Values.  Not a problem.  I
know his mistress.  We met at the RNC, the Republican National Conference, four
years ago.  Had a threesome with one of the cocktail waitresses, this hot
Latina from Romania.  WOW!!!  We’ve been like that ever since.  Billy boy is
not a problem.  With hobbies like forced feminism, having his ass raped,
infantilism and much, much more, he is not a problem.”  Curious he glanced
completely away from the window.  “Hey, Tatyana.  I’ve been meaning to ask you
this.  Where’s your accent?”

“I just use if for the visitors.”  She
switched to heavily accented Russian English.  “To give them the total Russian
experience.”  Then back to non-accented English.  “I speak several languages
with native fluency.  English – American and British - and Russian of course,
French, Spanish, Italian, Greek—“

“You’re fluent in Russian, French, and
Greek.  It figures.”  Selena gave a laugh of contempt following her words.

Bristling to the insult with regard to
her morals by reference to the sexual acts, “Russian”, “French”, and “Greek”,
Tatyana charged.  “Do you have a problem with me?”

“As a matter of fact—“

Hemmingson joked to lower the tension,
“Woooooooo!  Girl fight.  Kevin, get the Mazola Oil.”

“Olive.  Lower in cholesterol.”

Hemmingson continued directing.  “Fine. 
Gardner the Twister.”

“I’m on it.”

Hemmingson pulled out his cell.  “I’m
ordering the pizza and beer.  If you want veggies on it, tell somebody else.”

George ended all the “stuff” at the
meeting for now and forever.

“I will only say this once.  I have
invested a great deal of my money and more importantly my time into this
venture to make even more money.  I do not lose.  Ever.  And, I will not let
who is sleeping with whom and anyone’s feelings about that, affect my
investment.  To the extent that personalities impact the operation of this
enterprise it is Stephen Young’s.  Young Stellar Resources, YSR, needs a face
and a personality.  And the personality people see is the one we manufacture. 
The truth of the world is that the masses need a face and a name to make
abstract goals tangible and attainable.  Alexander The Great conquered the
known world.  His armies have no mention.  Football quarterbacks win games, not
quarterbacks and their combined teams.  Alone Neil Armstrong went to the moon.”

“Allegedly.”  All of the others answered
except me and George.

I looked at them amazed, thinking,
What
is this?  Why do all these very knowledgeable people think we did not go to the
moon?

And George agreed with them, “Allegedly. 
And, Stephen Young as we present him to the public is going to Mars.  That
manufactured personality is the only personality that will intrude on any
meeting I’m present at or will impact the value of my investment.”

In silence, the group weighed the gravity
of his words and tone.

No nonsense, he continued.  “Now, as for
the acquisitions.   I have a list of questions I would like answered.  First .
. . “

From the studios of Bloomberg News an
anchor informed the world.

“Young Stellar Resources, YSR, continues
it meteoric rise as Mars fever sweeps the Earth.  After announcement of yet
another aerospace takeover, the stock split eight ways only 20 days after a
four way split to trade at—

I turned off the television in our limo
ending the news broadcast and made my apology to my companions, Selena and her
twelve year old daughter, Patricia.