“Looks like Rosetta can’t wait to see us, Bill. This note says that a private jet will meet us at Orlando International Airport, not far from Kennedy Space Center. The plane will take us to New York, where we’ll be debriefed by Homeland Security Secretary Rick Bellamy. Wow. After our debriefing, they’re putting us up at the presidential suite at the Waldorf Astoria. We’re scheduled to take off for Rosetta headquarters the next day. Looks like you and I are hot shit.”
“Get ready for a fun ride, folks,” pilot Jack Whalen said, “especially our guests of honor, Bill and Nancy. We’re going to slow from a speed of 25,000 mph to a subsonic speed so that we don’t turn into a burnt marshmallow. We’ll begin reentry into the earth’s atmosphere at about 62 miles above the surface of the earth. My job is to hit the right angle. Too high and we burn up. Too low and we bounce off the earth’s atmosphere like a rock skimming off the surface of a lake. As we descend, our speed will be further reduced when I deploy our drogue parachutes. All told it will be about three hours and twenty minutes from the time we undocked from Stargazer to the time we touchdown in a big field near the space center. I’m sorry, but meal service is not available in economy class. Enjoy the ride.”
Chapter 59
August 20
“Have you ever flown in weather like this, Bill?”
“Yes, but never in a Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. This monster makes the wind a gentle breeze. I’m amazed they ordered this plane just for the two of us to fly to Billings.”
“Hey, don’t be so humble, Bill. With all the crazy shit that’s been going on, you and I are hot stuff. Senior management is going to want to talk to us forever.”
“To change the subject,” Bill said, “how did you enjoy our stay at the Waldorf last night?”
“Never in a million years would I have thought that making love in a gravity environment beats the hell out of doing it weightless,” Nancy said as she squeezed his hand. “Maybe it has something to do with traction. I hate to say, ‘back to work,’ but that’s where we’re headed. Phil Duncan told me to be prepared for endless debriefings.”
“You just brought up a question in my mind, Nance. What do you think of Phil Duncan?”
“Phil seems like a good executive and he’s easy to get along with. I think the big boss hangs on his every word.”
“Did the thought ever cross your mind that Duncan controls a bit too much of Rosetta? I’m going to pose a question. Do you completely trust this guy?”
“You bring up a subject that has rattled around my brain from time to time,” Nancy said. “Phil Duncan has been on the inside of every single satellite screwup. Sounds crazy, but it almost seems like he knew what was about to happen. And I still can’t understand why we spoke to that guy Merriman rather than Duncan. But in answer to your question, yes, I trust the guy.”
“I asked you if you trust Duncan completely. So, do you?”
“The answer is no, but I’m not sure where we’re going with this.”
“Let’s just keep your answer in mind during our upcoming meetings. You answered ‘no’ when I asked if you trusted him completely. I think our circumstances require complete trust. Let’s keep our ears and eyes open.”
Chapter 60
August 21
“We’ve lost communication with Unit 359 and with Stargazer, Bartholomew,” Douglas Merriman said. “Our engineers tell me that the plug was pulled by someone in our vehicle and isn’t a result of anything normal.”
“Tell me, Douglas, do you think the people we spoke to recently were our astronauts?”
“No, I’m now sure they weren’t, Bartholomew. The static we heard on our conversations was intentional, I’m sure, and had nothing to do with normal conditions. I think the static was meant to mask the identity of the people we spoke to. I believe that they killed Laub and Jackson. The man I spoke to identified himself as Mark Jackson, but I’m sure that he was William Cranston, one of the Rosetta astronauts. To be blunt, our mission failed.”
“Douglas, are you prepared to speak about our alternate plan?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sir?”
“I’m sorry, Bartholomew. In answer to your question, yes, I am ready to talk about our alternatives. A few months ago, we realized that all our plans were based on one thing, Stargazer. We knew that, although our technology was superior, the space station was under the command of two people who did not answer to us, the astronauts Cranston and Mullin. The two of them, especially Nancy Mullin, are more intelligent than we had given them credit for. Although our software was able to control the satellites from both Rosetta headquarters and Stargazer, we still had those two people in the way.”
“Douglas, if you want to write a book, please do so, but in the meantime, do not answer my question with an encyclopedic response. So, tell me, in a few words, what is our best alternative?”
“The alternative is Moonwalker, our own space station, served by Satstorm, our utility rocket for supplies and repairs. Moonwalker is about 95 percent ready. Of course, it needs to be launched in parts and assembled in space, which will take approximately three trips by Satstorm.”
“Douglas, you used the word ‘approximately,’ a heinous term. I do not work with approximate numbers, only exact ones.”
“It will take no more than three trips by Satstorm, Bartholomew. The entire operation, from completion of Moonwalker to its assembly in space will take exactly two weeks.”
“Tell me about our means of secrecy, Douglas. We cannot simply act on our plans for two weeks under the watchful eyes of the United States government.”
“Our secrecy is the same source as our operations with Stargazer, Bartholomew. We have deeply imbedded four key people in the management of the Rosetta Corporation. Rosetta could never figure out how its satellites malfunctioned, but they weren’t malfunctions at all, just commands that our insiders programmed into the software that controls the satellites. Our new space station, Moonwalker, as well as its service ship, Satstorm, are both manufactured by Rosetta.”
“Who is our key insider at Rosetta, Douglas?”
“Philip Duncan, the vice president of operations. He is not only a decision maker, he is the right-hand executive to Frank Morgan, the CEO. Morgan never takes a step without discussing it with Duncan. It was Duncan who convinced Morgan to construct the additional space station and supply ship. Duncan also told us about our astronauts, Mark Jackson and Jerome Laub. Because their voices were obscured by static, Duncan was unable to determine who he was speaking to, nor was I in my conversation with them. Duncan later found out from the Rosetta astronauts themselves that they had killed Jackson and Laub in a gun fight. Cranston and Mullin, the Rosetta astronauts, have been returned to earth by a rescue spacecraft named Ranger. Our ship is still attached to Stargazer, and is manned by two newly assigned astronauts from the American government. Phil Duncan advises me that he will soon order the two new astronauts to perform satellite tests, although he may encounter interference from the government. Cranston and Mullin are accustomed to speaking to him, and it’s essential that we do not compromise his identity.”
“So, the most important item on our agenda will occur in two weeks.” Bartholomew said. “We will destroy Stargazer and soon after that we will operate Moonwalker, our new space station, or to be more appropriate, Rosetta Corporation’s new space station.”