Though Jack did not get to Camp David often, he loved it when he did. All the cabins had a rustic look that gave him the impression he was at a mountain ski lodge in Vermont. The room had a smell of oak mixed with aromas from the freshly cut flowers adorning the room. It was easy to imagine being there on vacation instead of some important business matter. Though the décor was nice, it was nothing impressive or over-the-top, not what you would think of as a get-away home for the leader of the free world. In fact the old fashioned fabric chair where the president usually sat looked more like something Archie Bunker would sit in, with its crisscrossing pattern of red, yellow, and blue.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Jack,” said the president as he stormed into the room, Secretary Russell following closely behind. “Steve and I had some issues we needed to discuss.”
Jack quickly stood. “No problem, Mr. President, this is always a nice room to relax in.” Jack shook both men’s hands before all three took a seat, Steve on a couch across from him, the president in his chair.
“This is a great room. I love coming in here at night to read. It’s very peaceful,” said the president. He wasted no more time getting right down to business. “I just got an update from Doug on our men in space and it sounds like everything is going according to plan.”
“Yes, sir, it sounds like the launch went off without a hitch. The latest I’ve heard is that they’re docked at the space station and have interacted with the crew,” said Jack.
“Yes, we’ve officially learned of their visit from NASA and have begun an investigation as well as informing our partnered countries. So what did you need to talk to me about?”
“Sir, we have a problem. Our intelligence has learned that China has already begun fueling their moon rocket.”
The president slammed his fist on his armrest, startling Jack. “Does that mean we won’t be able to beat them to the moon?”
“We believe so, sir. Because of cloud cover, we’re not sure exactly when they started. We assume they began fueling shortly after our men launched. Even if Peter and Viktor finish attaching the booster in one spacewalk, it will probably be too late. By the time they’re set to fire off, China’s rocket will be ready, or close to it and will easily be able to overtake our men.”
“Why in the world did they fuel it?” fired the president as he threw up his hands.
“We have no idea, sir. We can only assume they did it because of the SpaceQuest rocket,” said Jack.
“Their intelligence knows the Newton 9 can’t reach the moon. It makes no sense for them to fuel it because of that.” The president stared straight ahead at the fireplace, apparently trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly he mashed his lips together and frowned. “I wonder if their intelligence learned we are trying to get to the moon? If they already know this, the mission is doomed. Damn it!”
The president sat in deep thought while Jack and Steve said nothing. Jack was disappointed he had to bring this information to the president, knowing it could possibly lead to cancelling the mission. He was only doing his job. He knew Peter would be upset, but deep down Jack felt the news could save his agent from wasting his life on an ill-fated mission. At least Peter was able to obtain his dream of flying in space.
Steve said, “Sir, we are not sure if China’s rocket is being fueled to chase down our men. What if we still send Peter and Viktor to the moon and see if China does launch their rocket? If they don’t, we’re fine. If they do, couldn’t we just bring our guys back to Earth?”
The president looked at Jack. “Is that possible?”
“No, sir,” Jack sighed. “Our men will be using a one-time booster rocket that will propel them out of Earth’s orbit. There would be no way for them to turn around during their flight to the moon. Their only way to return would be to swing around the moon on a free return trajectory, a figure eight around the moon. The problem there is China will beat them to the moon and reprogram the laser, thus killing them on the back side.”
The president got up from his chair, shaking his head. “I’m going to my office and call Doug. I want to get his take on all this before I make a decision. You gentlemen stay here and I’ll be back.” He stormed off.
Jack and Steve discussed various possibilities on saving the mission, neither coming up with any viable solution. Soon the president returned with a gloomy look on his face. “Doug agrees. If China is already fueling their rocket, he doubts we can beat them.”
The president took a moment to sit in his chair, putting his hand to his chin and staring down at the floor. Jack could see the president was struggling. He knew how badly Bill wanted to prove China wrong, and everyone in that room knew this was their last chance to do it. He knew the president hated pulling the plug, but he had no choice.
The president lifted his head and said in dismay, “For God’s sake, we need to cancel this mission. I want you to bring those men home.”
PETER PUSHED WITH ALL HIS FORCE on the pistol grip tool, NASA’s 21st century powered hand drill with its computerized LED readout, drilling one of the ten holes on the Soyuz engine’s exhaust duct where the VASIMR engine would be attached. He had already secured the template around the rim showing the VASIMR bolting pattern, giving him the exact positioning of where the holes would need to be drilled to align with the VASIMR connecting flange. Fortunately, he was securely strapped by four tether lines which prevented him from flying away or spinning while using the drill. Small curly metal shavings were thrown in all different directions as he drilled, some glimmering from the sun’s reflection as they floated away. The shavings were no cause for alarm; his main concern was insuring no wiring or any part of his suit came into contact with the drill bit during operation. His life depended on it.
They were only in the third hour of the spacewalk and Peter was already exhausted from the strenuous work. As hard as he was working, his body was not sweating thanks to the liquid cooled garment he wore. It was just another odd sensation he was experiencing while in space.
Drilling the holes was his responsibility, since it was the most physically demanding part of the EVA. Viktor’s job was overseeing the release and transfer of the VASIMR engine from its docking port as well as confirming its fuel level. Before it could be moved, however, Viktor had to detach all of its connections from the station. The robotic arm being operated by Todd would grab hold of the engine before the engine was released from the station then swing it over to the back end of the Soyuz.
Each hole Peter drilled took about fifteen minutes, with another ten minutes needed to readjust himself for the next one. He had just finished hole number four and his arms were killing him. He needed a break.
Peter looked up in Viktor’s direction. “How’s everything going, Viktor?”
“All good, some connections stubborn. She checked out okay for fuel. We should swing engine over in couple hours. Will you be done?”
“It’ll be close. I have six more holes to drill.”
“Roger.”
Peter still needed a few minutes to relax, so he took in the view below. The Soyuz hung on the bottom of the space station, and he was at the back end. As he looked down, all he saw in his 180 degree vision was Earth and the surrounding black space, as if he were alone in space. A spiritual moment overcame him as he took in the amazing view, almost like he was God looking down at his creation, and what a beautiful creation it was. He was experiencing an awe inspiring moment as he looked over the stunning panorama before him. How could there NOT be a God? He felt some comfort, knowing he would soon be meeting his creator. He stayed mesmerized as he watched the sun setting over the earth’s horizon, providing a unique change in color scheme, adding shades of orange and purple to the earth’s already tremendous blues and whites.