After the discussion, which lasted about thirty minutes, everyone got dressed in bulky spacesuits. Three students entered the capsule and waited for the instructor to turn off the gravity. At first, students pushed themselves around. Then, each of us had to accomplish a specific task while experiencing near weightlessness. When it was our turn, I had to try and unwrap a chocolate bar and eat it before it was lost, while Jose had to adjust several knobs. Sophie had to lift a hose and spray some water. After about an hour of training, we were transported to the training pool.
There, we focused on understanding and experiencing buoyancy. Our underwater training session lasted six hours, and we wore 300-pound suits. We concentrated on anaerobic bursts and endurance training. We were getting used to these daily underwater training sessions since we’d performed them regularly over the past year.
Each of the trainees completed the lesson successfully, and we were let go for the day. Since we were all interested in either sports or music, we headed to the entertainment room. Sophie started talking about which singers she was going to practice with. Robert fantasized about playing professional football.
I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Mark. Mark, who was an athlete, wanted to run the 100-meter dash against Carl Lewis.
I said, “Mark, you are one hell of an athlete. I pity Carl Lewis when you beat him in the 100.”
“I’m not going to beat Carl Lewis but thanks for the compliment. I do enjoy running and competing and look forward to seeing you on the Imagine,” he replied.
I asked him, “What job have you been assigned to on the ship?”
“ I was told that I will either be working with security or weapons. I may even become a shuttle pilot, but that takes a lot of practice, which I do not have yet.”
“I suppose with your strength and athletic ability that is where you fit in. I am sure you are also brilliant and will contribute a lot to people’s sense of security. I sure would not want to mess with you if I was in trouble on board.”
“Thanks, Sam, you are also quite an athlete and also very smart. I look forward to working with you on board. I do have a personal question to ask you.”
“What is it?” I said.
“I think your sister is cute, and when we finally get going, would you mind if I ask her out on a date?”
“Be my guest. I am sure Sophie will appreciate if you ask her. Do you want me to find out if she likes you or not?”
“Not right now,” Mark replied. I would appreciate it if you do not mention this conversation to your sister. When I am ready, and we are speeding through space, I will let you know.”
“My lips are sealed until you want me to speak to her. Good luck with your security and shuttle training. I am sure you will do a great job.”
We shook hands and left for the day. I met up with Sally, and we had dinner together. If we were going to be spending so much time practicing for space underwater and in near weightlessness, we were going to need to enjoy food on Earth for as long as it was possible. We went to Sally’s favorite restaurant, which was a local barbecue, and then we started driving home pretty exhausted from the full day of training. I saw a text from my dad that he needed Jose and me to meet with him tomorrow first thing to talk about something very important.
When I dropped Sally off at her house on Blake Avenue near Sayre Park, a couple of blocks away from ours, I told her I wouldn’t be at the training session in the morning because something had come up.
“Well, you better let me know what it is afterwards. No telling what your dad is going to have you do.”
Chapter 29 – Guardians of Humanity
Sam Burns, Rocky Mountains, CO
Dad had asked Jose and I to come with him to meet the other three ships’ officers. Jose and I looked forward to meeting people from various parts of the world. The virtual meeting would allow all the officers of the different crews to see each other at the same time. It took us about an hour to get to the communications lab.
Dad said, “We have about an hour before the other groups come online and meet with us. First, I want to introduce you and Jose to some of our own officers who will be interacting with us daily. You are going to learn everything they know and do during our travels. Bob and I selected all of the officers on this ship. Each of them has a specific skill or talent that will come in very useful. Are you ready to meet them?”
Both Jose and I said, “Sure.”
About twenty people were sitting around a large, round table in uniforms. Jose and I did not have ours yet but assumed they would be given to us.
“Why don’t we start to my right,” Dad said.
Bob stood up.
“You already met Bob. He is the chief engineer and jack of all trades for the ship and its design and functioning.”
Bob said, “Welcome, Sam and Jose, again. Glad to have you with us on this journey.”
We both smiled and waved at Bob.
A short woman of about 5’3” with dark hair stood up. “This is Gloria Gonzales. She is my first officer. She may be petite and looks young, but she has an eighth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and was a national champion five times. She also served in the Marines for four years. She graduated from Purdue University, which has produced many astronauts and has studied space travel with NASA and Boeing for many years. She will run the ship when I am off duty and help me make decisions, regardless of where we are in the galaxy. She is always calm on the outside. She also has a nice sense of humor and a wonderful family. Her husband and two girls will be joining us.”
Gloria said, “Welcome to our crew, Sam and Jose. It is nice to finally meet the future officers of our trip.”
I said, “Thanks.”
The next man stood up.
“This is Alexander Lee. You can call him Speedy. Speedy is responsible for the security on the ship. This means he takes care of the safety of everyone on board.”
“Nice to meet you, Speedy,” Jose said.
My father added, “Speedy will also insert location chips on everyone on board. Can you explain this to them, Speedy?”
Speedy said, “I am pleased to meet both of you. I look forward to working with you. One thing I will be responsible for is working with Dr. Sato to insert a microchip into the wrist or leg of everyone on board. This procedure should not take longer than five minutes to do and will be taken care of in the medical facility. Everyone has a unique identification or GPS on their chip. Once the chip is inserted, we will be able to monitor the location of everyone on board. If someone is missing or unconscious, we can use the computers to locate them immediately using the chip. Chips like this are similar to what we have put in dogs for years. We should have done the same for people. For years, people have gone missing and can’t be found. When they are found, they are most likely dead.”
“What happens if someone wants some privacy and does not want to be found?” Jose asked.