Alex’s calm voice resonated in the cockpit. “Engines operate nominally.”
“Copy,” replied mission control.
Peter was in good hands with the veteran at the controls. The last thing they needed was an emergency abort. If that happened, the stranded cosmonauts would definitely be lost; there was no time to try this again. The rocket slowly started to roll as he could scarcely tell the rocket was accelerating.
“Pitch and roll nominal.”
“Copy.”
Peter was impressed that his heart rate was barely increasing. He was so relaxed he contemplated reviewing the Galileo manual on the way up into space, but quickly passed on the idea in case an emergency did occur. He needed to stay alert to ensure he could react appropriately.
Alex’s voice stayed steady. “Nominal flight. Everything okay. Crew feel good.”
“Copy that.”
Staging went according to plan, and soon they were traveling over 1500 meters per second and reaching above the atmosphere. The small toy hanging in front of him started to float, signaling they were beyond the edge of Earth’s atmosphere in space. A sudden, large explosion above them caught him off guard until the cockpit was instantly sprayed with bright sunlight. He quickly realized the shroud protecting the spacecraft had jettisoned, allowing him his first opportunity to take in the view outside his window.
A big smile crossed Peter’s face when he turned to see the moon centered directly in his window, surrounded by deep blackness. He instantly thought of Viktor, feeling his friend’s presence. Peter was sure that, if the afterlife allowed it, the old cosmonaut’s spirit was probably sitting in the empty seat next to Alex making certain the commander was doing everything correctly.
Soon the spacecraft’s solar arrays were extended, and Peter was making contact with the disabled Soyuz, letting them know they were on their way. Considering how dire their situation was, Peter was impressed by the damaged spacecraft’s commander as he updated them in a calm voice. But the commander cut the transmission when the tourist screamed out in the background, “Hurry! Save us!”
8
IT’S TIME
The Head of the CIA, Jack Dawson, sat patiently in the black leather chair across from the President while the leader of the free world barked out orders over the phone. The President had just waved Jack into the Oval Office before swiveling his chair around to focus on his conversation. Not wanting to come across as eavesdropping, Jack pulled out his notebook to review notes for their meeting, which he had requested.
Soon the President swung around and slammed the phone down. “Damn that Chief of Staff. Sometimes I wonder why I appointed him.”
Jack felt it was none of his business. “Good afternoon, Mr. President.”
Bill Edwards took a deep breath before putting his hands behind his head as he casually leaned back in his chair. “Sorry about that, Jack. So how are you?”
Jack straightened up. “I am doing well. Thank you, sir.”
The President swiveled his chair slightly so he could cross his legs, bringing his arms down and casually putting one on his desk. He partly turned his head and shot an apologetic look toward Jack. “I never had the opportunity to personally congratulate you on successfully carrying out the mission to the moon. Your man did a hell of a job.”
Jack modestly bowed his head. “Thank you, sir. Peter was just doing his job.”
The President slapped his desk with an opened hand. “Hell with that! That man was willing to sacrifice his life for his country. Thanks to men like that, we live in the greatest nation on Earth.” The President lifted both legs before twirling around and placing them under his desk while setting both arms on top. He leaned forward. “I want to meet this Peter Novak. When can you have him visit the White House?”
“Well sir, that’s why I’m here. I need to update you on a current crisis in space.”
The President’s fists tightened as his face turned red. “What? Again? Is China involved?”
“No, sir.”
Bill relaxed his hands. “What’s happened?”
“There was some type of explosion on the Soyuz that was launched a couple of days ago, and the crew is currently stranded in space.”
The President’s eyes widened with concern. “Are they okay?”
Jack’s tone hardened. “Yes, sir. But they were forced into the Orbital Module and the damage affected their oxygen supply.”
“Are there any Americans onboard?”
“No, sir, but there is a space tourist.”
The President was jolted upright in his chair. “Damn! Who?”
“Carlos Calma, son of Jose Calma.”
The President got up from his desk and walked silently over to the window, and stood looking outside. “Are we positive China’s not involved, trying to get back at us for showing them up?”
Looking in the President’s direction, Jack spoke firmly. “Though we are not sure what caused the explosion, neither NASA nor Russia has given any indication the problem was caused by foul play.”
The President folded his arms as he continued to stare out the window. Jack sat patiently.
Finally, Jack broke the silence. “Sir, if men die in the Soyuz, especially a tourist, the spacecraft would surely need to be grounded until the problem is identified and solved, which could take up to a year. Since the Soyuz is our only means of getting astronauts to and from the space station, this would force us to abandon the ISS until the spacecraft is reinstated for flight, possibly threatening the station’s future.”
The President calmly turned around and looked at the floor, rubbing his chin. He began to walk slowly back to his desk as he mumbled out loud to himself. “Damn, that would be a political nightmare.”
“Yes, sir, and more finger-pointing at your office for the Space Shuttle being retired.”
The President came to an abrupt stop as he threw both hands up in frustration. “Damn it, you know I wasn’t part of that decision!”
Jack spoke in a calm and supportive tone. “Yes, sir, I do. But as you know, public opinion doesn’t.”
The President shook his head as he resumed his march back to his chair. “How about if we allow SpaceQuest to fly our men to the station if the Soyuz is grounded?”
“Sir, even though they were successful at getting Peter to the ISS, they still need more testing before NASA will approve their astronauts riding aloft in that thing. Besides, we don’t even know if it can safely return men home.”
“So what is your suggestion?”
“Sir, we secretly launched a rocket to save the crew.”
The President arched his eyebrows as he took a seat. Sounding sarcastic he questioned, “Another Soyuz?”
“Sir, this is a different model, which they hope will not have the same problem.”
The President locked his hands together on his desk. “So the Russians are handling this?”
“They are overseeing the mission, but it’s our man who will carry out the rescue.”
“Who?”
Jack spoke without hesitation. “Peter Novak.”
An amused grin crossed the President’s face. “I should have guessed.”
PETER WAS CONNECTED to the Galileo by a single tether line as he floated precariously alone in space, struggling to attach the SAFER. Sweat pooled aggressively on his forehead. The only sound echoing in his helmet was his heavy breathing. He no longer had the luxury of talking with mission control since his suit wasn’t compatible with Russia’s radio system. He was now on his own to save the stranded men.
So far, the mission was going according to plan. Peter and Alex had successfully reached and entered the International Space Station. After quick preparations, Peter was hustled into the Galileo and launched from the ISS. There were no complications when SpaceQuest’s mission control, working hand in hand with the Russians, navigated Galileo through space to rendezvous with the stranded Soyuz in its own orbit.