Kuang stood, indicating the meeting was over. Lin bowed, signaling he understood what needed to be done.
14
ALL IN
With a notebook in hand, Peter opened the door to Walter Going’s lavish office. This was his first meeting in the office since coming on board with EarthOrbit. When Chris informed Peter of the conference, he expressed its purpose was to develop an aggressive strategic plan moving forward. With only a few days under his belt, Peter hoped to be able to contribute and not be just a spectator.
Up to this point, Peter hadn’t found anything suspicious or out of the ordinary at EarthOrbit. Of course Chris was his prime suspect if any type of conspiracy was going on. Peter needed to dig deeper in his investigation and planned on snooping around his boss’s office later that evening, once the building was empty.
Peter charged in and noticed Chris was sitting in a chair with his back to him, having a discussion with Walter, who was at his desk. Concerned he might be late, Peter took a quick glance at his watch. He was still a few minutes early. Walter interrupted Chris when he spotted Peter. “Come have a seat, Peter.”
Peter walked across the large office directly to the empty seat next to Chris. “I hope I’m not late.”
“Nope. Chris got here a little early to talk about a few things.”
Peter looked over and acknowledged Riddick, making a conscious effort not to sneer. As he settled into his chair a shiny new Rolex on Chris’s arm caught his eye.
Walter leaned back. “So are you all settled in?”
“I’m getting there. Everyone has been very helpful.”
“Great. So what do you think of our little company so far?”
“Impressive. Your equipment looks to be on par with SpaceQuest.
I’m especially pleased with your corps of astronauts.”
“I’m glad. I feel our company should employ only the finest if we are going to be one of the first commercial companies to put astronauts into space. I’m a firm believer the men and women flying our equipment need to be the cream of the crop. You never know when an emergency might happen during flight, and we want the best at the controls who can handle any situation and get themselves back safely.”
“They’re definitely some of the best.”
Walter straightened up. “Did you get a good look at Zeus II?”
A senior engineer had escorted Peter around the company. When they visited the warehouse, he was given a detailed description of both the rocket lying on its side as well as their capsule, Iris. “I did. Those Soviet engines look impressive. I was pleased to hear the rocket can fly on just two of those. You never know when one might fail.”
Walter smiled. “True. However, those babies have been thoroughly tested. I’m certain they’ll do the job.” The president grabbed a file and placed it in front of him.
Sensing they were getting down to business, Peter set his notebook on his lap and opened it.
A serious look crossed Walter’s face as he homed in on Peter. “I’ve just learned the government has approved SpaceQuest to launch a rocket with NASA-supplied dummies. Each one of those dummies will have various sensors to determine exactly what astronauts will experience during flight. They plan to launch in forty-five days. If they pass this test, their rocket will be man-rated and ready to launch their first astronauts. SpaceQuest will probably have the NASA contract locked up. We are losing this battle, and we need to make a bold move to get back in the race. Chris and I have put our heads together. I am convinced our best option is to launch a manned rocket to the ISS as soon as possible.”
Peter was shocked at the company’s sudden aggressiveness and looked at Chris to see him nodding in agreement.
Walter arched an eyebrow in Peter’s direction. “What do you think?”
Peter didn’t know what to think. “Sir, since I’ve basically just joined the team, I’m probably not qualified to answer that question.”
“True, but you’ve done this once, so I value your input. If you were to give me a logical reason why we shouldn’t go, I would seriously consider it.”
“Has NASA approved such a flight?”
“Not exactly. Though we have passed the same tests and inspections as SpaceQuest, NASA has been leery in assigning us a firm launch date. Their worry is the fact that we launch out of Nevada and fly over land. I understand their concern, but they’re not giving us a chance. We have met or exceeded every test thrown at us. My fear is if we continue to wait, we’ll lose.”
Chris turned to Peter and chimed in. “SpaceQuest took a gamble putting you into space, and look where they are now.”
Neither man knew that NASA had supported that mission, and Peter couldn’t tell them. If they did know, they probably would reconsider launching without NASA’s blessing. Though he struggled rationally with the idea, he still had to choose his words carefully. “It’s definitely taking a gamble. If you are not successful, failure to reach your declared objective could kill this company.”
Walter looked out the window as he stroked his chin. A heavy silence settled over them. He slowly turned. “The way I look at it, SpaceQuest did take a gamble sending you up. If Allen was unsuccessful with that bet, his company would have been ruined. I think we have no choice. We are either all in, or we leave the table.”
Peter had an uneasy feeling about the plan. He considered what was at stake for the young company. He wondered if launching so soon was all Chris’s idea, driven by some hidden agenda. “I’m not so sure about all of this. Do we even have a rocket ready?”
“Yes. The one you saw is ready. It just needs to be transferred to our Nevada launch site.”
Peter doubted the ISS would allow the unapproved spacecraft to dock. “Do you plan on docking?”
“No. We would fly within fifty meters. Just have our men give the ISS astronauts a little wave.”
Chris raised an open hand. “I was thinking a little more about all of this, and if we really want to make a big splash, how about we also do a spacewalk? The spacesuits are ready. This will prove we’re capable of servicing satellites.”
Peter pushed his chair back in shock, surprised by the suggestion. Walter’s eyes widened as he stared at Chris. This was obviously something he hadn’t considered. Stillness hovered over them as Walter seemed to be weighing the impact of pulling off such a historic feat. “Are you sure we’re ready?”
Chris answered brazenly, “Absolutely.”
Walter leaned back in his chair and put both hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. “Wow, that would really show the world something. I like it.”
That they were ready to do a spacewalk was news to Peter, let alone launching a rocket so soon.
Walter pitched his body forward and directed his attention toward Peter. “Well if we do this, I want to launch before SpaceQuest does. Do you think you can have your astronauts ready by then?”
Peter hadn’t yet observed their training to know exactly where they were in readiness. He shook his head. “Again, I’m not sure, but they’re a pretty impressive group. I think if we put in some long hours, possibly.”
“Who would you recommend for the two-man crew?”
Peter rubbed his hands on his legs. “Probably Jesse and Blake.”
Walter glanced at Chris. “Do you agree with that?”
“Yes, those are our two best, and I would suggest Blake doing the spacewalk.”
Peter piped up, “Has he trained for that?”
Chris’s face took on a self-assured expression. “Yes, but he would need more. All we want him to do is exit and crawl a short distance along the spacecraft. Something similar to China’s first EVA.”
Walter chuckled. “And maybe like them, our man proudly waves his country’s flag.”