Peter appreciated Tang taking care of his request. After the taikonaut retired from space travel, he too was promoted to a desk job, Manager of Space Operations. Peter asked his friend if he would help out the young mother. Her family would be more accepted in Beijing, where it was not uncommon to have more than two kids in a family. He was sure Sie Wang had something to do with it since he made most of the decisions for the agency after taking over after Kuang’s death. The former CNSA manager was found innocent of any crimes and reinstated to the agency with honors. His placement had been part of the organization’s makeover after the cause of the space accidents were made public. CNSA and their programs had become much more transparent to the world since Sie had taken over.
Finally, the room was quiet. Visiting hours had ended and the two of them were alone with their baby. Anya looked dead tired. Her eyes were closed, the baby sleeping peacefully on her chest. Peter took a moment to take in the beautiful sight, spinning his wedding band on his finger. He couldn’t believe he was looking at his family. A joyous feeling overtook him, convinced he had finally cracked the code of life. He leaned in close and whispered in Anya’s ear. “We need to name our little boy.”
Anya gradually opened her eyes. “Yes, we do. Any ideas?”
“Well, I like Paul, but during your labor I felt there was only one name that would work for my boy.”
Anya straightened up a little, her eyes opening wider. “And what name is that?”
Peter lightly stroked his boy’s head as he proudly proclaimed, “Viktor.”
Her blue eyes sparkled with the suggestion. “Aw, are you sure?”
He leaned over and pushed her dark bangs out of her eyes. “Absolutely.”
She lifted her sleeping child so his face was toward her, carefully supporting his head. “What do you think? You want to be named after your grandfather?” She brought the baby back to her chest. “I love it. However, I want one change.”
Peter furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s that?”
“His middle name has to be Thomas.”
Peter grinned. “Viktor Thomas Novak. I like it, sounds strong.”
“It does.”
“With a name like that and his heritage, he’ll probably be the first man on Mars.”
Anya reached over and patted his arm. “Slow down, honey. Let’s first worry about getting him out of kindergarten.”
Peter leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “Deal.”
The Hoax Trilogy
Copyright
All characters in this book, with the exception of Yuri Gagarin, are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The names, incidents, dialogue, and opinions expressed are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Nothing is intended or should be interpreted as expressing or representing the views of the CIA, NASA, CNSA or any other department or agency of any government body.
SPACE HOAX
Copyright 2014 by Paul Gillebaard.
2016 revised edition for Hoax Trilogy.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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ISBN: 978-0-983-95612-9
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