America One: War of the Worlds (23 page)

There had been a plan put together by Ryan, Igor, Boris and Jonesy as Chief Astronaut, but as yet, nobody had been told the plan how on they were going to get back to Earth. Everybody had just fallen asleep after launch from the retreat.

Lunar was worried. All of the four shuttles did not have enough fuel to reach Earth due to running 27 hours late of the return deadline.

Due to the delay, they had to travel an extra 1,740,000 miles to reach Earth. It didn’t sound much, but Earth would be traveling away from them, or in a similar direction they were traveling at over 60,000 miles an hour. Also, she in
SB-V
and Jonesy in
SB-III
had used more fuel than had been reserved for them, and Lunar felt much like Captain Pete had felt trying his best to get back to Earth the last time.

Ryan, Igor and Boris were still sleep in
SB-V
. Igor and Boris, although older than many of the crew had worked as hard outside next to Ryan carrying in the gold.

It took a few more hours before the crew began to wake, and water, food, and coffee was brewed for the crew in
SB-V
who looked like they had been overworked too long. Lunar was quite surprised that her father was rather calm and serene, drinking his coffee pouch. Nobody seemed worried that they might not get back to the blue planet.

“Dad, when are you going to tell us about your ideas to get us back to Nevada?” Lunar asked handing Maggie, and then her husband a pouch of hot coffee.

“Give Igor, Boris and I a few minutes to freshen up. I want to send a message to Pluto Katherine first, and then talk to Max, and Vitalily, and Mr. Jones while the message is on its way.

Lunar had done a daily report to Nevada. The loading of the gold, and delivery of crew and supplies into the new base had taken everybody else’s time. The team back on Earth were worried, and their computers had told them the same story the astronauts knew: that getting back to earth with the delay would be a problem.

Several minutes later a report was sent to Nevada, and Ryan got on the intercom. The intercom was an open channel between all ships and anybody only within 400,000 miles.

“
SB-V
to Martian Club Retreat, do you copy, over? Vitalily, are you or one of your crew on radio, over?”

“Retreat to SB-V, copied that, Patricia here. Vitalily is still sleep. Want me to get him, over?”

“Negative, let him sleep. He deserves some rest. Patricia how is the base, over.”

“As usual, nothing on radar. It is a nice morning down here, cameras working well, no sign of storms, but there is a wind out there. We will begin hauling in the topsoil later, and expect to close down two of the three shields as planned within ten days, over.”

“Remember, nothing, even the topsoil is to be left on the upper two levels. Thanks Patricia. Max you there at the new base, over?”

“Reading you loud and clear boss,”
replied Max.
“Patricia, how are you reading me, over?”

“Still very faint, but clear Max,”
replied Patricia.

“I could just hear you too,”
replied Max.
“Lookout Mountain must be up and running, but at minimum power. Maybe the relay’s solar panels need a few more days of sunlight to power up 100 percent, but at least we have comms. Boss, the crew here are pretty squashed, but we need to wait out the 60 hours VIN suggested to get a decent air pressure back into the rest of the base. The temporary space toilet is working well, some are actually sleeping in the cryogenic chambers. They say it is pretty comfortable, more comfortable than space blankets on the floor. All our beds are still in the cavern, so we will set up the base day after tomorrow. By the way several of the biologists collected water from the river before entering the globe room. The water here tastes far better than the water from the crater. Also Ruler Roo and Joanne want to name this new base Mattville. Mattville, Planet Mars, The Universe is our new address for the postal service when they get to space deliveries. Tell them we need a new zip code.”

That made all the crew listening in smile. Max continued.
“Tell Suzi that due to our water tasting, we should have a superior wine and beer supply for her, and Jonesy when they return, and we all hope that both of them change their minds about retirement and return to visit. Tell Suzi that the air from the base is leaking with the water into the underground cavern. She had asked me that question a few days ago. Also I have sent the exact atmosphere densities to your onboard computers. The air is still pretty deadly down there, and we will wear suits if or when we go down there, over.”

“Great job, Max,” replied Ryan. ‘We will be in contact again in 24 hours, out. Mr. Jones, you are awake since your name was mentioned I assume?”

“Max can be persuasive at times,”
Jonesy replied from
SB-III
.

“Have you thought about our plan to get home?” Ryan asked with the entire crew in space listening in. By now everybody was awake in the shuttles.

“Yes, and I think it will work, as long as I can have my wife back,” Jonesy replied.

“Of course, Commander Jones, we’ll ship Maggie priority mail as soon as the postal service gets out here to deliver our mail,” joked Ryan.

“A little sooner would be nice,”
remarked the Chief Astronaut.
“I’ve spent the last 12 hours doing an analysis of what you, Boris and Igor suggested. My computers state that we must transfer my fuel to the shuttles within the next 20 hours, and then I will have enough reserve fuel to complete a 12-minute full burn. That will change my direction 11 degrees in front of where you guys will reach your orbit of Earth. My fuel reserves will be enough for 300 hours of side thruster operation, good for 291 days of controlled flying. My forward speed will be steady at 51,000 knots and ETA Earth, is never. SB-III, and I, will miss Earth by 41 million miles on its first pass when you guys get there in 197 days’ time, and 13.77 million miles as it passes by my deceased body a year later. I am dry, was not offered one hundred cases of vodka like you promised that Russian Goat Vitalily, and have supplies for 243 days aboard.”

Lunar, who hadn’t heard the plan was shocked at what Jonesy reported.

“And you want me to climb board with you darling?”
laughed Maggie from
SB-IV
.
“You must be joking? Look at the bright side, you can last twice as long without me?”

“Well, I’m sure a quiet retirement alone in space would relax you, Dad,”
added Saturn sitting next to her mother.
“It will give you plenty of time to look for that space shark of yours.”

“Thank you ladies. Please allow the chief astronaut to continue with his report,” stated Ryan smiling.

“That is my report Boss, unless you want a detailed description of my upcoming death,”
Jonesy added and was quiet.

“Sounds like a good thriller. Boris and I, and a few others would love to watch that scene Mr. Jones,” joked Igor.

“Pluto Katherine to SB-V, Pluto Katherine from Astermine, Base Nevada for Ryan Richmond. Your return message over?”
came Ryan’s younger daughter’s scratchy voice over the radio from many millions of miles away. It was still a thrill for all the crew to once again have communications over such long distances, even though it took twenty minutes to reach Earth and return.
“We have completed your computer calculations given to us 10 hours ago. We are happy to state that the rendezvous of SB-I and SB-III is possible in 120 days’ time. SB-I will leave Earth’s orbit in 17 days. We have enough fuel on base to fill both cargo holds of SB-I and we agree to a return flight of 122 days from the refueling and resupply of SB-III to LSO on your numbers. Total flight time for SB-III, we calculate is 242 days, for your three shuttles: 178 days, for SB-I: 229 days. We suggest you need to make two changes, which will decrease total flight time for SB-III by 7.9 days to Earth LSO orbit. SB-III must only increase its deflection angle by 10.15 degrees, not 10.97 degrees, and a full 17-minute burn is needed to reach a forward speed of exactly 52,600 knots. We understand that your fuel flow will be in reserve guidelines, but we can have Astermine I ready at the Orbital station to give you guys a splash and go once you get close. I await your reply, out.”

“
SB-V
to Nevada Base. Message received and understood,” replied Ryan over the radio. “I will compute in your changes and will report back in 24 hours. Looking forward to seeing you and the kids soon. Say hi to hubby and the whole crew. We here all hope things on Earth are getting better. Tell Martin Brusk I need a meeting on our return. Love you Pluts, out.”

“Tell your daughter that I need Allen Saunders and Michael Pitt to fly SB-I, and bring a few bottles along for the ride. It’s certainly going to be a long ride home.”

“Thank you for volunteering, Mr. Jones,” replied Ryan smiling.

“Oh! That’s what you call being given orders”
joked Jonesy back, and the entire crew knew the new plan, and relaxed.

Chapter 11
 
Return to Earth

As planned, 90 percent of
SB-III’s
fuel aboard was split three ways between the other shuttles.

Six hours after the radio message
SB-V,
with VIN and Mars spacewalking outside, nosed up to within 30 feet above Jonesy’s cockpit. The father and son refueling team had already been outside for 15 minutes and had taken a 40-foot refueling hose with.

“It is beautiful up here spacewalking,”
Mars told the crew as they floated in deep space at 49,000 knots, and the red planet in all its glory could be seen beginning to look further away.

“You can’t believe how pretty the red planet looks from out here,”
VIN told the crew listening in.

“Mind that American space shark,”
stated Vitalily from The Martian Club Retreat, nearly 58,000 thousand miles below the two spacewalkers.

“Yes, I heard the space shark has a real taste for anybody named Jones,”
joked Max Von Braun from the new “Mattville”.

“Glad we are Noble fellows then,”
joked VIN screwing the hose to the fuel connection under
SB-V’s
right wing.

“Mattville? What’s wrong with you guys down there,”
quipped Jonesy not being done out of a few sarcastic remarks.
“Lunar take your bird up another 6 feet girl, you are too close. Max, Mattville for heaven’s sake. It sounds like a two-bit hick town in Kansas, or Mississippi. Even Maxville, or Rooville has a better ring to it, or even Little Washington? That would make Joanne right at home. I got it, how about a fancy name like “Washington on Mars”. That would bring all the rich snobs to visit and set up homes.”

“Thank you Mr. Jones smiled Ryan. When Jonesy really got going he was hard to stop. Lunar have you cleared the 6 feet from
SB-III
yet?”

“Done,” replied Lunar.
“VIN, how does it look from your angle?”

“Looks perfect Lunar, jet packing down to Jonesy now,”
was the reply.

“Max, at least you didn’t call it Vodkaville, or even Marscow, like Vitalily, Igor or Boris might have asked for,”
continued Jonesy cracking up in a happy mood while looking up through the cockpit window and waving at his partner.

“Shut up partner, keep your Cessna steady, I’m incoming and about to attach the hose now,”
ordered VIN, and seconds later the refueling began.

“There goes all my fuel. Remember, I wanted my wife and a bottle of something in payment for all this liquid hydrogen being stolen by my best friend of all people,”
added Jonesy.

Maggie spacewalked over to Jonesy from the other shuttle, helped by Mars and his jetpack ten minutes later.

The refueling had gone as planned with the three shuttles taking their allocations of fuel from Jonesy’s shuttle suggested by the scientists down in Nevada.

SB-III
burned first, and slowly moved forward at a slight angle away from the rest of the pack still in close formation, and only 100 feet apart. Many watched and waved through the cockpit windows as Jonesy and Maggie slowly accelerated as they changed direction. To Maggie, if she was going to be stranded in space, it would only be with her husband.

Jonesy completed his 17 minute burn, separate to the others and the lone shuttle headed away 10.15 degrees to starboard from the others. Earth was going to pass by in front of
SB-III
in a couple of months’ time, from left to right if they didn’t get a visit from Santa Claus.

Saturn gave the usual Jones-style reassuring verbal jokes as
SB-III
floated away in front of them on the radar screen.

An hour later and with Jonesy out sight, and a hundred miles off their directional path the three shuttles began a much longer 55-minute burn, which would get them up to their cruising speed to reach Earth, still 29 days late.

Nobody ever found out if there was illegal goods in the canister of emergency rations and water, which headed over on a short cord behind Maggie, but extremely bad singing could be heard from somewhere in space two days later when the pair was already 47,000 miles behind, and on a different angle of trajectory to the shuttles in formation.

VIN, sitting in
SB-V
and listening to the horrible noise, somebody might make when being eaten by a space shark, mentioned to the others that he had heard this type of pain before: on the first and second asteroid mining expeditions.

The three shuttles exited Jonesy’s radar three days later, but the radio communications were still clear.

Max reported in from the new base; the pressure had equalized and the crew were unpacking all the canisters and the new home was already looking better.

Vitalily complained that Mattville hadn’t been called a Russian name, like Jonesy had suggested, and said his base’s changes were running according to plan.