Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) (35 page)

(Sen. Fairchild) “Mr. Grey, I’m not going to waste my time
mincing words with you, we both know full well this is just a ridiculous
publicity stunt and, Madam Chairman, I again raise my objection to the
Committee wasting its valuable time with this nonsense. As it happens, Madam
Chairman, I have another hearing scheduled at this time and must depart. And I
will, as previously noted, be submitting legislation to put a stop to this
foolishness. This government cannot afford to have unqualified civilian
amateurs that win the lottery venturing off into space, probably killing
themselves and others. This kind of thing needs to be left to the professionals
at NASA with appropriate Congressional oversight, and that’s all there is to
it.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you, Senator, your position is duly
noted. Senator Vance.”

(Sen. Vance) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Captain Grey, not
all of us agree with Senator Fairchild.”

(Capt. Grey) “Thank you, Senator. I’m pleased to hear that.”

(Sen. Vance) “I don’t mean to put you on the spot, Captain,
but I am curious. Forgive me, I’m not entirely sure how to word this in a
politically correct manner but, except for you, your crew is entirely composed
of young women. Not that I have anything against that. As a woman, I’m
delighted to see it. But, why?”

(Capt. Grey) “It’s just the way it worked out, Senator. When
I began searching for a crew, I had three fundamental requirements. First,
candidates had to possess the requisite education, knowledge, and skills and be
in good health. Second, they had to be someone I felt could get along with me
and the other crewmembers for a very long time in very cramped quarters. And
third, and most importantly, they had to have the courage, determination and
intestinal fortitude to undertake the mission. So there is nothing mysterious
about my crew selection, Senator, it’s just the way it is. I chose the best
people for the job, it’s as simple as that.”

(Sen. Vance) “One giant leap for womankind?”

(Capt. Grey) “I suppose you could say that, Senator. But
nevertheless, I intend to be the first to put footprints on Mars.”

(Sen. Vance) “Of course. Dr. Lú, is it true that there is
evidence to suggest that women adapt better than men to long periods in space?”

(Dr. Lú) “There is some anecdotal evidence to that effect,
Senator, but it’s far from conclusive. And whatever difference may exist is
hardly worth noting. The one exception to that, though it may just be a
statistical anomaly, the jury is still out, is microgravity induced
intracranial hypertension, which can result in both short- and long-term
optical abnormalities; that is, various degrees of deterioration in visual
acuity. Evidence to date seems to suggest that this issue is more prevalent in
men, but it is also more pronounced as age increases. This being the case,
certainly Captain Grey would be at greater risk than the rest of us. Still,
evidence collected to date by NASA from ISS astronauts is far from conclusive.”

(Sen. Vance) “I see. Doctor, I have heard that in the worst
case this can cause blindness. Is that a risk all of you are willing to take?”

(Dr. Lú) “Though it is possible that in the extreme one
could experience retinal detachment, and subsequent blindness, that has not
been observed in studies of more than 300 astronauts whom have spent lengthy
periods in space. Indeed, the Russian cosmonaut,
Sergei Krikalev
,
has spent 803 days in space, and he can still see quite well. We simply view
this issue as one item on a very long list of items that we intend to research.
Let’s go see. And if, upon our return, we all have to join Dr. Frederick and
wear glasses, it seems a small price.”

(Sen. Vance) “Thank you, Doctor. Commander Nolan, you were a
Navy pilot?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Yes ma’am.”

(Sen. Vance) “What type of aircraft did you fly?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “F/A-18E Super Hornet.”

(Sen. Vance) “You were a fighter pilot?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Senator, the Hornet is not merely a
fighter, it is a multipurpose combat aircraft capable of both ground attack and
aerial engagement.”

(Sen. Vance) “Did you ever deploy with an operational
squadron?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Yes, ma’am, twice. 2003 and 2005 to the
Persian Gulf.”

(Sen. Vance) “2003? You participated in Operation Iraqi
Freedom?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Yes, ma’am.”

(Sen. Vance) “In what capacity?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “I flew strike, ground support and air
intercept missions.”

(Sen. Vance) “Did you ever release ordinance?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Yes ma’am, I did. A lot of it.”

(Sen. Vance) “Thank you Commander, and the nation thanks you
for your service. Dr. Frederick… excuse me, doctor, Commander Nolan, one more
question, just out of curiosity: What was your call sign?”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “Bitch.”

(laughter)

(Sen. Vance) “You’re kidding!”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “No ma’am. One day in air combat school, I
was flying an intercept mission against one of my classmates and got on his
tail and wouldn’t let go. And he made the mistake of keying his radio just as
he said, ‘I can’t shake the bitch.’ And it just stuck. It was okay with me, it
always made a good first impression.”

(laughter)

(Sen. Vance) “In the aftermath of the Tailhook scandal I'm
rather surprised to hear the Navy would permit that.”

(Lt. Cmdr. Nolan) “It took the better part of ten years
following Tailhook, but eventually order was restored. Honestly, Senator, a
great many servicewomen objected vehemently to the use of our gender by certain
Navy and government officials as an excuse to emasculate Naval tradition. I am
a woman, but first and foremost I am a Naval Aviator. I

am not someone's 14-year-old daughter going on her first
date, and I don't need a bunch of old men looking after me. I'm perfectly
capable of taking care of myself, Senator.”

(Sen. Vance) “I have no doubt of that, Commander. Dr.
Frederick, your academic titles are very impressive, but have you ever worked
in the aerospace industry? I mean no offense, but given your position as chief
engineer, are you confident that you possess the experience necessary for such
a daunting challenge?”

(Dr. Frederick) “Senator, while at Caltech I interned at
both JPL, working on the MSL cruise stage, and Goldstone. Otherwise, no, my
current position with Grey Aerospace is it.”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, rest assured, Dr. Frederick is
eminently qualified to handle the task at hand. If she were not, I would not
have hired her.”

(Sen. Vance) “I’m sorry, I did not mean to imply… thank you,
all of you.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you. Senator Lascombe.”

(Sen. Lascombe) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Mr. Grey, it was
mentioned earlier that you anticipate the need for launch facilities at Kennedy
and the Cape and of the DSN. Is that correct?”

(Capt. Grey) “Well, yes, Senator. We have to launch from
somewhere, and there is only one Deep Space Network.”

(Sen. Lascombe) “And you anticipate paying for these
services?”

(Capt. Grey) “Excuse me, Senator? Launch facilities fees to
NASA are included in the contract costs with the launch providers. Both ULA and
SpaceX, for example, already have their own facilities and pads at the Cape.
Are you suggesting I should pay for these facilities twice?”

(Sen. Lascombe) “Well, Mr. Grey, you’re asking an awful lot
from facilities that belong to the people.”

(Capt. Grey) “But Senator, they’ve already been paid for,
they already exist, employees already work there and this is what they do. And
the launch providers already pay for leased space at these facilities. How many
times do I have to pay for the same thing?”

(Sen. Lascombe) “But Mr. Grey, you are a very wealthy man
and you are taking advantage of the American people’s generosity and providing
nothing in return.”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, when I won the lottery last year, the
IRS took $135 million in income tax before I ever saw a dime! What is it that
you want? The rest?”

(Sen. Lascombe) “Madam Chairman, I have no further
questions.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you. Senator Landers?”

(Sen. Landers) “Thank you Madam Chairman. Captain Grey,
amongst your many military decorations are the Navy Cross and Purple Heart. Is
that correct?”

(Capt. Grey) “Yes sir.”

(Sen. Landers) “Might I ask how you received these
decorations?”

(Capt. Grey) “You already know that sir.”

(Sen. Landers) “Yes, I do. But would you please enlighten
the rest of the people in this chamber?”

(Capt. Grey) “If you wish. I was an EOD – Explosive
Ordinance Disposal – team leader in Kuwait in 1991, during the oil well fires.
Our mission was to dispose of unexploded ordinance and booby traps left by the
Iraqis so that fire fighters could extinguish the hundreds of wellhead fires.
At one site, one of my team members and I… goofed. We overlooked a very well
concealed booby trap, and it exploded, severely injuring my team member.”

(Sen. Landers) “And yourself?”

(Capt. Grey) “Yes sir.”

(Sen. Landers) “Please continue, Captain.”

(Capt. Grey) “Not much else to tell, sir. I hoisted the man
over my shoulder, carried him back to our vehicle, and drove to a medical aid
station.”

(Sen. Landers) “You are much too modest, Captain. Yourself
severely injured, you carried him in the blackest of black nights, with flaming
wellheads in every direction as far as the eye could see… across 200 yards of
antitank minefield, did you not?”

(Capt. Grey) “Yes sir.”

(Sen. Landers) “And did this man survive?”

(Capt. Grey) “Yes sir, he did.”

(Sen. Landers) “Captain, I wonder if we might have his name
for the Congressional Record?”

(Capt. Grey) “
Master Chief Explosive Ordinance
Disposal Technician Garland Stewart, United States Navy, Retired.”

(Sen. Landers) “Captain, I cannot find the
words to adequately apologize for the disrespect shown you today by some
members of this committee. God bless you sir. Madam Chairman, I have nothing
further.”

(Sen. Stoddard) “Thank you, Senator. And, Captain Grey, I
thank you for your service, from a grateful nation. Senator Marshall?”

(Sen. Marshall) “Mr. Grey, you and your crew are an
impressive bunch, I’ll give you that much. And you certainly seem to know what
you are talking about. Still, I’m inclined to agree with Sen. Fairchild; I
think you are way out of your league. If this body finds it necessary to
restrain you from making a foolish mistake, I trust you will understand that it
is in the best interests of the public and not a personal issue.”

(Capt. Grey) “Senator, I understand that Congress will do
whatever it feels it has to do. And I would hope that, come what may, you will
likewise understand that I will do whatever I have to do to see this mission
through to completion.”

(Sen. Marshall) “What are you suggesting, Mr. Grey?”

(Capt. Grey) “Dr. Lú, if you would be so kind.”

(Dr. Lú) “Of course.
如果美
国政府决定站在我们的方式，我们将寻求更多合作的政府。坦率地说，我们不是所有的特别。我们都已做好准备来行使各种选项。
”

(Sen. Marshall) “Excuse me?”

(Capt. Grey) “Thank you. Ms. Mallory, if you would?”

(Ms. Mallory) “Si le gouvernement américain décide de se
dressent sur notre chemin, nous chercherons un gouvernement plus coopératif.
Franchement, nous ne sommes pas tout ce que particulières. Nous sommes bien
préparés à exercer une variété d'options.”

(Capt. Grey) “Very kind. Dr. Frederick, if you please.”

(Dr. Frederick) “Если
правительство
Соединенных
Штатов
принимает
стоять на
нашем пути,
мы будем добиваться
более
активного
сотрудничества
правительства.
Откровенно
говоря мы не
все, что
особое. Мы
также готовы
осуществить целый
ряд
вариантов. Or if you
prefer, Förenta staternas regering beslutar att stå på vårt sätt, att vi söka
en mer samarbetsinriktad regering. Ärligt talat, vi är inte så särskilt. Vi är
väl förberedda att utöva en mängd olika alternativ.”

(Sen. Marshall) “Thank you for the linguistic demonstration
Mr. Grey but what is your point?”

(Capt. Grey) “As your Mandarin, French, Russian, and Swedish
are apparently a bit rusty, Senator, I’ll translate. If the United States
government decides to stand in our way, we will seek a more cooperative
government. Frankly, we’re not all that particular. And, as you may surmise, we
are well prepared to exercise a variety of options.”

(Sen. Marshall) “I see. Mr. Grey, is that a threat? This
is
the United States Senate.”

(Capt. Grey) “I am perfectly aware of where I am, Senator.
And, no, it is not a threat, merely a statement of fact. If the United States
government decides to bury our mission under bureaucracy, we’ll just find
another government that is more interested in exploration and discovery than
red tape and political cronyism. This mission will go forward, and that’s all
there is to it. To paraphrase General Patton, Senator, either lead, follow, or
get out of the way!”