Rocket! An Ell Donsaii story #4) (24 page)

The people in the room glanced at one another and several rolled their eyes. Then Ben said, “Armstrong has a couple of brothers ready to go. We’ve named them Buzz and Collins so that we have the first three letters of the alphabet
and
the full crew of the first moon mission. They have bigger specimen containers and their collection arms have little electromagnetic jackhammers on them to chip off specimens. For the Mars mission we want to send back some of the polar ice. John already picked a near earth approach asteroid, 2021 MG12, that’s expected to pass close to earth next year. If a specimen looked promising, it might be worth trying to divert it into earth orbit for mining.

Rob said, “Amelia is ready to go up for another trial run as soon as the other Lear Jet returns with the replacement motors for the ailerons. Should be sometime tonight, so we should be able to launch again in the morning.

As the meeting broke up Ell touched Fred on the arm, “Hey Fred, I do appreciate what you were saying about me there. But really I’m just someone who’s been extraordinarily lucky with a few guesses in physics. I’m not
actually
irreplaceable like you implied.”

Fred stared at her for a moment, then in a husky voice said, “I think the human race
needs
someone as lucky as you then.”

To her surprise Ell realized his eyes were glistening. “Hey, Fred…”

He put a hand on her shoulder as his throat labored for a moment. Finally he said, “Working with you has been an honor and a, a, privilege. I hope to brag about it to my grandchildren someday.”

Ell found a frog in her own throat, “Thank you for—for what you’re saying. I don’t believe I deserve it, but I truly appreciate the sentiment.”

***

“Buzz” had been launched on its journey to asteroid 2021 MG12 and “Collins” had been launched to Mars. Ell had installed her modified circuits on the ports on Collins to allow it to reach 150km/sec. Since Mars wasn’t very far from Earth at present Collins could make the trip in six days. Allan was flying Collins so others wouldn’t be aware of the speed it was achieving, at least until someone tried to replicate the feat someday. She hoped no one would think to calculate how long it
should
take Collins to reach Mars. It would be landing sometime around their 1 week deadline for going public.

Ell and Roger were on their way to look at Roger’s mice and bee colony when Allan said, “You have a call from the President.”

Roger was surprised to see Ell stop and come to attention. “Yes sir,” she said.

President Teller said, “Ms. Donsaii, I’ve been approached to help broker another deal like I did between PGR Comm and the existing telecomm industries. I’ve been informed, and my advisers agree, that your new ‘port’ technology threatens to produce huge upheavals in the space and satellite launch industries like it did in telecomm?”

“Yes sir. Probably some other industries as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes sir. This tech should result in significant changes in the delivery of liquid or gaseous commodities currently transported by pipeline and ship. The obvious ones are oil, natural gas and fresh water from areas of abundance to areas of scarcity. The Navy should want this technology for submarine supply, perhaps for surface ships. The Air Force could keep planes in the air indefinitely. In fact, probably all aircraft should be supplied with fuel by ‘port’ so that they don’t have to lift all that fuel into the air. I could go on?”

For the first time in his life President Teller felt his own eyes “goggling.” He cleared his throat, “Uh, OK. But back to the purpose of this call. David Dennison, CEO of ILX tells me that he has attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate with you for a license?”

Ell restrained herself from hissing. She’d been talking to the police about how to go about charging someone like Dennison. She said “One of Mr. Dennison’s minions, a Mr. Manfred Phelps did call about ‘purchasing’ the technology, yes sir.”

Teller thought that the term “minion” sounded a little prejudicial but decided to push on. “I was hoping that you might be willing to join myself and Mr. Dennison here in Washington sometime in the next few days so that I could attempt to ‘broker’ a renegotiation?”

After a pause, she said, “I’d be happy to negotiate and to have you mediate. However, NASA has given us a six-day deadline to go public and I am very heavily committed to achieving certain goals prior to that deadline. My AI tells me that the best time to fly up to D.C. would be late tomorrow afternoon?”

“One moment… Yes that would be fine.”

“May I make a couple of conditions?”

“Such as?”

“I would like to have the ILX board or at least a majority of it present as well?”

“Okaay…” Teller said, wondering why the CEO wouldn’t be enough. He shrugged, s
he has the whip hand. Dennison’ll just have to lean on his board to be there.

“And I feel like it would only be fair to invite some of ILX’s competitors to such a meeting as well?”

Oh ho!
Teller chortled to himself,
Dennison is gonna be pissed! But he’s going to have to give and take if he wants to get his hands on this tech.
Teller nodded, “That seems acceptable in the light of trying to prevent upheavals in the industry. Would three thirty be acceptable?”

“Yes sir.”

“I’ll expect you here at the White House then. Directions for getting through security will be sent to your AI. I’m also going to ask Chip Horton and some of my economic advisers to video conference with you about these ‘other upheavals’ you spoke of?”

“Yes sir. Perhaps Defense Secretary Amundsen also? But could those conferences wait until the next week after we’ve gone public?”

“Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The President disconnected, then stared at the ceiling a moment before asking his AI to set up a video conference with Horton and Amundsen.

Ell said, “Allan, please make a reservation for me and the on duty security team for a flight to D.C. tomorrow that will arrive by at least 2:30.”

Allan said “OK.”

Roger said, “Why aren’t you using your Lear Jet?!”

Ell stopped in her tracks. She’d completely forgotten the Lear Jet! She grinned at Roger, “You mean the company’s Lear Jet?”

Roger rolled his eyes.

Allan said, “You’ll have to fly out of RDU at 11:30 in the morning to make D.C. in time.”

Ell cringed, she wanted to be here at D5R to watch Amelia’s flights with the team tomorrow! “Allan, is the Lear Jet busy tomorrow?” She chewed her lip.

“No. But we’d need to fly it back from the Bahamas this evening to allow for crew rest.” Allan said.

“OK,” she rolled her eyes, feeling terribly frivolous, “we’ll take
it
to D.C. tomorrow.”

The mice and bees all seemed healthy. Roger expressed concern that he wasn’t all that great at taking care of such animals. He worried that some of them might die from poor care rather than the effects of going through a port.

Ell suggested that he call the pet store and see if they had anyone he could “outsource” the animal care to.

Walking back Ell heard Allan say, “You have a call from NASA Director Epaulding.”

“Put him on. Yes Director Epaulding?”

“Hello Ms. Donsaii. I’m calling about the public announcement of D5R’s role in the rescue of the Space station.”

“Yes sir?”

“That video clip you sent me. Was that… was that doctored video? Or was it really from another landing at the first Lunar landing site?”

“Oh! That wasn’t a manned landing sir. It was just filmed by one of our small rockets.”

“Just filmed by a small rocket!”
he thought to himself,
My God, she says it like anyone could have done it.
“Uh, so—so far you’ve sent a mission to the Space Station and, and to the
Moon
?”

“Yes sir.”

“Is there anything
else
we’ll need to be announcing?”

“Sir, that depends on exactly when you decide to make the announcement. We’ll have one of our little rockets landing on an asteroid sometime this week. And late Sunday morning we’ll be landing a small rocket on Mars. We’re planning to land at the South Pole to collect some ice but could land somewhere else if some of your scientists would prefer?”

Epaulding felt like someone had just kicked him. He’d been walking to a meeting while talking to Ell but suddenly turned into an empty room and sat down. Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his knees and his forehead on his hands. He said, “Anything else?”

“Well, if you’ve got the CRV nozzle back from ILX, I was thinking we could take it up, plus perhaps any new astronauts you’re wanting to send up, make the announcement from the Station, and return with any astronauts that are due to return?”

Epaulding sat, stunned, contemplating the enormity of the changes that had just arrived in his world as director of NASA.

“Director? Are you still there?”

Epaulding shook his head. “Yes, Ms. Donsaii,” he sighed, “I’m still here. How many flights has your modified Lear Jet made into space?”

“It just took off on its second one sir. Our only issue with the first one was the boiling off of vacuum unsuitable lubricant that hadn’t been adequately replaced on two of the aileron motors. But we do want to make several more unmanned flights into orbit before we trust it to fly any people. I’ll be going on that first manned flight, so I’ll want to be pretty confident that it’s going to be OK.”

Epaulding closed his eyes. “Ms. Donsaii, I get the impression that you are the ‘brain trust’ of D5R. Are your investors really going to approve your taking a jaunt into space?!”

“Um, yes sir. The investors are OK with it.”

“OK…” he said heavily, “how about if we send a couple of experienced aviator-astronauts down to your island to inspect your air… er, spacecraft and watch some of the unmanned flights. Then we can decide whether
we
believe it to be safe as well? Perhaps we might be able to use some astronauts that are due for a rotation to the Station at the same time. I’ll have to check.”

“That would be great sir.” Ell said brightly. “Might I request one of your inexperienced astronauts as well?”

Epaulding blinked several times, “Why?”

“Personal favor, sir. Lieutenant Phillip Zabrisk has recently begun his basic astronaut training, but he’s a friend who’s always wanted to go to space. I’d like to be part of his achieving his dream early.”

“But, but he’d be virtually untrained!”

“Pardon sir, but so am I. Flying up in Amelia will be much like a long airplane flight. Well, except for the weightlessness of course. It would, of course, be great to have some experienced people along too.”

Chapter Six

Ell and five of her security team trotted across the tarmac at the RDU airport to D5R’s Lear Jet. With them, bouncing excitedly, came Mikey and Janey and their mother Amy. When Amy found out they were taking their private Lear Jet to D.C. in the summer she had decided it was prime time for a field trip with her kids and boss.

On arrival in DC Amy and her kids headed to the Smithsonian while Ell and her team took taxis to the White House. Amy had arranged a limo, but Steve cancelled it, feeling that it was more secure, at least as concerned kidnappings, to take a random taxi than a pre arranged limo.

At the White House there was some confusion over the arrival of guests by taxi, but after some checking of IDs, Ell was admitted and her security team given a place to wait.

When she arrived in the conference room the table was moderately well populated with people in suits. To her surprise, many of them were asking one another if they knew the purpose of the meeting. No one seemed to know who she was, though several narrowed their eyes as if thinking that she looked familiar. However, they may have just been wondering what a teenager was doing at the meeting.

Eventually the President entered with David Dennison. Their entry together concerned Ell. She wondered how much cronyism it indicated. Dennison’s eyes flashed angrily around the room at his competitors.

Ell had led the rise of the roomful of people to their feet when the President entered and he looked at her and nodded, “Please be seated,” he said, looking around the room. “I appreciate your willingness to attend this meeting of aerospace industry representatives upon my request. Especially, I appreciate your coming without more foreknowledge of the topic to be discussed and for agreeing to keep it confidential until next week.”

The people at the table glanced at one another questioningly.

Teller said, “As you will recall, a company called PGR Comm recently released new communication chips onto the market that threatened to result in calamitous upheavals in the communication industry and in the financial markets as a whole. My administration and I were able to ‘calm the troubled seas’ as it were, by bringing together the industry’s major players and brokering a licensing deal that has allowed many of the involved companies to survive and prosper, rather than being overwhelmed by a competitor who had a crushing technological edge.

“What you likely do
not
realize, is that a similar sea change is about to occur in your own industry. A very small company by the name of D5Research actually launched the rescue of the International Space Station during the recent ‘perfect storm’ of problems it had.

“D5R accomplished this feat after developing a revolutionary new technology that is going to upend the space launch industry just as substantively as the PGR chips did telecomm.”

Startled looks had broken out around the room though no one appeared to be panicked yet.

Teller turned to Ell, “Ms. Donsaii here represents D5R. Would you mind giving us a brief summary of the capabilities of D5R’s new technology please?”

Ell felt the eyes of the room turning to focus on her as she rose to her feet. She could almost hear their thoughts as they wondered why D5R hadn’t sent someone with more seniority to a meeting at the White House. She cleared her throat, “Thank you Mr. President. D5R has developed a means to create small ‘ports’ or ‘wormholes’ through the 5th dimension from one location in our 3D universe to another. The two ends of the wormhole must both be defined by a quantum entangled device which we have developed. Although it is theoretically possible to open large portals, large portals require extremely large energy inputs. Thus we have focused on small portals. These have enabled us to fuel small rockets that have been able to ascend to orbit. For those of you who haven’t had time to consider the possibilities it may not be obvious that the huge rockets we use currently are
only
necessary because of the need to launch fuel for the rest of the flight. With our ability to ‘port fuel’ to the rocket it doesn’t need to lift the huge tanks that are currently necessary. More recently we’ve been able to fuel a craft large enough to transport eleven people to orbit in this fashion. In addition we have been able to supply the International Space Station with oxygen, water and food through such ports since the time that our first small rocket arrived there…” Ell paused as the room exploded in exclamations, expletives, and vehement denials of the possibility that this could be true. With some amusement she heard someone muttering “pipe dream.”