by Bob Blanton
“Okay,” Marc nodded his head. “So where are we with the hub?”
“We will finish extruding the exterior shell of the hub by Monday. We’ll immediately start on the inner shell, so it should be done before the end of next week,” Liz said. “I’ve been reviewing the way we’re planning to handle cargo, and based on that, ADI, Catie, and I have designed a docking ring we’d like to propose.”
“Go ahead,” Marc said.
“The main goal is to allow unloading of multiple Oryxes without blocking the main access to the hub. We don’t want cargo handling to get in the way of taking a new ship out of the manufacturing plant,” Liz said.
“That was bothering me,” Marc said. “I’m glad you’ve come up with a way around it.”
“The ring is designed so the Oryx can back into position. Then we can attach a docking clamp and extend a cargo jetway to it. It will seal against the Oryx so you can lower the rear door and unload cargo without losing pressure. It also has a tube that will extend to the crew access door so you can deplane without having to crawl through the cargo bay. We’ll have plumbing for pumping fluids from the Oryx into the station or vice versa. It requires a short EVA to attach, but it’s quick. The ring can accommodate eight Oryxes at a time, while still allowing full access to the center door into the hub.” Liz finished flipping through the slides, ending on the one showing eight Oryxes docked to the station while a Fox could be seen exiting via the main hub door.
“I like,” Marc said. “How long to make it?”
“We’ll start manufacturing as soon as we have approval. I estimate three weeks before it’s ready to attach. We’re essentially extruding a thirty-meter internal hub and then adding all the docking equipment. After that, we’ll add the magnetic coupling between the ring and the main hub. Passengers and crew will have to deplane through microgravity.”
“You have approval unless someone sees a problem.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“And what is this?” the president yelled, throwing photos of an Oryx on the table, followed by photos of the new floating airport.
“The plane looks like a C17,” Secretary Blackburn said.
“Unfortunately, it’s not,” Director Lassiter said. “It is similar, but we’ve tracked one doing Mach six. It’s possible that it can go faster, but it got out of range of our radar.”
“Why the hell would you need a supersonic cargo jet?”
“We don’t know.”
“And that?” the president asked, pointing to the floating airport.
“It’s what it looks like,” Director Lassiter said. “It’s a floating airport. They’ve been building it for a while. They just launched one of those cargo jets from it last night.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” yelled the president.
“It has been in the briefings,” Director Lassiter said.
“I don’t remember anything about an airport!”
“We didn’t know it was going to be an airport at first,” Director Lassiter said. “It looked like they were making parts to expand the city. It wasn’t until the last week that they started to attach them together. I suspect they were trying to hide the fact that they were building an airport.”
Admiral Michaels caught himself shaking his head. It was too late; the president saw him. “What Admiral?”
“Sorry, sir. I was wondering, wouldn’t they have needed permission from the government on Rarotonga to build the airport?” Admiral Michaels asked. He knew they’d asked for permission since he’d kept his asset in place despite the CIA taking over the surveillance operation.
“Well!” the president turned to the CIA Director.
The Director gaped at the president, “Sir I’m not aware of it, there may have been something about an airport, but they have one on Manuae. I would naturally have assumed it was about that.”
“I am surrounded by idiots,” the president thundered. “And you knew!” The president scowled at Admiral Michaels, his face red with anger.
“Sir, I’m just here to provide background. I’ve been told to leave the investigation work to the CIA.”
“And what do you think of this jet?” the president demanded.
“The only thing I can imagine is that they want to move perishable cargo,” Admiral Michaels said. “Maybe they want to go into the seafood export business.”
“You’re fired!” the president yelled.
“Fired?”
“Yes, as in you don’t work for the US government anymore. Now get out of here,” the president yelled. “I will not have people working for me who find it amusing when we are being stymied by some two-bit company. Or who don’t tell me everything they know when I ask a question.”
Chapter 16
Exodus
Admiral Michaels left the White House and made his way to his office. He knew he’d made a mistake with the comment about the jet, but he was just tired of the CIA being so incompetent. He had misjudged the president’s loyalty to Lassiter. The two of them went back a long way, but he thought the president was ready to hang his old friend, apparently not. He had only been trying to get the president riled up enough that he would light a fire under the CIA director. Well, he’d lit a fire alright, just under the wrong person. The president’s obsession with MacKenzie Discoveries and Marc McCormack was becoming a problem. Instead of finding ways to pull them into the US sphere of influence, his reactions were guaranteed to push them away. Eventually, that would hurt the US. He wasn’t a fan of the president, but he was dedicated to the US constitution and what it meant for the people and the country. Now he had to do the hardest thing he had ever done in his life, walk away in order to find a way to save his country from the current administration.
He picked up his car keys and a few personal items he still kept in his office; he left his office keys and White House pass on the desk, let his assistant know that he wouldn’t be back, and then walked out. He got into his car and drove toward his home in Alexandria, Virginia. He got off of the I-95 early and drove to Fort Ward Park. He parked at the visitor center, opened the trunk to the car, and pulled out the burner phone he kept in the wheel well beneath the spare tire. He then walked up Seminary Hill. During the walk, he took the opportunity to verify that he was not being followed. At the top of Seminary Hill, there were a few park benches, nobody was about at this time, so he settled down on one and dialed the number he’d memorized just two weeks before; he pressed star-six-seven to block the caller ID.
“Sloan Associates,” the woman answering the phone announced.
“Yes, may I speak with Ms. Sloan?” Admiral Michaels asked.
“May I say who’s calling?”
“Please tell her it’s an old friend of Marc, her boss.”
“Just a moment, please.”
“Marcie Sloan here,” Marcie said as she came on the line.
“Ms. Sloan, I’m an old acquaintance of Marc’s. I wonder if you could get a message to him.”
“I’d be happy to give you his number. It’s nine o’clock his time, so he’s probably in his office right now.”
“Thank you for telling me, but I really need you to send the message if you don’t mind.”
“Depending on the message, I can probably do that for you.” Marcie’s voice clearly showed her skepticism at the unusual request.
“Please tell him that the toy set he sent me was missing some Chinese soldiers and I need to speak to him about it,” Admiral Michaels said. “If he can call me the same way he did when he arranged for the delivery of the set, I would appreciate it.”
“I guess I can deliver that message,” Marcie said. “Toy set is missing some Chinese soldiers, to call you the same way he did when he arranged delivery.”
“Correct,” Admiral Michaels said. He set the phone down on the bench and leaned back to wait. It was only five minutes before the burner phone rang. He hadn’t been sure which phone Marc McCormack would use, but he wasn’t surprised that he used the burner phone.
“Hello,” he said as he answered the phone.
“Admiral Michaels,” Marc said. “Don’t worry, this call cannot be traced or listened in on. I see you’re in Fort Ward Park by your home.”
“I am.”
“How can I help you?”
“I was hoping I could do you a favor and maybe have you do one for me in return.”
“I would certainly consider it, sir.”
“I find myself unemployed and looking for a safe and quiet place for my family and me to spend a few months while I figure out what I want to do next,” Admiral Michaels said. “I understand you own some real-estate in just such an area.”
“I do, and I’d be happy to have you and your family come visit,” Marc said.
“I would really like that, but I’m a bit worried about transportation.”
“I can see that being a problem; we’re flying back and forth all the time. Just let me know a convenient location where we can have you picked up.”
“I would really appreciate that,” Admiral Michaels said. “Now if I were you, I’d be thinking the same thing about my friends and family. A few months in the sunshine with ocean breezes would do wonders for their health and safety.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Marc said. “Let me consider it, and I’ll get back to you about transportation.”
“I’ll be looking forward to your call.”
Marc hung up the phone, “Blake, Kal, we need to talk now!” Marc cut into their comms.
“On my way,” Kal replied.
“What’s up, bro?” Blake asked, sticking his head into Marc’s office.
“We’ve got a problem,” Marc said. “Come in and sit down.”
Blake sat down and looked at Marc expectantly. Marc smiled back but didn’t say anything.
“Talk to me,” Blake said.
“Let’s wait for Kal.” Marc closed his eyes and thought while he waited.
Two minutes later, Kal came running into the office. “What’s the problem?”
“I just got a call from Admiral Michaels,” Marc said. “Well, actually he asked Marcie to ask me to call him. He very carefully worded the request so it wouldn’t give anyone a hint who he was.”
“So, he’s worried about something,” Kal said.
“He’s looking for a safe place for his family, and he has suggested we do the same,” Marc said.
“Oh, he’s really worried about something,” Blake said.
“So, who do we need to pull in for a while?” Marc asked.
“I’d start with Linda,” Blake said, “add Marcie, and we should check with Sam.”
“You think we need to go that far?” Marc asked
“They’ve had spies looking at us, so they’re bound to have picked up on your relationship,” Blake said.
“Kal, how about you?”
“I think I’m okay,” Kal said. “My family would never leave Hawaii, and I’m not really high profile like you guys.”
“What about our parents?” Blake asked.
“Why don’t you call Mom and offer her a vacation down here,” Marc said. “I’ll talk to Linda and see if she wants to bring her parents.”
“And you’ll talk to Sam?” Blake asked.
“Yes, I’ll talk with Sam. Kal, talk to Liz, and see if she has someone she would like to bring out, tell everyone not to make any calls without talking to me first,” Marc said.
“Got it,” Blake said. “I wonder what has the admiral spooked.”
“He said he was unemployed,” Marc said.
“He didn’t say retired?” Blake asked.
“No, unemployed.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Kal said.
◆ ◆ ◆
By evening they’d made all the necessary arrangements. Samantha wanted to bring her sister out. She had just finished law school and was now studying for the bar. She had jumped at the offer of a few months, all expenses paid, vacation on the beach while studying. She would drive to Canada and fly out of Toronto for Jamaica where she would have a week to have fun before meeting up with Marc’s parents for a flight to Delphi City.
Linda wanted to bring her brother, her parents, and her boyfriend, Zane. Her brother and parents would visit her in San Diego in one week. While there, they would simply cross the border into Mexico and meet the plane at the airport in Tijuana. Her grandparents refused to leave Boston. They actually thought it might be exciting to have the FBI pull them in for questioning.
Admiral Michaels would also travel to San Diego with his family for a long-deserved vacation. They’d visit Mexico and meet the plane in Tijuana.
Marc’s and Blake’s parents would book a flight to Jamaica for a vacation at a resort there. They would be picked up right after they landed and continue on to Delphi City with Samantha’s sister.
Liz’s younger brother was visiting her parents in Hawaii. He would take a flight to Auckland the next day. Once there, he would spend some time deciding whether he wanted to stay there or come to Delphi City.
Marcie already had a flight scheduled for the end of the week. She was heading to a trade show in Germany. It was decided she would go ahead and attend the show, but then come to Delphi City afterward. She would take her two children with her to the show, which wasn’t unusual since school was out.
Chapter 17
Board Meeting – Aug 5th
“Meeting will come to order,” Marc said. “First, I’ll update everyone on the status of our families. We have a plan that gets everyone out of the US within the next week. We’ll bring most here to Delphi City, while others are considering whether they would rather stay in New Zealand or Australia. Our analysis and discussion with Admiral Michaels indicate that these locations should be safe. Of course, ADI can give you an update on the status of your relatives at any time.
“Sam, do you have anything to share?”
“Of important note, Mexico has authorized a Lynx landing in Tijuana and wants us to bring one for them to evaluate before they fully certify it,” Samantha said. “This is great news for those of you picking up your families and friends in Tijuana since you’ll be able to make the trip quickly. It is also great news for future certification efforts; it will put tremendous pressure on the US to certify the Lynx since if they don’t, most of their high-end tourist travel will be exiting and entering the US via the Rodriguez international airport in Mexico. You can access that airport without having to technically leave the US.”
“I like hearing that,” Blake said. “It would be nice to be able to just hop over to New England for some lobster or a clam bake.”
Samantha laughed, “And on a more serious note, we are on target to open the clinic in Tijuana. It should open on the twelfth.”
“That’s good timing; it’ll make our trip out there look like a business trip,” Marc said. “Blake, construction?”
“We have the condos ready and furnished for our relatives. So hopefully that all goes smoothly, or I’ll be hearing about it from Mom,” Blake said. Then he signaled Masina, Marc’s admin, and she came into the room rolling a cart with a couple of bottles of Champagne and glasses.
“The airport is now officially open, and all Oryx traffic has been moved to it. I’m sure all of you whiners will want to toast its opening and the start of quiet nights in Delphi City.”
“Okay,” Marc said. “We’ll take a fifteen-minute break while everyone grabs a glass and toasts Blake for finally getting that airport open.”
“Killjoy,” Blake retorted.
“I try, I try,” Marc laughed.
After everyone had a chance to make a few toasts about the airport, Marc brought the meeting back to order. “Fred, how are we doing with our lift brigade?”
“I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear that Jason’s vision has been restored and he has rotated into the Oryx flying brigade. We have the fifth Oryx ready for test flights, and it should be in the rotation before the end of the week. When it joins the rotation, we will be lifting a
pproximately eighteen hundred metric tons of material per day into orbit. And in three weeks, we will be lifting almost three thousand metric tons per day.”
“Liz, is that going to keep you on schedule?” Marc asked.
“Definitely,” Liz said. “We’ve been consuming raw material faster than the deliveries up to now, eating into our reserves to keep everything moving. But if Fred’s schedule holds, we’ll start building a reserve again. And we’ll need it once we start to make the rings.”
“Great planning, Liz. Our reserve here is holding out. Our latest shipment arrived last week so we should have enough to last until we can start accessing the asteroids. Anything else, Liz?” Marc asked.
“Dr. Zelbar has scheduled time on one of the Oryxes to run a test on his clear polysteel process,” Liz added.
“That is great! If it works, we can start exporting that material,” Fred said. “A glass that is as strong as steel and lighter than glass is pretty unique. It’d be nice to be sending the Oryxes down with cargo instead of empty.”
“That’s Catie’s and your problem,” Liz said, referring to the fact that Catie had taken responsibility for balancing the Oryxes’ load between the station and Delphi City. “We finished extruding the outer shell of the hub, and the inner shell should be finished by the end of the week. We’re waiting for those monstrous magnetic bearings so we can slide the inner can into place and add the docking ring.”
“Kal, security?”
“Word back from Wellington is that our police cadets are doing well, I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Kal said. “I just had our sonar net recalibrated to make sure we’ll catch anything trying to sneak by. We’ll be running drills all week to test the perimeter defenses. We identified a few issues last week, so we’re rerunning them.”
“Excellent,” Marc said. “Now I’d like to discuss some priorities for licensing our technology, which is especially acute, giving the current tensions. The first candidate would be the polysteel process. Liz, you were looking into that, what did you find?”
