One Giant Leap

by Keith Martin

  “Done, I’ll meet you at suit up and we can go on from there.” He offered. He didn’t think she heard him. The line was dead. He just smiled and asked a tech to fetch the equipment she would need for him. Once he had it in hand, he went to find her.

  They found Shianne inspecting the thruster bell and the propulsion systems on The Seeker. She had a small team with her and it looked as if she was preparing to remove the thruster bell assembly.

  “Hi Hackett, Fred, what’s cooking?” Shianne greeted them.

  “Downloading the main frame on this Seeker satellite, where do we find the access panel?” Hackett asked.

  “It’s just under the ship, right behind the cradle strap. It should be no problem to get to.” She answered with a smile looking to Fred and wondering why he was allowing Hackett to take the lead. But she rolled with it. Fred was right at her side and watching over her like a bear watching a cub. “I hear you’re a member of the team now?”

  “It looks like it. But Fred wants me to stay in school and practice on simulators instead of working and piloting. It’s like I have a father or something.” She teased the General with her response.

  He tried to look hurt and scolded. “I’m right here. I can hear everything your saying. Now get to work, or go to class. Make a choice?”

  Hackett joined Shianne and her crew as they all giggled at the Generals playacting.

  Shianne showed the panel to Hackett and left her to her work. It only took a few minutes to get it all figured out and downloaded into the laptops memory.

  Before they took off Shianne gave them the grand tour of the ship. It was massive for its time, a full fifty-two feet long and fourteen feet wide. Its brain, cameras and primitive sensors where all stuffed into its nose cone. The body of the ship was one big fuel tank. Shianne even showed them where exterior tanks had been attached. And she told them of the slight damage they had found. Just nicks from meteoroids as it passed through space on the voyage it had taken. They thanked her for the information, and then said their goodbyes.

  As they walked to the Generals office he asked. “So what did you get from it?”

  “Photos and navigation coordinates.” It looks like it took a very long trip. But I’m not sure yet. I will have to download the information into the base main frame first. Then I will be able to crunch the data and give you what you’re looking for, just give me an hour tops.”

  * * *

  The General sat by while Hackett worked on The Seekers memory. She didn’t say a thing for a while, and then began to make all kinds of little noises. It had started to bug him when she finally gave him the report.

  “It was seeking a habitable planet Fred. It flew out past Pluto and kept on going. It will take me a while to give you more than that. The amount of information is vast. It will take hours just to scroll through the photos it has stored.”

  21 A Man is Offered His Chair

  The N.W.G. monthly meeting was about to convene. The Chairs where taking their seats and there was an obvious absence of a Master Chair. The recorder stood and called the assembly to order. As everyone quieted down she started. “I am Doreen Boggs. I am your Meeting Recorder. As you all know we have had to retire the Master Chair after our last meeting. She is now a farmer in upstate New York. She is being watched and she will not be allowed to retain a position of power again.”

  The chamber erupted in applause at this news. The few that had applauded the retired Master Chair’s plans were very silent.

  As it quieted down, Doreen continued. “We must vote in a new Master Chair today. We will also be welcoming the new Chair from the Moon, and our only male member, Chair Otto Chisholm from SMB.”

  Otto was waiting for this cue. He was dressed in his finest tuxedo and he was sitting in the main hanger with G-1 freshly polished gleaming behind him. There was no Chair representing the Moon. The Moon was never invited nor did anyone on the Moon think of taking a Chair of office and dealing in the affaires of state on Earth.

  Chair Linda from California sat at his side. She had suggested that Otto request a Chair at the N.W.G. She reminded him that she was in his arms now, not on the phone or chatting on the laptop from Earth, so the affairs of Earth needed to be shared with the Moon and the flow of supplies between Earth and the Moon would need someone in Command.

  She offered him the use of her support staff to assist in all on Earth business that would need to be done hands-on. With Jill’s help they convinced him that he being married to a Chair made him the natural candidate for a Chair.

  Chair Linda’s support staff was representing her by being in place at her station and connected to her via laptops sending her a live feed from her perspective from her Chair on Earth. A Chair was placed next to Chair Linda’s and both held screens with Linda and Otto’s faces in real time for all to see that they were present for this meeting.

  “Thank you all for inviting me to join your ranks. It will be a pleasure to serve with all of you for the sake of mankind. I’m sure you know by now that I have married Chair Linda from California.”

  Again they applauded this news and it was minutes before he could continue.

  “I do not wish to ever be thought of as a man looking for power. This is not in my mind. I only wish to serve the women of Earth and mankind to the best of my ability and will work every waking hour to save our race. I will not make demands upon this body, nor will I ever try to take control of it. I have enough on my plate here on the Moon without trying to chew that plate full too. We are all in this together and together we will find what we need to assure mankind makes it into the future. Again, thank you for welcoming me to be a part of this process. I am truly honored.” He was going to stop right there; then he added like the proud Papa he was. “And Chair Linda is with child, as is our wife Jill.”

  A cheer went up and the recorder had to gavel it quiet again so that she could continue. “Do I hear any nominations for the position of Master Chair?”

  The chamber remained silent. None wanted to be remembered as the one who nominated if the Master Chairs power again got out of control.

  “I, the Chair from the Moon have a nomination. If I may be so bold I believe I have the right woman for the job and due to her reluctance to seek power I know she will do a fantastic job for us all?”

  “This body recognizes the Chair from the Moon.” The recorder called out.

  “I think it is time for a Master Chair who will not want the job at all. A woman who we all know will do this job well and only with our best interests at heart. A woman who has no desire for power or thoughts of creating tensions between Earth and the Moon, A commanding woman that will know how to use the power of this office to help all of Mankind.

  And has the will and fortitude to see this through. I nominate the Recorder Doreen Boggs?”

  Linda and Jill had looked into the backgrounds of 50 women before advising Otto. He simply bowed to their superior knowledge in this department and trusted them without pause. He liked Doreen too, so he just figured she was going to be the best match for the job.

  “NO.” She shouted as the bulk of the Chairs shouted out their second to this nomination. She did not want to be responsible for this much power. Her screaming her refusal to except the position proved to Otto she was the right woman for the job.

  “I say we put it to a vote, all in favor of Doreen as our Master Chair say ‘I’?” Otto knew just how to skin a cat. The votes came flooding in as the computer recorded every one. “Opposed?” He called out as soon as he cast his vote to be tallied. Not one single vote opposing her position was recorded.

  “That being done, I wish to welcome the new Master Chair of Earth, Doreen Boggs.” Otto introduced her to the Chairs officially.

  The chamber echoed with their applause. She was in tears as she read the totals from the vote. A totally unanimous vote had never been taken. And this vote was taken faster than any she could remember; in less then ten seconds the Chairs had cast their votes. There was no arguing o
r second suggestion. It was her that they wanted and they had voted her in. There was no way she could refuse them.

  “Well ladies.” She looked to the camera that was trained on the podium for Otto to see. “... And gentleman...you now have a Master Chair and, we now need a recorder. Otto you will pay for this.” Master Chair Doreen shoots her finger at the camera for Otto to see.

  A round of laughter flowed through the assembly.

  “New business?” Master Chair Doreen suggested.

  Otto raised his hand to be recognized.

  “The Master Chair recognizes the Chair from the Moon.”

  “Thank you Master Chair. Today, I have news that is not so good. There has been a terrible storm on Mars. It has killed all personnel there and it has destroyed the base. The base no longer exists.”

  He let his words soak in for a few seconds then continued. “A new mission is in the planning stages at this time. But it’s only in the planning stages. We will need time to develop a construction that cannot be destroyed by the storms that happen every year on the Red Planet. We are planning to use tunnels dug deep in the canyons of the planet. These tunnels will have great chambers that will hold our people safe while the winds of Mars do their best to remove us.”

  * * *

  Chair May stood to be recognized next.

  Chair May raised her hand. She had something to say and wanted to say it now. She was close to bursting out and shouting her opposition to this base on a dead planet. She wanted all efforts concentrated on finding a new planet to move mankind too, not squandered looking at a dead hulk of rock.

  Otto wanted to give his full report before they took on a discussion about the base on Mars. “This effort is deemed a good investment due to the last transmission we on the Moon received from 3-M. What you are about to see is not to leave this room until the Master Chair deems it safe to convey this to the population of Earth.” The screen he was in filled with the image of the skull and femur.

  Chair May sat back down and turned her ear to these new developments.

  Everyone started talking at once. Otto answered everyone’s questions without being asked. “Yes we believe this to be real. Larry was digging in the canyon north of the base when he located these. All we have at this time is the photos of them. The storm has reclaimed the skull and femur on Mars. But we believe that this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.”

  The chamber again turned to bedlam. All of the Chairs talking at once made a din that was deafening. Otto understood how they felt. When he was shown the photos he had a heated discussion with the General and Chris about it too.

  As the chamber continued with this discussion Otto received e-mail from Chair May. ‘We need to talk Chair Otto, the people of China and I support you and your efforts to bring continued survival to the people of Earth. If there is anything we as a country can do to help guarantee the survival of our race it is yours gladly. You only need ask. Congratulations on your growing family. Chair Linda is a very kind and good woman. She will be a great wife and mother. All my best wishes to you and your family... The dreams of a billion women are with you and yours for a good long life and strong healthy children.”

  Otto showed it to Linda as he finished reading. She turned off the microphone at their location and said. “She is the most powerful woman on Earth Otto. It’s good to have her on our side. I spoke with her at the first Chair meeting. She is no china doll. She is a thinking, strong woman. You know she is the Empress of China?”

  “I will send her a thank-you just as soon as the meeting is over.”

  Jill was on the sidelines out of camera but she heard this exchange and she had read the e-mail. She simply drafted his reply and sent it on its way. “Empress Chair May, we are of like minds and we will be working together on this from now on. I will be sending you reports daily to keep you up to speed on our progress. Thank you for your kind words regarding my wives and our new growing family. My second wife Jill is also with child at this time. We are all blessed. They walk beside me in all I do. Thank you for your time.”

  May read the Email response and was surprise how quickly she received it. Then she noticed it was written by Jill and understood that this great man had wives that backed him as he did his work to make sure things got done. She was impressed. To have a staff was one thing, to have ones family doing these duties for you was a great sign of respect and of devoted love.

  The Chairs calmed down and the chamber quieted. Master Chair Doreen took the podium and she started asking the questions that everyone wanted answers too. “Are you sure these photos are real?”

  Linda turned on their mike. “I have known Monica Wolf as a reliable Commander and a truthful woman. I will not stand by while anyone soils her name now that she has given her life for this discovery. It will be recorded in the history books for all time that she was the one who found proof of life from beyond Earth.”

  “Do not think I am soiling this great woman’s name Chair Linda. I am simply reassuring all the Chairs of the facts and trying to answer their questions before your e-mail is flooded with them.”

  “Understood Master Chair, and thank you.” Otto calmed everyone a little; his hand on Linda’s knee pulled her back from the edge of her seat.

  “Forgive me for being so adamant about this Master Chair. It is just the Monica Wolf was one hell of a woman and one of our best planetary explorers. We will all be affected by the loss of her abilities.” Linda added and sat back calmed after venting her feelings a little.

  “Is there more information that Monica gave concerning these bones?” Master Chair Doreen asked.

  “Yes, she had them carbon dated and reported they dated to be one hundred and ten thousand years old.”

  For just a few seconds the Chairs again started to talk among themselves and for the third time the Master Chair was not in the mood to wait for them to calm down. She used the gavel. “Then how will we know where to look once we return to Mars?”

  Otto really liked this woman, her mind was sharp and she was asking good questions. “There was a loader out picking up drop canisters just prior to the transmission of this find to S.M.B. We have the satellites memory downloaded and our experts are scrutinizing it. There were some odd stops made as it was returning to base with the canister. The canister was unloaded and some small work done before re-strapping the container to the bucket. While this was going on, there are signs that the operator dismounted from the loader for some reason other than attaching the container to the loader. We believe it was to retrieve the skull and femur. This is where we will start looking once we have established the new base.”

  The Master Chair looked out at the sea of faces to see if any were standing. None were. “Are there any questions for Chair Otto?” She asked to be sure.

  The Chair from Canada stood and was recognized. “When do we purpose to undertake this mission? How can we here on Earth help to bring success to this mission? Are we even close to being ready to reactivate a space program?”

  This was starting to go out of Otto’s realm of knowledge. He asked the General to answer for him.

  “I am not the one who will be setting the time schedule for this mission. That will fall to General Fred Bragg. If I may bring him into this discussion he will brief you on the time table we will be working with.” He turned to the General who had come to watch the new government in action. He had no idea that he was going to be thrust into the thick of it, but he had been a politician and a warrior for most of his career. He could do this with ease. Although, this was going to be the first time he had spoken to so many women at one time. “Will you please brief the Chair’s for me General?”

  The General moved into camera and took the lead. “It will take at least two years to train a crew to dig the base from the Martian core. No one can know how long it will take to find what we are looking for, but we must go there as soon as possible.”

  “General Bragg….” The Master Chair started to ask a question. But the t
itle left a rotten taste in her mouth. “Mr. Bragg... We here on Earth have done away with the need for a standing army. Just the mention of your title gives pause to many assembled here today. Would it be ok if I retire you and just refer to you as our new tradition dictates?”

  “I am just Fred to my friend’s ma’am. Please call me Fred. I would be honored to be demoted to just a member of the human race.

  “What will be the first thing we need to do to make this all happen Fred?” The Master Chair asked.

  “We will have to develop a drive system that can make the crossing to Mars in a day instead of a week or weeks, depending on its location. Then this system will have to be constructed into working ships, and then we can start deploying personnel onto the surface of Mars once more. This alone could take two years. Then we must train the diggers that will make the base, then the base will have to be populated. We will need the help of Earth to make all of this into a reality.”

  Chair May was standing again waiting her turn. She was so respected that two other Chairs who were standing took their seats so that she could be heard right away. She bowed slightly to them in thanks, and she was again recognized.

  “This crew will be a crew from Earth then?”

  “That is the plan at this time Chair May.” Fred agreed.

  “And who will make the selections of these women? We have been told that new laws have passed on the Moon to safeguard it from invasion from Earth. We understand that one thousand will be leaving for the Moon soon and three thousand more will follow over a few years. Is that correct?”

  “The law was passed to leave the selection of mates to the men of S.M.B. But for this mission it would be a contractual agreement that will bring these women to the Moon and then on to Mars. For this, I would be approving the selections of these women. I will be filling these seats with woman that will help find what we are looking for.”

  “We, the women of China, now represent almost half of the total population of the Earth. We have found five hundred of our most intelligent and stunning women to volunteer for this or any mission that is deemed imperative. These women are all PhD’s, of the proper age for space exploration and are all training at this time for a life in space. We the women of China have looked to the brain trust of our nation to find these women. We feel that it is imperative that we only allow the most intelligent of women to go on these missions, and to breed the new race of humans that will take the lead in repopulating Earth. I think we all agree that we have an opportunity here to improve our race as a whole if we chose wisely now as we move forward with our plans. If we as a race are to survive we must do our very best to make sure that the future generations will have the intellect to save the race. We in China have passed laws that will only allow PhD’s from China the chance to join these missions. We would hope that this law would be passed by all the Chairs of Earth and be adopted by the men of the Moon for the betterment of all of human kind.”