Enoch's Challenge

by Warren W Ward

  "I'm sure we can arrange that, Frodo 1." Mission Control tried to keep his voice light.

  Back in Houston the staff was looking at each other. All the levity from the previous communication had left the room. It was time to be somber. They all knew that the Apollo 6 crew was not coming home, and they all knew the reason why–but it didn't help. And the fact that one astronaut had already died depressed the mood even further. And they knew the friendly banter was just a way of coping with the death of their friend. In a few minutes Apollo 6 would be on its way to Mars.

  "Commander, I'm finished. I'm ready to come back aboard,” Cris said.

  "Frodo 1, Houston. That's a negative, Frodo 2. We need you to go around the completed ship and check the screws, connections, and make sure what you have put together is space-worthy. Check all three modules. Would it stand up to being launched into a higher orbit? The engineers here are anxious about their work. Could you please check it over one more time?"

  "Roger that, Houston. I will give it another look-see."

  "Thanks for that, Frodo 2."

  "Commander, I know you are a man short, but you need to go over everything on board to make sure it is space-worthy and capable of holding up under main engine burn. Check the wiring and ventilation, and make sure the stores are tied down, and that there are no loose objects left lying around. Remember you are in zero-G and under acceleration anything loose becomes a projectile."

  "Sure, Houston. Seems a bit odd, but if those are your orders."

  "Thank you, Frodo 1. We have our reasons."

  "Roger that, Houston. Greater minds and all that…"

  "Glad you see it our way. I'll throw in a couple of bags of vegetarian mice for the Colonel when he gets back."

  "Frodo 2 here, Houston. Make that three bags and it's a deal."

  "No. Two is my final offer, Frodo 2. We spent all of our extra money on your Interstellar Foreign Duty Pay, the IFDP!"

  “Cheapskate,” Jason muttered loudly.

  Cris finished up checking all the screws and connections, and other major and minor details on the outside of the completed ship. He was connected to a tether line so he pushed himself back and floated away from the ship to get a good look. Jason saw him on the video monitor but didn't say anything. He knew he was just making sure everything was in order, but it still made him nervous after what had happened to John.

  "Commander, there is something unexpected out here. Maybe Houston should know about this. The escape tower didn't separate. It's still attached to the top of the Command Module. You better find out if Houston wants us to do anything about it."

  "Roger that, Frodo 2. Houston. Did you copy?"

  "Roger that, Frodo 1. Let me check with the engineers on that. Wait one..."

  "You know where to find us, Houston. Just look up! Cris? Come back in. If they need you to go out later to do something about that escape tower, we will do it on another EVA. I want you back in here, safe."

  "Roger, Commander. It's funny that we didn't notice it before. It should have been ejected after 1st stage on burnout. But I guess we were just too busy to see anything out of place," said Frodo 2.

  "You're probably right, there, Cris. Who knows what else we’ve missed? We’ve had a busy schedule since liftoff. In your first few times on EVA you just soaked in the mysteries of space. It can be overwhelming, I know. You’ve done a lot more EVA than I ever will, I guess. But I can understand not seeing something that is always attached when you are on the ground; it just blends in. I wonder if that thing really works. I'm just glad we didn't have to find out. It’s never been tested for real,” said the Commander.

  "Roger that,” Cris said. “I wonder what they put in place of the Lunar Landing Module under the cabin. We certainly don't need one of those on our mission. It is probably full of placebos. (Pause) I could sure use a placebo right now,” Cris said longingly. “I hear they're good for what ails you."

  "How are you doing, Cris. Ready to come back in?" asked Jason.

  "I'll be knocking on the door in 30 seconds. I just have to reel in the tether and put it away. How's your housekeeping going?"

  "Well, after picking up your pizza boxes and beer bottles, it's looking pretty good."

  "Sorry, I meant to throw those away. Do you think I could train that vegetarian cat to clean up after me?"

  "I'm sure you can–and you will!" said Captain Hotson in his best military voice.

  Frodo 2 complained, “Houston, the Navy guy is picking on me!”

  Houston clicked the mic, but decided not to say anything,

  Just as he was finishing his EVA, Frodo 2 opened the outer hatch. In a few minutes the inner hatch clicked opened.

  "Hey, look who's here. It's the Pillsbury Doughboy." Jason remarked.

  "Believe me, Captain. These weren't made for a fashion statement. It makes me look like I put on 300 lbs...No wonder I'm single."

  Cris put away the tools and took his seat. He looked quite sweaty and tired.

  "Space doesn’t agree with you Colonel?" Jason asked.

  "No, that's not it. Even though we are in zero-G, I still have to overcome inertia to move in that stupid suit. How come in the movies it always looks so simple?" Cris asked.

  "Well, those actors in the movies have never been in space. Maybe when we get back you could get a consulting job. That is, if they ever declassify this mission."

  "Who knows, maybe our great-grandchildren will read about it when it is released." Cris considered.

  "If it's released…" Jason quickly added.

  "Houston, Frodo 1 here. Frodo 2 is back on board. Mission accomplished. Can we come home now, please?"

  "Frodo 1, that's a negative. We have a little more work for you to do. Please stand by. We'll get back to you with details in a few minutes..."

  "Roger that, Houston. I know Cris can use the rest."

  Jason noticed Cris was already asleep in his chair. If we had gravity, he thought, Cris could set up a hammock in the storage room and get a good nap after the orbit adjustment. But, evidently, he was comfortable enough sitting up. They were equipped with ventilated bags for sleeping that they could tie up above the storage areas, but Cris didn’t seem to need it right now. Plus, they wouldn’t be in space long enough to set them up, Jason reasoned to himself.

  –––––––––

  Mission Control–Houston

  The Flight Controller, Ted Johnson, had a worried look on his face as he spoke to the skeleton team on Project Frodo.

  He clicked the mic on another radio system.

  "Gentlemen, we have come to the point where our deception is going to become apparent. In a few minutes they will be heading for Mars, and I don't know what their reaction is going to be."

  "Houston, this is Gene Kranz in Florida. I understand your situation Ted. We all have a part in this ruse, but you know how important it is. They may have volunteered if we told them the truth about the mission, who knows? But we could not take that chance. I am betting on them really getting into this historic opportunity. And if they don't, they can't do anything about it except yell at us."

  "I know you are right, Dr. Kranz. But there is so much at stake. Has there been any other word from Mars?"

  "Actually they know we have launched Apollo 6. I don’t know how they know, but they congratulated us on our successful launch. It's weird. It's as if they have eyes in the sky. They also asked about the status of Captain Hotson. They also sent their condolences about Colonel Dyer. It’s bizarre. How do they know this stuff? And what is so special about Captain Hotson?"

  Houston postulated, "Maybe they are more advanced than we can imagine. We don't know much about them at all. Actually, we don't know anything about them. Are they little green men, or do they look like us? I guess we will find out, but it would be nice to know what the team will be up against."

  Dr. Kranz said, "I would put money on them being friendly, and I would bet that they will take care of our boys. We may have sent them on a one-way tri
p, but that doesn't mean that we sent them to their death. Why else would they ask for us to visit them?"

  Houston remarked, "My bet is on that, too. They know a lot about us, obviously. They know how to contact us on our encrypted secure radio, they know about our space capacities, and they know about our candy bars. Now that is weird. Milky Way and Skittles. Who would think an extraterrestrial would like Skittles? M&Ms, maybe…"

  –––––––

  Apollo 6

  "Frodo 1, Houston here."

  "Roger, Houston. We're up."

  "Houston, the ship is seaworthy. We've gone over every part of the cabin, and the storage module plus bathroom and the garden module. Cris even cleaned the potty. It all looks good. Now, what's the real reason you had us do that, sir? We have figured out there is more to this mission that we were led to believe."

  "You're right, Commander. There is more. We are going to send you a little further out in your orbit to test the efficacy of moving the whole array as a unit. All of our tests and calculations are showing that it will stand up under all sorts of stress beyond what we are going to do, but we need verification. Are you on board with this?"

  "Sure, Houston. We didn't come all this way and do all this work just for the money. Bring it on!" Jason said.

  "Thank you Frodo 1. We knew you had the right stuff for the job. Florida has downloaded the controlled burn program into your flight computer. The computer will adjust your position with the positioning jets, then it will fire the S4B rocket. We will need you both to be in your space suits, on suit oxygen, and ready for anything. We don't expect trouble, but we didn't anticipate what led to the disaster with John, either. This time we aren't taking chances."

  "Are you going to tuck us into bed, too, Houston?" Cris asked.

  "Frodo 1, no. Your cat will have to do that."

  "Cris is the one getting the cat, not me. I can't stand the creatures. I'm a dog man, myself."

  "Well, Frodo 1, we will have maneuver and burn in one hour. Please be prepared and have everything ready. We will contact you at T-3 minutes."

  "Roger that, Houston,” Jason said. “We will await your signal. I feel kinda useless as a pilot with you Earth boys doing all the flying. That was supposed to be my job."

  "Don't worry, Frodo 1. You'll get your chance to fly,” Houston lied.

  With that, Jason and Cris did one last check of everything. The tie downs in the storage module were checked. The doors to Modules B and C were secured. Now, with their helmets on, the only thing left was for Houston to give them the word.

  "Well, this wasn't in the mission plan, Captain. I guess they want to take advantage of having us up here with all this stuff. What we have accomplished is unprecedented. We put together a spaceship puzzle in space, and we captured not one but two previously-launched loads and assembled them in space. We might have had the longest EVA on record, as well. I'm sure we also set a few more records on this trip. Plus, we lost a crewman in the process. He is probably the first American astronaut to die in space. Not a record I wanted to be part of."

  "Roger that, Commander. Not the record any of us desired!" Houston said.

  The time passed quickly and it was nearly T-3 minutes to the orbit adjustment.

  "Frodo 1, Houston."

  "Houston, Frodo 1 here. We're ready up here."

  "Good, Frodo 1. Standby for orbit adjustment and engine burn. Don't be alarmed that this is being done without your input; it has all been programmed. Just relax and enjoy the ride."

  "You got it, Houston. We're ready when you are."

  "Sit back, boys. 3-2-1, IGNITION!"

  They could feel the ship making a gentle turn to what seemed like 90°, then stabilize. They could see the Earth through the porthole and video monitor, but it was still strange to have a computer in control. Obediently, they just watched as it maneuvered them.

  Then they felt the main engine fire. They were forced into their chairs by the acceleration. It wasn't as bad as the liftoff force, but they weren't prepared for just how powerful the test fire was. What was worse it kept going and going. Jason soon realized this did not seem like a minor orbit adjustment. They were really picking up speed!

  "Houston, I think we have a problem. The main engine has been firing for the last 30 seconds and we are accelerating at an alarming pace. Something is not right."

  "Frodo 1. Stand by. We are verifying it."

  As the seconds ticked by, the engine shut off. There was an eerie silence. Jason looked at the rear facing video camera image, and the Earth was definitely getting further away at a frightening rate.

  "Houston, we are leaving orbit. I repeat. We are leaving Earth's orbit."

  "Frodo 1, please stand by."

  "Stand by, he says. He isn't the one heading into space like a bat out of Batsville. Cris, what do you think?"

  "Jason I have a bad feeling about this whole mission. I think we've been shanghaied."

  "You might be right, Cris. You might be right," Jason sighed.

  I think I might just spend the rest of my life in prison if I somehow recover from this. Someone is going to pay for deceiving us, Jason thought to himself. He could see that this ship were not coming back to earth!

  –––––––

  President Johnson was sitting in his office when Marvin Watson called him on his intercom.

  "Mr. President? Bob Schules is here and he seems angry." Marvin was whispering.

  A nervous Johnson said quietly, "Send him in, Marvin."

  The door to the Oval Office opened just as he was telling his Chief of Staff to let him in. Obviously Bob felt that he didn't need an invitation. A rather rotund and malevolent-looking fellow, who acted like he was ready to explode, came in and rudely sat down in a chair in front of the president. He ignored Johnson's outstretched hand.

  Johnson looked uncomfortable at the slight and sat down in his chair. "What can I do for you, Bob?"

  Bob Schules stared a few moments at the president as if trying to read his mind and asked him, with nearly closed lips, "What have you done, Lyndon!"

  "What do you mean, Bob?" Johnson was looking more and more uncomfortable. He hadn't a clue what was upsetting his visitor.

  "Why didn't you tell me you authorized a mission to Mars? I thought you were going to the Moon."

  "Well, we are Bob. We received a message from Mars asking us to send someone there. What would expect us to do?"

  "The point is why didn't you tell me?" Bob said through gritted teeth.

  "I'm sorry, Bob. With so much going on I just never thought to bring you in on it. It was an oversight on a very expensive and time-consuming project."

  "Well, cancel it. Bring them back here."

  "I can't. They're… gone." Johnson said, obviously flustered.

  "Then blow the thing up! You can’t let this mission continue!"

  "I can't, Bob. There is no way. We made sure of that, since we didn't want them to change their minds and return on their own. Why? Is there a problem?"

  "That's none of your concern. There will be severe consequences if they succeed. Do you hear me?"

  Bob was about to melt down, and the president was about to melt faster. He was really worried. What did Bob Schules know that no one else did? Johnson asked himself.

  Schules stood up to leave the room. He turned around at the last minute and said to the president, "Remember this, Lyndon. I got you to the Presidency. I hid the skeletons. I made sure you were clean. But I can also undo all that. Don't you do anything without me knowing ever again! Do you hear me?"

  "Of course, Bob. I am so sorry. I never realized this project would be important to you."

  "Let me decide what is important and what is not. I will let you know how to proceed when I come back. You fool. You have no idea what you have done."

  With that, Bob Schules left the Oval Office and slammed the door behind him.

  A few minutes later the door opened and Marvin stuck his head in and asked, "Are you okay, Mr. Pres
ident?"

  "Come in and close the door, Marvin. You have to give me more notice when Schules shows up. That didn't go very well." Pause. "Get me NASA on the line. I need to talk to Dr. Kranz."

  "Right away, Mr. President. Can I do anything else for you?"

  "Yes. Get me some antacids. Now!"

  "Right away, Mr. President." Marvin Watson left the room in a hurry, but closed the door gently.

  About ten minutes later Marvin activated the intercom again, and said, "Mr. President. Dr. Kranz is on the line."