Interview with Daniel Pekarek: Author of the Alcent Series

INTRODUCTION

Dan Pekarek lives in Federal Way, Washington. He is the author of The Ultimate Adventure and Alcent Adventures, stories that have their origins in Dan’s childhood. As a youngster, Dan lived on the family farm in rural Minnesota. Away from city lights, the dark night sky revealed the natural beauty of the Universe and inspired Dan’s imagination. At age eleven, he became fascinated with Astronomy and dreamed about life on other planets. He started reading Aviation Week and Space Technology at age 13 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1963. Dan has been reading Astronomy magazine since 1980 and has been a member of The Planetary Society since 1987. Needless to say, he is an enthusiastic supporter of space exploration.

Interviewer: What is The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: It is a realistic story about the first people to leave Earth and go to another star.

Interviewer: Why would people want to go to another star?

Dan: In my story, an Earth-like planet is discovered orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Astronauts are sent there to explore the planet, study its life, and start a new civilization.

Interviewer: It seems to me that an Earth-like planet might have intelligent beings on it. Is it possible that they might object to the arrival of humans and try to defend their turf?

Dan: In The Ultimate Adventure, I created Alcent, a planet that is the way Earth might be if our dinosaur age had never ended. Here on Earth, the age of mammals came after the extinction of dinosaurs. If the dinosaurs hadn’t suffered this tragedy, we might not be here, so I didn’t put any intelligent humanoids on Alcent.

Interviewer: What about the dinosaurs, have any of them evolved intelligence?

Dan: That’s one of the questions that my interstellar pioneers have to answer when they arrive on Alcent.

Interviewer: Some of the dinosaurs that lived here on Earth were huge, ferocious hunters. It seems like Alcent would be a dangerous place to start a new civilization. Why would people want to go there and try to do that?

Dan: Humans are an adventurous species. Life-threatening danger has never stopped our pioneers from exploring the unknown. Going to the moon was hazardous, but we did it anyway. Space shuttle astronauts risk their lives every time they blast off, but despite that risk, they are building a manned space station. When that project is completed, people will return to the Moon, and we will go to Mars.

Interviewer: You’re very optimistic about the future of space exploration. Why?

Dan: Humans are a species with an undying curiosity. The thirst for new knowledge is always present. Also, there is the possibility of discovering life on other planets, especially, those orbiting Sun-like stars, like Alpha Centauri A.

Interviewer: When will we know if it has an Earth-like planet?

Dan: In just a few years, we’ll have the ability to detect Earth-sized planets orbiting other stars. So far, we’ve discovered more than 150 extra-solar planets, but they’re all much larger than Earth, some are even bigger than Jupiter. These planets are not good places to look for life as we know it, but we will find Earth-size planets.

Interviewer: Are you convinced that life as we know it exists elsewhere in the Universe?

Dan: Most definitely.

Interviewer: Why?

Dan: The Universe is huge, almost beyond imagination. It is made up of countless billions of galaxies. In just the Milky Way Galaxy, there are 200 billion stars. Four percent of them are Sun-like stars. That means there are eight billion Sun-like stars in our home galaxy. Even if only one percent of them have Earth-like planets, there would be 80 million planets for life as we know it to exist on. To me, it is totally illogical to think that life started only here.

Interviewer: You keep talking about Sun-like stars, why are they good places to look for life?

Dan: Sun-like stars are in a special class. They are friendly to life.

Interviewer: What makes the Sun so special when compared to other stars?

Dan: The Sun is hot enough and bright enough to give Earth a warm temperate climate. Also, it has been stable for several billion years. This is important because it took 4.6 billion years for life to begin on Earth and evolve to what we have today. Some stars are so big and hot that they burn up and go supernova in just a few hundred million years. That’s not enough time to evolve the kind of life we’re familiar with. On the other extreme, you have small red dwarfs that are too cool to support an Earth-like climate.

Interviewer: Just how much like the Sun is Alpha Centauri A? How friendly to life is it?

Dan: Alpha Centauri A is slightly bigger, brighter, and hotter than the Sun. But more important than these qualities, it is a little older than the Sun.

Interviewer: Why is age so important?

Dan: Earth is 4.6 billion years old. That’s how long it took for life to evolve to what we have today. Alpha Centauri A is believed to be about five billion years old.

Interviewer: So, the dinosaurs on Alcent are 400 million years more advanced than Earth’s dinosaurs were at the time of their extinction. With that much time, even the slow process of evolution can work miracles. What do these creatures evolve into? What kind of intelligence do they develop? How do they react to the arrival of humans bent on starting a new civilization on their planet?

Dan: Those are questions that Earth’s first interstellar pioneers have to deal with. But while finding answers, they attempt to establish a secure human colony that doesn’t upset the natural balance of life already on Alcent. In other words, they’re not allowed to plunder the buffalo, as was done in early America.

Interviewer: It sounds like they have a tough challenge.

Dan: They do, but they have plenty of advanced technology to work with.

Interviewer: I think I’ll read your book just to find out how your characters meet the challenge of staying alive.

Dan: Their life is a great adventure. You will enjoy the story.

Interviewer: I like The Ultimate Adventure’s cover design, but I have a question about the back cover image. It shows a second sunset. Does Alcent have more than one sun?

Dan: Three stars make up the Alpha Centauri system. They are Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, and Alpha Centauri C. However, Alpha Centauri C is so far away from A and B that some astronomers question whether it is part of the system. Only A and B play a part in my story.

Interviewer: Tell me about the second sunset shown on the back cover.

Dan: People living on Alcent would experience the novelty of having two suns in the sky. There would be Alpha Centauri A shining in brilliant yellow and appearing very much like our Sun. And there would be the more distant Alpha Centauri B, an orange sun that would be quite dim because of its distance. However, it would be many times brighter than a full Moon. During part of the year, one of these suns would be rising when the other is setting, and it just simply would not get dark on Alcent. Also, Alpha Centauri B is an orange star and would tend to cast an eerie orange glow over the landscape.

In the image on the back cover, Alpha Centauri B is setting an hour-and-a-half after Alpha Centauri A. My interstellar pioneers are treated to this exotic scene at the end of their first day on Alcent. While the pioneers are enjoying this second sunset, a pair of pterodactyls arrive on the scene and perform aerial acrobatics. Apparently, these creatures are on a pleasure flight, but their fifty-foot wingspans silhouetted against the orange sky serves to let the pioneers know that they truly are on an alien planet filled with dangers.

Interviewer: What part do pterodactyls play in your story?

Dan: I can’t answer that without giving away part of the story.

Interviewer: How intelligent are they?

Dan: I can’t answer that either.

Interviewer: You’re evading my questions. Can you tell me anything?

Dan: I can tell you what is obvious. Pterodactyls are huge creatures that can fly. They can go anywhere, anytime. Any amount of intelligence on their part would make them very dangerous. As you know, they are predators.

Interviewer: That’s true, but would they prey on humans? Four hundred million years of evolution might have allowed them to develop the use of reason. Based on what they see the humans do, isn’t it possible that they might decide that there could be some benefits to being friendly with humans?

Dan: That’s possible, but I’m not going to comment on what happens in the story.

Interviewer: I sense that I’ve touched on a story element.

Dan: You have.

Interviewer: OK. What about Alpha Centauri B. Is it a Sun-like star?

Dan: It’s a little cooler than the Sun, but it could support an Earth-like planet if it were at about Venus distance away from it. The star is certainly old enough for life to have evolved on such a planet.

Interviewer: In your story, does Alpha Centauri B have a life-filled planet?

Dan: Yes, it does.

Interviewer: Does it have intelligent life?

Dan: On this planet, I put humanoids who have the technological ability that we had back in the eighties.

Interviewer: Do your pioneers get involved with them?

Dan: Yes.

Interviewer: In what way?

Dan: On this planet, there is a brutal planet-wide war bordering on genocide. My pioneers decide to find a way to end the madness. In the process, they risk their lives and make both friends and enemies. This happens before they arrive at Alcent.

Interviewer: Do the enemies made at Alpha Centauri B have the means to travel to Alcent, which orbits Alpha Centauri A?

Dan. That’s one of the questions the pioneers have to worry about.

Interviewer: I sense that your story is far more involved than just learning to live with dinosaurs.

Dan: It is a complex story with several interwoven elements. There is no end to mystery, drama, and adventure. Also, there is quite a bit of romance in the story, but that’s to be expected.

Interviewer. Why?

Dan: Half of the characters are men and half are women. Romantic involvement is a normal part of life. Besides that, romantic relationships add to the pleasure one gets from reading a novel.

Interviewer: What is the underlying theme in The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: It is a positive, uplifting story. The characters are serious about their mission, but they believe that life is to be enjoyed, and they find ways to do that.

Interviewer: When did you get the idea for this story?

Dan: The idea for this story came from daydreams I had back in the fifties when I was a teenager.

Interviewer: I’m amazed that The Ultimate Adventure and Alcent Adventures could be the result of fantasies you had so long ago. To stick with you for so long, they must have been very exciting. How did they come about?

Dan: I grew up on the family farm back in central Minnesota. One of the jobs I enjoyed doing as a teenager was cultivating corn. Imagine sitting on a tractor all day long on a warm summer day. It was a pleasant experience, but as the days wore on, it always became quite monotonous. To deal with the monotony, I developed a vivid imagination. My mind was always taking me on imaginary adventures.

Interviewer: Tell me about the fantasies that led to your book.

Dan: There were two imaginary journeys that kept reoccurring, and they intrigued me to no end. I constantly pictured myself traveling back in time and visiting Earth during the peak of the dinosaur age. Also, I frequently made imaginary trips into space to explore planets teeming with life. In The Ultimate Adventure, I combined these fantasies and wrote a story about our first interstellar pioneers who go to a dinosaur dominated planet.

Interviewer: When did you start writing the story?

Dan: In the summer of 1989.

Interviewer: So you carried these fantasy adventures in your mind for more than 30 years before you started putting them down on paper.

Dan: That’s right.

Interviewer: Why did you wait so long?

Dan: I wasn’t sure that I had the talent to write a novel that people would enjoy reading. After all, I did get an incomplete on a 300-word theme paper when I was a freshman in high school. Try as I might, I was unable to come up with more than a hundred words.

Interviewer: You went from unable to write more than a hundred words to publishing a book with 269,000 words. That’s amazing!

Dan: When I think about, I am amazed too.

Interviewer: Well, what made you decide to take a shot at writing The Ultimate Adventure?

Dan: One day I was playing poker at Diamond Lil’s in Renton, Washington, and there was a guy in the game who was a real B. S. artist. Anyway, he announced to the players that he was writing a science fiction story. I stared at him in disbelief. I thought, if this clown can write a novel, I can write an even better one. In a matter of minutes, I cashed out, went home, sat down at my Panasonic word processor, and started writing.

Interviewer: He got you started, but it took you ten years to write the story. How did you stick with it for so long?

Dan: When I started creating the story, my teenage fantasies came to life. They became very real. The story took on a life of its own. Things seemed to just happen. Sometimes, I felt like I was reporting real events rather than writing a story. I felt like I was on a very real adventure. Even the characters became real people with minds of their own. At times, they even seemed to be telling me what to write. It was a phenomenal experience.

Interviewer: In other words, writing the story made it so real that you were able to mentally enjoy an adventure that’s not available in real life.

Dan: That’s true, and that is one of the greatest rewards of writing.

Interviewer: I think that’s also one of the greatest rewards of reading a good novel. Simply put, it is fun to escape to another time and place for a while.

Dan: Fun is something that was always on my mind when I wrote The Ultimate Adventure. I wanted the story to be realistic, but even more important than that, I wanted it to be exciting and fun to read. So I created positive-minded, fun-loving characters that people could enjoy reading about. It is my hope that some of my readers will be inspired by my characters to pursue their own dreams, make them happen, and enjoy the process. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and dreams are meant to be achieved.

Interviewer: I like that philosophy.

Dan: It has worked well for me.

Interviewer: What is Alcent Adventures?

Dan: It is the first sequel to The Ultimate adventure and is a continuation of the story. In Alcent Adventures, my characters discover that they are not alone on Alcent. Aliens from Delta Pavonis are stranded on Alcent because of problems with their starship. These aliens believe the earth people can help them, but they don’t trust the earth people. Alcent Adventures is a suspense filled thriller that readers have told me is difficult to put down.

Interviewer: Will there be a third book in the series?

Dan: Yes and I am planning to have it in bookstores by September, 2006.

Interviewer: Will there be additional books in the series?

Dan: My continuing story has taken on a life of its own. I have a vivid, creative imagination that just doesn’t want to quit, so I am going to let it go where it wants to go and enjoy the journey. By publishing my books, I am giving readers the opportunity to also enjoy the journey. All of my books have a book review form in the back, and I am receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from readers. Needless to say, that is very gratifying to me.

Alcent: The Ultimate Adventure

Chapter One
The Long Journey Begins

On July 15, 2092, Captain Jerry Jerontis was in his office onboard the starship Challenger, which was orbiting Earth at an altitude of 280 miles. He was review­ing a list of tasks that remained to be done before leaving Earth on an interstellar voyage to Alcent, a dinosaur-dominated planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Overshadowing the Captain’s checklist was the possibility that his starship might be sabotaged. Even though strict security procedures made sabotage unlikely, Captain Jerontis took the threat seriously. He had ordered his security team to do a thorough checkout of the Challenger, and he awaited their report. If the sabotage existed, Jerry was determined to defeat it. He had always been a tough-minded optimist who never accepted failure, and this time, failure was not an option.

Even Jerry’s appearance was that of a strong-willed man. Years of regular physical training gave him a lean, muscular build. He stood six feet three inches tall and had a handsome face set off by bushy brown hair and hazel eyes that always seemed to radiate a bright cheerful attitude.

At age 42, Jerry had been preparing for the mission to Alcent for twenty years. He had accepted employment with the National Interstellar Exploration Administration (NIEA) even before receiving a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Having been involved in the design, construction, and testing of the Challenger from day one, Jerry knew every inch of the giant starship and felt that it was his creation. He was eager to depart for Alcent, but before the mission could begin, one major task remained: the Challenger had to be joined to its propulsion stages. In less than an hour, the space tug Goliath would dock with the Challenger. Fueled with antimatter, Goliath’s mission was to transport cargo between low Earth orbit and various lunar bases. Shortly, it would transfer the Challenger from low Earth orbit to its propulsion stages in orbit at an altitude of 125,000 miles. The huge quantity of antimatter fuel required for the interstellar mission was accumulated in this high altitude orbit to protect people on Earth from the enormous destructive energy that would be unleashed if an accidental explosion occurred.

While awaiting the arrival of the Goliath, Jerry reflected on some major events that led up to his mission. He noted that people had dreamed of flying for centuries before it finally became a reality at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Then, in just 66 years, man had set foot on the Moon. In 2020, the first manned lunar base became operational, followed by a similar base on Mars in 2036. In 2046, NIEA sent Earth’s first unmanned interstel­lar probe, Star Voyager, on a long journey to the Alpha Centauri System. Twenty-six years later, in 2072, it reported the discovery of a life-filled, earthlike planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. Now, in 2092, people were about to follow the path pioneered by Star Voyager.

Jerry considered his mission to Alcent, the third planet of Alpha Centauri A, a truly epic event in the evolution of the human species. For the first time, people would journey to another planet with a breathable oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and a temperate climate, a planet where a new civilization could prosper without support from Earth. However, two extremist groups had vowed to stop the mission. Alcent Environment Preservation Front (AEPF) declared that the arrival of humans on Alcent would pollute the pristine environment and be destructive to the life forms already living there. Also, a fanatical religious cult declared that all of Earth’s problems were the result of humans being infected with the devil. It maintained that if the Challenger took people to Alcent, then it would also be infected with the ravages of the devil. These groups had failed to stop the mission in the political arena and had recently resorted to terrorist acts against NIEA facilities, killing thirteen people and seriously injuring thirty-seven. They declared that they had already implemented a fail-proof plan to stop the mission.

Captain Jerontis considered some obvious possibilities. Plant­ing a bomb on a starship orbiting 280 miles above Earth was possible but difficult to do. Their only option to transport the bomb to the ship would have been to conceal it among the ship’s supplies or construction assemblies. But Jerry thought this unlikely, because everything had passed through multiple security checks, including intensive inspection by sophisticated bomb detection equipment. Sabotage by one of the construction workers was possible, but would almost certainly have been discovered, since all work was inspected and tested by three independent crews, who took great personal pride in discovering imperfection. Their goal was to make the huge starship free of malfunction during its long voyage to Alcent. Also, all individuals working on the Challenger had survived thorough security investigations. With enough money, anti-satellite missiles could be bought from black market arms dealers. However, Jerry doubted that either of the radical groups had the money or expertise to carry out a missile attack. But as a precaution, the USAF had stationed three missile interceptors near the starship.

Jerry’s communicator beeped. It was the security chief, who reported:“We’ve inspected the Challenger, Captain, and we’ve found no sabotage.”

“Have you looked everywhere?”

“Yes! To do a more comprehensive inspection than we’ve done, we would have to start taking things apart.”

“That should not be necessary,” responded Jerry. “The security and inspection procedures followed during construction were very strict.

"Thanks for your report.”

Jerry thought about the negative results of the security investigation and wondered if the sabotage threat was nothing more than a psychological ploy, an attempt to save face. Rather than admit that they had failed to stop the mission, extremist leaders could use such a threat as a way to keep their followers fired up, gain additional publicity, and give a starship commander one more thing to worry about.

Totally engrossed in thought, Jerry was startled when the communication system suddenly snapped to life with a loud enthusiastic greeting, “Ahoy there, Captain J.J.! This is your old college football buddy Moose ready to give you a lift to your fuel stop. We expect to dock with the Challenger in ten minutes. Then, we’ll light our tail pipes, annihilate some matter, and begin orbital transfer.”

While turning to face the rearview screen, so that he could monitor the approach of Goliath, Jerry said, “Sounds like the same old boisterous comic I’ve known all these years, and I might add, one who seems to be in an exceptionally high-spirited frame of mind.”

“Just a natural part of my vibrant personality that you serious types might have a difficult time relating to. However, I am going on a much needed vacation. After all, I’ve been shuttling payloads to and from the moon for the last six weeks. So after I’ve delivered you to your fuel stop, I’ll have four weeks on Earth, which I’ll spend on a warm sandy beach in the South Pacific that is famous for its elegant bikini-clad scenery.”

“Sounds like you haven’t changed much over the years. Here we are, practically on the eve of mankind’s greatest adventure ever, and where is your mind? Somewhere off in a distant, erotic fantasyland.”

“That’s the kind of comment I’d expect from the predictable, no-nonsense Captain J.J. I’ve known practically forever. But it’s probably not your fault. Who knows, if you hadn’t been so dedi­cated to this Alcent Project, you also might’ve developed a keen sense of appreciation for some of the more playful aspects of life.”

“Getting my starship ready for our long journey has definitely dominated my life, and I really haven’t had much time for anything else.”

“Before I drop down to Earth for a well-deserved vacation, maybe we could have lunch, and you could give me a tour of your ship?”

“Are you sure you can spare the time? I wouldn’t want something as trivial as a tour of Earth’s
first manned starship and lunch with its Captain to delay your pleasure trip to some exotic beach in the South Pacific.”

“In the interest of helping you get into the proper frame of mind for your long voyage, I am willing to make the sacrifice.”

Captain Jerontis thought Moose’s mild psychological jabs were probably his way of han­dling the emotions involved in saying goodbye to a life-long friend. Even so, Jerry felt Moose would be disappointed if he didn’t make an appropriate response before departing. Jerry thought back to their college football days when he was starting quarterback and team captain. He remembered his teammates who gave him the title Captain J.J.

Moose, whose real name was John Moosebeck, was the starting fullback. Standing six feet two inches tall, weighing 260 pounds, and having very little body fat, he was an immensely powerful man. He was very quick on his feet and had the habit of running through defenses like a charging bull moose during mating season. His highly vocal fans soon simplified his name to Moose.

Captain J.J.’s mind returned to his mission. With the Challenger only minutes away from leaving its 280-mile orbit to begin the ascent to a new orbit at an altitude of 125,000 miles, nearly all of its twenty-four crew members were at view ports for one last good look at Earth. People had left Earth before, but had always had the option to return. This time, there would be no return. All that had been home would soon be forever left behind.

Over the years, Captain Jerontis had occasionally thought about the emotional impact of leaving Earth. But it never bothered him much, because leaving Earth had always been in the distant future. Now, it was only a few days away, and Jerry allowed his mind to drift into some fond memories. He thought about a hiking trip he had made to a remote wilderness lake in northern Canada. Then, he wondered what it would be like to hike along a lakeshore on Alcent where all lakes would be in wilderness areas.

Jerry’s mind was suddenly jarred back to reality when his communicator came to life with a mes­sage from Moose: “Captain J.J.! Our instruments indicate the completion of docking. Please confirm.”

“Affirmative.”

“Our best transfer orbit requires that we have ignition in 15 minutes.”

“Okay, let’s begin a fifteen-minute countdown. That’ll give everyone plenty of time to let us know of any reason to delay engine ignition.”

“You got it.”

Countdown began and all crew members prepared for 1g accelera­tion. After having been weightless for several weeks, even acceleration that was only equivalent to Earth’s gravity would feel heavy.

The countdown progressed without interruption, and Goliath’s antimatter engines ignited on time. When orbital transfer velocity was reached, the engines were shut down, and everyone was again weightless.

An hour and a half later, with nearly half the distance to fuel-stop covered, Captain Jerontis was taking a break in his quarters when Mike Johnson, the chief engineer, appeared at the entrance and said, “Captain, I need to talk to you.”

“Come in, Mike. What can I do for you?”

Mike looked into Jerry’s eyes and calmly said, “I’ve decided to leave the mission. I want to stay on Earth.”

Mike’s announcement hit Captain Jerontis like a bombshell, and for a few moments, he stared into Mike’s light blue eyes attempting to sense a motive for his request. “This is a shocking surprise! What has led you to this decision?”

“For the last hour, I’ve been watching Earth steadily recede in the distance. In a few weeks, we’ll be out of the solar system, and Earth will be so far away that we won’t be able to see it without a telescope. Thinking about that really bothers me because I have friends and family on Earth that I don’t want to leave permanently.”

“We’re all leaving behind people we love, and that’s not easy, but the planet we’re going to appears to be at the peak of a dinosaur age. Exploring it and building a home there will be an awesome adventure. Are you sure you don’t want to be part of it?”

“I know that will be exciting beyond my wildest dreams, but watching Earth recede in the distance has given me an overpowering gut feeling of emptiness. And we haven’t even left yet.”

“All of us feel a sense of loss. That’s normal; after all, we’re leaving everything we’ve ever known, but we’re going to lay the foundation for a new society. In essence, we’re going to give birth to a new civilization.”

“I’ve thought about all of that, but that overpowering gut feeling of not wanting to leave everything behind just keeps coming back.”

“Have you discussed your feelings with Doctor Nemard?”

“No, but I don’t think I need to. They’re too strong to be just a passing whim. I think it would be best if you replaced me.”

“Very well, but I’ll hold your request for a few hours, in case you change your mind. You’ve been an excellent chief engineer, and I’d like to keep you on the mission, but I’ll respect your decision.”

“Thank you,” responded Mike, as he released his seat belt, gently pushed off, and floated out of Captain J.J.’s quarters. Wanting another look at the receding Earth, Mike went to the observation deck.

Looking down on the Pacific Ocean, he observed a beautiful bluish-green world partly covered with soft white cloud formations that looked like tufts of cotton. The planet had a calm, peaceful appearance, and best of all, it was home. The thought of leaving it revived Mike’s earlier feelings of emptiness and forlorn sense of loss. But perhaps the real reason for Mike’s distress was the one that he did not discuss with Captain Jerontis, the one that he had to keep to himself for the time being. If his plan worked, the Captain would find out about it soon enough.

Mike drifted across the observation deck to look in the opposite direction. He quickly located Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, shining brilliantly in the deep blackness of space. After looking at them for a few moments, Mike tried to turn away, but he could not, because the twin stars had captivated his attention in an almost seductive way. As he continued to gaze at them, they seemed to take on the aura of a pair of beckoning beacons that were trying to entice him into staying on the Challenger for the long voyage to a new home on Alcent. Mike thought about the life-filled planet and the images returned by Star Voyager’s video equipment. Some of the images were vividly implanted in Mike’s memory, and he was able to visualize them clearly. As he did this, a deep-seated desire rose from the depths of his mind, a desire to go to Alcent, a desire for the exciting adventure of exploring the mysteries of this planet. Mike was so torn between this intense desire and the need to stay on Earth that he decided to reconsider his options.

Meanwhile, back in the Captain’s quarters, Captain Jerontis was thinking about Mike’s surprise request. Even though regulations permitted anyone on the mission to drop out at any time, Captain Jerontis was puzzled by Mike’s sudden move. Everyone on the ship had passed rigorous medical, physical, and psychological tests, along with excelling in the project’s arduous training program. After surviving all of that, it simply did not make sense to drop out voluntarily a few days before departure. Captain Jerontis decided to discuss the situation with Doctor Connie Nemard, who was a competent psychiatrist, along with being the ship’s medical doctor and a skilled surgeon.

Jerry went to Connie’s office and told her about Mike’s replacement request. “I don’t understand why he’s doing this, so I want you to look at his psychological tests and see if there’s anything there that might explain his actions.”

“I’ll do that now. Come back in an hour, and I’ll discuss it with you.”

“Thank you.” As Jerry turned to leave, he felt Connie’s eyes fix on him a little longer than appropriate for an office call. That sure looked like a lingering glance, thought Jerry. The possibil­ity caused Jerry’s face to light up with just the trace of a satisfied smile.

After leaving, he thought, she is a beautiful woman. Her golden blond hair and those radiant blue eyes are riveting. She might even have a stunning figure, but these loose fitting NIEA uniforms make that hard to determine. But I guess I’d better stop thinking about her. This isn’t the right time.

Captain Jerontis returned to the quietness of his quarters. He was a firm believer in personal quiet time and used it to anticipate and solve problems. With the responsibility of getting the big starship ready for its long voyage, he usually didn’t have to do much anticipating to find an ample supply of potential problems to be concerned about.

Jerry wondered what difficulties might result from bringing in a new chief engineer so close to departure. While considering the possibilities, he was inter­rupted by Moose, who floated into his quarters through the open hatch and said, “Ready for lunch? I’m starving.”

Moose and Jerry went to the cafeteria and ordered a deluxe combination pizza. When it was ready, they went back to Jerry’s quarters to enjoy their meal.

After they started eating, Moose glanced at Jerry. “You are unusually quiet. What are you worried about now?”

Jerry stared into Moose’s dark brown eyes. “Didn’t you have a complete physical before your current tour of duty?”

“Yeah, I did, but why are you worried about my health when you have a starship to worry about? Do I look ill to you?”

“No, you look perfectly healthy. But did your physical find anything even minutely abnormal?”

“Not a single thing, but why are you so concerned about my health?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute, but first, correct me if I’m wrong. You’ve been Captain of the Goliath for about a year now, and before that, you were its chief engineer for five years. And if my memory serves me right, you are an expert in antimatter propulsion systems.”

“Yes, but what’s all this leading up to? Are you writing a book about me or a resume for a job I haven’t yet applied for?”

“One more question, do you think your ego could handle a demotion from ship’s captain to chief engineer?”

Moose’s dark complexion lit up with an expression of surprised disbelief, and he blurted out,
“What kind of question is that? What do you know about my career that I don’t?”

“Mike Johnson has requested that he be taken off this mission, and I’m planning to put you on the mission in his place, instead of following procedure and using the backup chief engineer.”

“Hole-e-e-e-e shit! You are going to stir up a real hornet’s nest among the professional bureaucrats at NIEA Command if you make a major change in staff on your own!”

“But that’s the beauty of my plan. I won’t be acting on my own. You’ll be my fellow conspirator. Together, we’ll devise a plan to get you on this mission ... if you want it.”

“An hour ago, I was relaxing on the Goliath, daydreaming about the wonderful vacation I’ve been planning, which begins in just a few days. Then, I do nothing more than stop by for lunch, and what hap­pens? You want me to cancel the scenario I’d envisioned for the rest of my life and go jaunting off to another star with you on just a moment’s notice.”

Jerry grinned rather smugly. “It is all rather sudden, isn’t it?”

“Somehow, I get the feeling that you’re enjoying putting me on the spot like this. I suppose you want an answer right away.”

“Oh no! You can think it over for an hour or two, and then, you can let me know. But right now, you should get back to the Goliath. We need to put the brakes on, or we’ll go cruising right on past our fuel-stop.”

“What do you mean? Our fuel-stop! I haven’t accepted your offer yet.”

“No, but I suspect you will. After all, you wouldn’t want to admit that this old, serious, worrisome personality type might be a bit too daring and adventuresome for you to keep up with, would you?”

Visibly shaken and deeply lost in thought, Moose floated out of Captain J.J.’s quarters and returned to the Goliath. Shortly thereafter, he started the fifteen-minute ignition countdown sequence.

Meanwhile, Captain Jerontis buzzed the medical lab and when Doctor Nemard responded, he asked, “Have you reached any conclusions about the individual we discussed earlier?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Good, I’ll be right there.”

When Jerry arrived in the medical lab, Connie gave him her report: “The results of the psycho­logical tests Mike has taken over the years show him to be a very stable individual. He should be able to cope with the emotional stress of permanently leaving Earth and living in close confinement with other people during a long interstellar voyage. I believe his replacement request is the result of cool-­headed thinking, not fluctuating emotions. A well thought out decision is not likely to be changed, unless the reasons for the decision change. In my opinion, he hasn’t given you the complete story behind his request. I think you should honor it and not try to change his mind. However, if he changes his mind, I see no medical or psychological reason to deny him that option.”

“I’m not surprised by your findings or by your opinion, which makes his replacement request all the more puzzling. I wonder what he’s up to.”

“I don’t know, but there’s one possibility that you need to consider. As you know, there are two extremist groups who’ve said that they’ve already implemented a plan to stop our mission. One way to do that would be to have someone on the Challenger sabotage it and then jump ship before we leave. Who on the Challenger would be better qualified to accomplish this than the chief engineer?”

“No one, but surely you don’t suspect Mike. I’ve known him for several years, and he’s always been ethical and trustworthy. There’s no way I could suspect him of doing anything to jeopardize this mission or the lives of the people on it.”

“I agree with you, but under the circumstances, I felt I had to mention the possibility.”

“I appreciate that, and I agree with your reasoning. So during the last half-hour before our departure, I want you to roam the ship and make sure that everyone is onboard and at their assigned locations.”

Just then, the three-minute pre-ignition warning klaxon blared out its urgent sounding notes forcing Captain Jerontis to head for the command console. He needed to be on station; even though, the Challenger was still under the control of the Goliath. The crucial sequence of maneuvers to carry out rendezvous and docking was programmed into the Goliath’s flight control computer, but to guard against malfunction, Captain Jerontis and his flight crew needed to monitor the events leading up to docking.

Fuel-stop was not a fueling station in the sense that fuel would be transferred from storage contain­ers to the Challenger; rather, it was an orbital base where the Challenger would be joined with two fully fueled propulsion stages. Docking maneuvers had to be executed with perfection. Even the slightest deviation from the required flight path and speed could lead to a collision with disastrous results.

When the countdown ticked down to zero, Goliath’s antimatter engines ignited, and the burn continued for several uneventful minutes, successfully completing the braking maneuver. Looking at the rearview monitor, Captain Jerontis saw the huge propulsion section, currently about a mile away, very slowly grow larger in appearance as the two modules of the giant starship drifted toward each other at a closing velocity of just a few feet per second. Goliath’s flight control computer processed data from laser range finders and other docking sensors. Through precise use of control thrusters, the computer would bring the docking structures of the two modules into perfect alignment and reduce final closing speed to less than an inch per second.

As the two large structures approached each other ever so slowly, time seemed to tick away even more slowly. A full two-and-one-half hours passed by before the habitation and propulsion modules were physically joined in a slow delicate procedure. Now, the Challenger was for the first time a complete starship. However, it would not be allowed to maneuver on its own until its flight control systems were checked out, and the Goliath would remain attached to it until this checkout was complete.

With the checkout underway, Jerry went to his office, where he received a call from NIEA Control. “Captain Jerontis here,” he replied.

“Captain, the press conference we discussed earlier has been approved. A crew of three from SNS, a freelance science reporter, an aerospace reporter, and a newspaper reporter are scheduled for liftoff on a personnel shuttle in three hours. They will arrive on the Challenger at about this time tomorrow. We want you to arrange a tour of the ship and work out a schedule with the SNS people for a press conference.”

“Have these people been investigated by security for possible association with the fanatics that have vowed to stop our mission?”

“They and their equipment have been cleared. Pertinent information will be transmitted into the security files in your computer.”

“You do realize that entertaining them might delay our departure.”

“Unavoidable. NIEA wants as much positive publicity as possible to help drum up political support for other NIEA projects. So even though one of the reporters has a reputation for being an antagonistic nag, we want you to avoid making belligerent comments. Try to be a good host.”

“That won’t be easy if you’re talking about old pain-in-the-butt Sam.”

“You guessed it. Naturally, we objected to his presence on the news team, but SNS wouldn’t back down. So we’ve delved into his professional life to anticipate the kinds of questions he’ll ask. We’ve generated some appropriate responses, and this info will be transmitted to you shortly.”

“We’ll review it and be ready for him. Thanks for your assistance.”

Reflecting on the next day’s press conference, Jerry decided that he would like to bait and then embarrass his least favorite reporter during a live broadcast to a worldwide audience. Since Sam had always been an outspoken NIEA critic, the trick would be to embarrass him in a way that would discredit him. Perhaps, Doctor Nemard would be the right person for this job. As a skilled psychiatrist, she is certainly capable of playing with someone’s mind, Jerry concluded.

Turning his thoughts to other matters, Jerry needed final decisions from Mike and Moose. If a new chief engineer had to be brought up from Earth, he would have to be on the personnel shuttle scheduled to take off in less than three hours. Jerry picked up his communicator, entered Mike’s number, and received an almost immediate response.

“Hello, Mike here.”

“Mike, this is Jerry. Now that you’ve had a few hours to reconsider, have you decided to withdraw your recent request?”

“I’ve decided to stick with it.”

“Very well; when the new chief engineer arrives, I expect you to give him a full briefing and work with him until our departure.”

“Will do.”

Having received Mike’s final decision, Jerry entered Moose’s number into his communicator and waited for a response, but he didn’t get the expected one. Instead, Moose appeared at the entrance to his office, held up his communicator, and asked, “Do you prefer to talk through these things, or can I come in?”

“Don’t be silly, come in, and sit down.”

Moose floated in and strapped himself into a seat. “I’ve given much thought to your offer, and I’ve decided to go with you as your chief engineer, if the offer is still open. I only worry that I’m not familiar with the details of this ship, since I’ve never worked on it.”

“But you are a brilliant engineer with 20 years of experience in spacecraft, and our library has detailed specifications of every part of the ship. The computer will give you a 3-D image of any part or assembly by simply asking for it. I have no doubt that if anything malfunctions, you will diagnose the problem and fix it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Obviously, I agree with you, or I wouldn’t be here. But is the offer still open?”

“I spoke with Mike just before you arrived, and he confirmed his replacement request. So we have to devise a way to get you on this mission and him off of it without arousing anyone’s suspicions. Also, since we’re departing in three days, we need to bring you up to speed in a hurry. So I’m going to take you to the engineering library and introduce you to the computer. By the time we leave Earth, I expect that you’ll have a basic familiar­ity with the systems that are mission critical.”

“I’ll give it my best, and I’ll start with propulsion.”

PRESS CONFERENCE

One day later, the visiting members of the media were onboard the Challenger and had just completed a partial tour of the starship under the guidance of Dianne Dawson, Life Support Officer. They were now in the cafeteria enjoying snacks and beverages while awaiting the arrival of Captain Jerontis and Doctor Nemard.

When they arrived, Dianne introduced them to the press. Then, she introduced the press: “This is Michelle, a highly respected science reporter. This is Sam from Satellite News Service. This is Caryn, a syndicated aerospace reporter. And this is Patrick with Associated Press.”

After exchanging the customary greetings, Captain Jerontis said, “I am pleased to meet each of you. Welcome to our starship! You’ve already interviewed some of our crew members; now, Dianne, Connie, and I will answer your questions. Michelle, you can be first.”

“Captain, what is there about this mission that has motivated you to devote your life to it?”

“I believe that interstellar expansion is human destiny, and I want to help make it happen.”

“Why do you think going to the stars is human destiny?”

“It’s in our blood. Just take a look at history. Throughout time, our spirit of adventure and thirst for knowledge has always driven us to travel and explore to the limit of our ability. Well, we now know how to go to the stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy alone contains at least 200 billion stars. Eight billion of these stars are similar to our Sun. If only one percent of these sun-like stars have earthlike planets, it will be a very long time before we run out of planets to explore and colonize. Our mission to Alcent is the first step in the interstellar expansion of the human species, and I believe this is a natural part of human evolution.”

“That sounds like a paragraph taken from the book Mankind’s Place In The Universe,” commented Michelle. “But I’d like to know what gives you a burning desire to go to Alcent?”

“I am driven by the human spirit for adventure. This is something that I have to do.”

“Why?”

“You’re not going to let me off the hook, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Okay, here it is. Since I was a teenager, it’s been a fantasy of mine to journey seventy million years back in time to explore Earth during the dinosaur age. Well, I can’t go back in time, but Star Voyager data indicates that life on Alcent may be similar to what existed on Earth during the dinosaur age. This mission gives me the opportunity to explore a planet that may be in an advanced dinosaur age. Perhaps some of these creatures have even evolved into fairly intelligent beings.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The Solar System is believed to be about 4.6 billion years old; whereas, Alpha Centauri A and its planets are believed to be 5 to 6 billion years old. If life started as early in Alcent’s history as it did on Earth, then the creatures now living on Alcent may’ve had an extra billion years to evolve compared to life on Earth. Dinosaurs ruled Earth for 150 million years. If Alcent is in a dinosaur age, it’s possible that it started a billion years ago. Intelligence could certainly evolve in that amount of time. But intelligent or not, it will be one super adventure to live among those creatures and study them.”

“I can see that you are thrilled by the possibilities, but do you have the training to study dinosaurs?”

“I don’t, but Dianne does. She has a PhD in Biology and in Genetic Engineering. She will be in charge of plant and animal research on Alcent.”

Next, Captain Jerontis turned to Caryn who asked, “Could you give us a brief summary of your flight plan including speed, time, and distance?”

“As you know, we are going to Alcent, the third planet of Alpha Centauri A. It is 4.35 light-years away. That is 25 trillion 516 billion miles. Before the development of antimatter propulsion, it was impossible to make this kind of journey in a human lifetime. But with antimatter propulsion, the Challenger will accelerate at 1g for nine months to bring us up to .77c, which is 77 percent of light speed. This means that we’ll be traveling at 143,220 miles per second. That will be our cruise speed for nearly five years. Then, we’ll have nine months of 1g deceleration. In spite of our tremendous cruise speed, it’s going to take about six-and-a-half years to go to Alcent.”

Caryn argued, “Even with antimatter propulsion, I don’t understand how you can carry enough fuel to accelerate to such a tremendous speed and then have enough fuel left to slow down for your arrival at Alcent.”

“I know this seems impossible, but you must keep in mind that the energy available from antimatter fuel is about 140 times greater than what is available from nuclear fusion and about 100 million times greater than what is available from chemical rocket fuels. To put this in perspective, if antimatter propulsion had been available in the late twentieth century, thirty-five milligrams of fuel (about the weight of a sugar cube) would’ve been sufficient to launch the space shuttle.”

Caryn seemed satisfied, so Jerry turned to Patrick who asked, “Captain, with twenty-four people on this ship, how can you possibly carry enough food, water, and oxygen to last more than six years?”

Captain Jerontis turned to Dianne. “This question falls into your area of responsibility.”

Dianne nodded and faced the media. “We have a sophisticated life support system that recycles all waste materials to produce pure water and oxygen. Also, we are able to grow food from recycled waste.”

“Can you tell us briefly how it works?” Patrick asked.

“Genetic engineering is the key to the success of our life support system. Through it, specialized microorganisms were developed to break down the various kinds of waste generated on this ship, and genetically engineered plants were developed to grow the materials that our food synthesizers need to make food. The plants also produce part of our oxygen. Is that brief enough for you?”

“I get the picture, and if you started giving me technical details, I might not understand them any­way.”

“I might add that we do have substantial reserves of oxygen, water, and food for emergency use.”

“I have one more question,” stated Patrick. “How well do your food synthesizers work?”

“With the various kinds of plant materials we feed into them, they are capable of making anything that you can find on any menu on Earth.”

“But how well do they work?” persisted Patrick.

“Since arriving on this ship, you’ve had two meals and a coffee break. How well do you think our food synthesizers work?”

“Amazingly well!” exclaimed Patrick, who just now realized that he had eaten foods made by the synthesizers.

Captain Jerontis turned his attention to Sam and said, “It’s your turn.”

“Captain, since this project’s inception, hundreds of billions of dollars have been wasted on it. Don’t you think it would’ve been better if we’d spent this vast sum feeding the hungry and housing the poor?”

“Sam, that question has been debated by politicians in Washington, D.C. during each year’s budget battle since day one. I really don’t think there’s anything I can say that hasn’t already been said many times.”

“Captain, you’re evading the question. I want to know what your position is on this vitally impor­tant issue.”

“This is a dead issue. The money has already been spent, and we’re almost ready to leave. Why do you persist in pursuing a dead issue?”

“Because it’s important for the future! Other expensive boondoggles will come up that need to be stopped, so the money can be invested in social programs. How do you feel about all the money that’s been wasted on this project that could’ve been used to improve the lives of disadvantaged people?”

“Well Sam, as you know, I am devoted to this mission, and during the past 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to its success. This hasn’t left me with very much time to worry about social programs.”

“But Captain, you must have some concern for the plight of the hungry and the homeless and the fact that the money soaked up by this project could’ve been used to help them.”

“Of course I’m concerned about their predicament. But you must realize that the money invested in this project isn’t going to disappear into interstellar space when we leave the solar system. We’re not taking it with us. It was spent on Earth and provided meaningful jobs and careers for tens of thousands of people for two decades. Much of the money was spent developing technology that can also be used to improve life on Earth. With just a little imagination, even you should be able to figure out that the microorganisms genetically engineered for waste recycling on this ship could be used by the cities of the world to totally recycle their sewage, thereby eliminating a major source of environmental pollution. This technology would also allow cities to recycle their waste water, a very important capability to have in arid and semiarid parts of the world where water is in short supply. The genetically engineered plants we use to produce our food mature rapidly and can produce an abundance of high quality food in a limited space. If grown on Earth on a large scale, hunger could be eliminated as a social problem. All you have to do is overcome the hysterical objections raised by radical environmentalists who claim that genetically engineered plants aren’t natural and therefore should not be released into Earth’s ecosystem.”

Jerry turned to Michelle who said, “Speaking of radicals, they’ve said that your mission will be stopped. How serious is that threat?”

“Since they’ve resorted to terrorist acts that have killed or injured several NIEA employees, we must take them seriously. Consequently, our security department has recruited the best professionals in the country. They are organized into two teams, with one team responsible for establishing security procedures, while the other team attempts to breach the system. By trying to outwit each other, they’ve given us a security system that we believe is nearly impossible to penetrate. Also, we are using the best security equipment that advanced technology has to offer.
Sam, you have a question?”

“I want to discuss the population of your ship. You have a crew of twenty-four with twelve crew members under the age of twenty and twelve crew members ranging in age from twenty-eight to forty-two. Why the age difference between the two groups? And what kind of selection process was used?”

Captain Jerontis turned to Doctor Nemard. “Would you like to respond to these ques­tions?”

Connie nodded. “To understand why the people on our ship fall into two age groups, you need to consider the goals and responsibilities of our mission. Those of us in the older group are experi­enced, highly trained professionals in our respective fields. We are responsible for the operation of this ship and arriving at our destination safely and in good health. Also, we’ll provide advanced training to the younger generation.

“When we arrive on Alcent, our primary goal wi1l be to establish a new civilization. That means having children and successfully raising them to become competent adults. After a six-year journey through interstellar space, those of us in the older group won’t have that many child bearing years left to us. How­ever, those in the younger group will be able to have as many children as they want and thereby give our new civilization a solid beginning and a promising future.

“As to the selection criteria, all applicants for this mission had to take a series of intelligence tests that sought to determine one’s ability to learn new material quickly. One’s ability to rapidly analyze and solve unexpected difficult problems was also evaluated. To be considered for this mission, an applicant had to score higher than 95% of those tested.

“Also, each person had to pass medical, physical, and psychological tests. Genetics played an impor­tant part in this evaluation; in that, a successful applicant had to show a family history free of hereditary diseases that would cause physical or mental disabilities. Also, since we’ll be starting a new civilization, the success of which depends on reproduction, only applicants with normal sexual desires were considered.

“Individuals who passed all of these tests faced still more hurdles. Training exercises based on Star Voyager data were developed to help mission candidates learn the survival skills needed to stay alive in the dangerous environment we expect to find on Alcent. Physical endurance, cunning ingenuity, and the ability to handle unexpected situations were all essential to successful completion of this training. Sam, you have a follow up question?”

“Yes, I do. What do you mean by the phrase normal sexual desires?”

“I am referring to individuals who want to love and be loved by a member of the opposite sex.”

Sam retorted, “But what about people who prefer to live in an alternative lifestyle? Weren’t their civil rights violated by being excluded from consideration for this mission? Isn’t this tantamount to dis­crimination on the basis of sexual preference?”

“Yes, it is, but I believe I explained quite clearly why this discrimination was necessary.”

“But your earlier statement implied that people living in an alternative lifestyle have abnormal sexual desires.”

“I suppose you could interpret my comment that way, but I’m wondering why you’re pursuing this line of questioning instead of asking us how we feel about our mission, how we plan to survive and prosper on Alcent, or what we’1l do during our long voyage.”

“I’ve just uncovered a flagrant violation of the Civil Rights Act. Also, I’ve called attention to a socially insensitive comment of yours that is inconsistent with politically correct thinking and that is bound to be offensive to a large group of people in our society, many of whom paid tax dollars to support your mission.”

“And that is what you think your viewers from around the world are interested in finding out about the greatest adventure ever attempted. Perhaps after you get back to Earth, one of your viewers could send you a book on human anatomy. After a brief study of male and female body parts, it should become readily apparent to you what would constitute normal sexual activity. Then, with some additional study, you could figure out how human reproduction works and how it is dependent on normal sexual activity. Then, you might be able to understand why discrimination on the basis of sexual preference was necessary for the success of this mission.

“As far as politically correct thinking is concerned, I am still an American, and I do have political freedom as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Not you, or anyone else, is going to tell me what kind of thinking is politically correct. My freedom allows me to decide that for myself. Early in the twentieth century, there was an individual who told millions what politically correct thinking consisted of, and he used lots of guns to enforce his point of view. In case you’re not a student of history, his name was Adolf Hitler.”

Wanting to end the confrontation with Sam before she lost control and told him where he could go, Doctor Nemard quickly turned to Michelle and said, “Michelle, you have a question?”

“Yes, doctor. The Challenger is a big ship, but you’ll be confined to it for more than six years. What are you going to do during all that time? And how are you going to avoid getting cabin fever?”

“Some people would have a difficult time dealing with close confinement for that long a time. One of the purposes of psychological testing was to find and eliminate them from mission eligibility.” Connie briefly turned to Sam and said, “I guess you could even consider that a form of discrimination.”

Before Sam could comment, Connie turned back to Michelle, “As to your first question, I will monitor the health and well-being of each person and treat any medical or psychological prob­lems that develop. Captain Jerontis and the flight operations crew will monitor the performance of the Challenger’s systems, do preventive maintenance, and repair anything that malfunctions. One of the most impor­tant responsibilities of the older generation will be to assist the young people with their continued training. For example, by the time we reach Alcent, I will have trained two of them to take over my responsibilities if there is an untimely end to my life.”

“But you can’t work all the time,” protested Michelle. “What about leisure activities?”

“Our responsibilities will keep us quite busy, but we’ll find time to have fun.”

“But what will you do?”

“We have lots of options available. All the best books, movies, music, and video games produced in the last 150 years are stored in our computer library. Also, we have a large gym. In addition to the exercise equipment located there, it is big enough to play competitive games in. For those who are musi­cally inclined, we have some musical instruments onboard. People who like to design and make things can use the sophisticated equipment in our machine shop.”

“That sounds like more than enough to keep people from getting bored and losing their sanity, even during a six-year voyage,” noted Michelle.

“That’s the plan,” stated Doctor Nemard. “Mission planners decided that enjoyable leisure activities are important to personal well-being, and they made sure that much is available to be enjoyed.”

After glancing at his watch, Captain Jerontis said, “We have time for one more question from each of you. Caryn, we’ll start with you.”

“Captain, why was the name Challenger selected for your starship?”

“That name was selected in honor of the seven astronauts who were killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. Patrick?”

“In view of all the hazards that you’ll face, how do you rate your chance of success?”

“We will succeed! Michelle?”

“Captain, it seems to me that your survival for the next six years is dependent on this ship’s waste recycling system. If it fails to function as expected, you could run out of oxygen to breathe, food to eat, or both. How large a safety margin has been built into the system? You have twenty-four people onboard. How many people could you put on this ship before the system becomes overloaded? And what about the microorganisms on which the operation of the system depends, how do you know they’ll stay healthy for six years of interstellar space flight?”

Captain Jerontis smiled broadly at Michelle. “That sounds like more than one question.”

Michelle returned the smile. “But they’re all closely related questions concerning one of your ship’s essential systems.”

Captain Jerontis nodded in agreement and turned to Dianne, who said, “Our life support system has a safety margin of 35 to 40 percent. So we would have to add eight, nine, or ten people to our crew before we would be in danger of overloading the system and placing our survival in jeopardy. As to your other question, several predecessor versions of this life support system have been in use on our space stations and lunar and Mars bases for several decades. They have proven to be very reliable. However, during our long voyage, I will be using my genetic engineering skills and this ship’s research lab to improve the microorganisms and plants on which our survival depends. Sam?”

“AEPF has charged that your presence on Alcent will pollute its pristine environment and that germs carried to Alcent by you will pose a serious threat to the life forms already living there. How do you plan to protect the life on Alcent from this life threatening danger?”

“When we arrive at Alcent, we’ll orbit the planet at a low altitude, probably around 200 miles,” replied Dianne. “After studying the planet for several weeks, we’ll launch sterilized, unmanned landing craft to locations of interest. These landing craft will be complex remotely controlled research labs. With them, we’ll study life on Alcent to determine if germs from Earth will be a threat to it. We’ll thoroughly evaluate the risks before any of us land on Alcent.

“What if you find out that germs from Earth are a grave threat to life on Alcent?” Sam asked.

“Then, we’ll have to find a solution to that problem before we can land,” replied Dianne.

“Some environmentalist groups don’t believe you can be trusted to be that environmentally responsible,” argued Sam.

Dianne glared at Sam and coldly said, “The crew of this starship is a very responsible group, and we will do what is right.”

“But AEPF does not trust you and claims that they will stop your mission,” stated Sam. “What do you think of that?”

Before Dianne could respond, Captain Jerontis stared at Sam and bluntly said, “AEPF is not a reputable group; they are a radical extremist group, and our mission is not going to be governed by the agenda of a group of terrorists. If they’ve sabotaged my starship, we’ll find that sabotage, and they will fail to stop our mission.”

Sam appeared ready to argue the point, but before he could say anything, Captain Jerontis said, “This concludes our press conference. All of you except Michelle will be leaving our ship in three hours to spend the night on the personnel shuttle. Until then, Dianne and Connie will be your tour guides and will introduce you to available personnel for interviews. When you return in the morning, they will again be your guides. Michelle, your request to stay onboard until we depart has been granted. You will stay with the group until they leave the ship. After that, Connie will be your escort and share her quarters with you.”

Except for Sam, members of the media thanked Captain Jerontis for his time. Then, he went to the flight deck to check the progress of events leading to departure.

Michelle turned to Dianne and said, “One area you haven’t shown us is the hangar deck. I’d like to see the shuttles you’ll use to travel to and from the surface when the Challenger is orbiting Alcent.”

“Good idea,” Dianne responded.

On the way to the hangar deck, Michelle said to Connie, “You are about to depart on a long perilous mission filled with uncertainty. However, when Patrick asked Captain Jerontis to rate your chance of achieving success, he declared, ‘we will succeed!’ Is this wishful thinking on his part, or is he really that sure of success?”

“He actually is 100 percent confident that we’ll be successful.”

“But you’re attempting to do something that’s never been done. How can he be so confi­dent?”

“There’s something that you must understand about Captain Jerontis, and that is that he approaches life with a very strong positive attitude. When he decides to do something, he just simply refuses to accept failure. He has more stick-to-it-tive-ness than anyone I’ve ever met. He just hangs in there and does what­ever it takes to achieve his goals.”

“But this is a huge complex starship that must function for the next seven years. Any number of things could go wrong.”

“That’s true, but Captain Jerontis has participated in the design, construction, and testing of this starship from the very beginning. He probably knows more about it than anyone. If he’s confident in this starship, so am I.”

Michelle thought about the firmness of Connie’s comments. Then, she said, “I’ve talked to several crew members since my arrival, and all of them seem to be as confident in Captain Jerontis as you are. He seems to have the unquestioned loyalty of the crew. How has he won their loyalty?”

“Everyone knows that he’s an expert on the intricate details of this ship and how everything works.”

“There has to be more to it than that,” argued Michelle. “I know many intelligent people, and some of them just don’t inspire loyalty in anyone.”

“You just mentioned the key word.”

“Which word was that?”

“Inspire; Captain Jerontis inspires his crew to be confident in him.”

“How does he do that?” Before Connie could respond, Michelle said, “Let me make this personal. How does he inspire you to be confident in his leadership?”

“More than anything else, I appreciate his leader­ship style. He is a strong leader, but he is gentle. He never criticizes anyone; he encourages them. Also, I respect his knowledge, and I like the confident, cheerful attitude that he always displays. Then, there is the seemly limitless energy that he always comes up with when he has a deadline to meet. Perhaps his energy comes from his attitude, determination, and physical strength. He does have a strong athletic build, being six feet three inches tall and 230 pounds. He is lean and muscular, and his energetic, youthful appearance seems to inspire people into thinking that he can do whatever is required.”

Michelle noticed that Connie’s face lit up when she was talking about Captain Jerontis. Being a professional reporter, she decided to investigate this, so she said, “That was a rather long-winded answer to my question. You seem to know a lot about your Captain.”

Not expecting these comments and not prepared to respond to their implication, Connie thought about them for a few moments. Then, rather than respond to what was implied, she said, “I am the mission psychiatrist and medical doctor. I make it my business to know and understand everyone on this ship, especially the Captain.”

Michelle sensed that there might be another reason for Connie’s extensive knowledge about the Captain, but she decided not to pursue it, because she felt that she wasn’t going to get any additional informa­tion. Michelle looked into Connie’s eyes and smiled in a way that let her know she understood.

A few moments later, the group arrived on the hangar deck, and Michelle said to Dianne, “Those shuttles look like sleek high-speed aircraft. Can you tell me a little bit about them?”

While pointing at them, Dianne said, “The big one is a cargo carrier, and the small one is a personnel shuttle. Both shuttles have NTR propulsion systems that will allow us to travel between the surface of Alcent and the Challenger as many times as we need to without being concerned about running out of fuel.”

“What is an NTR propulsion system?” Patrick asked.

“NTR means nuclear thermal rocket,” replied Dianne.

Patrick appeared puzzled. “How does an NTR operate?” he asked.

“Its operation is quite simple. A working fluid such as liquefied air or ordinary water is pumped through the nuclear reactor’s heat exchanger, where it is heated to a temperature of several thousand degrees. This converts the liquid into an extremely high pressure gas that expands out the rocket nozzle creating enough thrust to accelerate the shuttle to orbital speed and altitude.”

“Why were NTRs selected to propel the shuttles rather than antimatter power plants?”

“Antimatter fuel is expensive to produce, and NTRs provide more than enough energy for travel between the surface of Alcent and the low altitude orbit the Challenger will be in. Also, NTRs are rugged, reliable power plants that are easy to operate. The technology involved is mature.”

While members of the press asked Dianne additional questions about the shuttles, Captain Jerontis was on the flight deck talking to Mike. “How is our final checkout proceeding?” he asked.

“Very well,” replied Mike. “The fact that we’re not finding any problems shows just how well-designed this ship is.”

“Not only that, but everything has been tested and retested so many times that all problems should’ve been found and corrected long ago.”

“We should be ready to test fire our engines in about three hours, but right now, we’ve reached a 45-minute break in the checkout schedule.”

“Good, let’s go to the engineering library. There’s someone there I’d like you to meet.”

Two minutes later, in the engineering library, Captain Jerontis said, “Mike, meet your replace­ment, John Moosebeck. He’s been glued to the computer since accepting the position and is rapidly becoming an expert on the intricate details of this ship. Right, Moose?”

Moose answered Jerry’s question by nodding his head and looking at him with the tired eyes of one who had been involved in hours of intensive study. Moose shook Mike’s hand and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

“So I finally get to meet the boisterous, flamboyant Moose I’ve heard so much about,” Mike said. Turning to Captain Jerontis, he asked, “How did you manage to motivate the bureaucrats at NIEA Command to allow you to replace me with your life-long friend?”

Seeing the gleam in Captain J.J.’s eyes and the mischievous grin on his face, Mike said, “Never mind. Forget that I asked that question; I really don’t want to know.”

Turning his attention back to Moose, Mike said, “Attempting to learn the intricate details of this ship in just a few days is a rather tall order. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“So far, I’ve limited my study to the most crucial systems. I’ve been looking at propulsion, flight control, and life support; and they aren’t much different than on the Goliath, just a bit more advanced. Maybe sometime tomorrow, you could brief me on any peculiarities that you think I should know about.”

“Tomorrow’s checkout schedule has a two-hour break at lunch time, and that would be the best time for me.”

Turning to Captain Jerontis, Mike said, “I am curious to know what clandestine plan you’ve devised for getting me off this ship and back to Earth without arousing anyone’s suspicions.”

“The Captain of the personnel shuttle that brought the media up is a friend of mine. Tomorrow, I’ll give him a tour of the Challenger and tell him there’s been a personnel change and that he is to give you a ride down to Earth. There’s no reason for him to be suspicious, and even if he were, I doubt that he’d question NIEA Command about it.

“On another subject, a really sharp-looking reporter named Michelle has requested an inter­view with our chief engineer. Maybe you could talk with her this evening.”

Mike grinned and said, “I don’t know if I want to be talking to a good-looking woman when I’m trying to get this ship ready for departure. That might be too big a distraction. Just how beautiful is she anyway?”

Jerry smiled while recalling Michelle’s features, “She has an attractive figure, a beautiful face, sandy-brown hair, and a light tan. She’s about five-seven, maybe five-eight and probably weighs around 130 pounds.”

Noticing that Jerry appeared to be breathing a little faster, Mike said, “It seems that she had quite an effect on you. From your description, it sounds like you took a pretty good look at her.”

“She definitely got my attention.”

“Well, if she’s as outstanding as you say she is, I guess I could find a little time to talk to her.”

Acting as though he would be doing Mike a big favor, Jerry said, “If it’s going to put too much of a strain on your schedule, I’ll tell her that you’re busy and handle the interview myself. Depending on how it goes, I might even figure out a way to make her part of the crew.”

“That’s okay,” Mike quickly replied. “I’ll talk to her. After all, she did ask for the chief engineer, and I haven’t yet been replaced.”

Moose grinned at Mike and said, “I heard she has a knack for asking tough questions. I hope she doesn’t hit you with something that you’re not prepared for. Maybe I should take the interview.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m sure I can handle it.”

Four hours later, all primary propulsion rockets had been throttled up to 65 percent of full power for 15 seconds and then, throttled back down and shut off. Mike, Moose, and Jerry were intently poring over the performance data. The first one to say anything was Mike, “I see no anomalies here. In fact, I don’t see how this test run could’ve been any better. Other than slightly increasing our speed and raising our orbit a bit, not much else happened.”

Jerry and Moose agreed, and Mike said, “Since this concludes today’s checkout, it’s time for me to look up a reporter named Michelle.”

Before Mike could depart, Captain Jerontis stopped him and said,

“Remember, as far as the press is concerned, and anyone else for that matter, you are the chief engineer for this mission.”

Mike nodded and left.

“I haven’t eaten in hours,” stated Moose, “and I feel like devouring a large combination pizza with extra pepperoni and cheese.”

“Do you ever eat anything besides pizza?” Jerry asked, while on the way to the cafeteria.

“Of course I do, but pizza just happens to be my favorite food.”

“I would never have guessed that.”

A little later, when Moose and Jerry were well into their meal, Moose said,“You sure have excel­lent food on this ship.”

“Yes, we do. We’re fortunate to have a chef who is blessed with an intuitive ability in the kitchen. What amazes me is that he does this with the basic ingredients and flavorings produced by our food synthesiz­ers.”

“You’re lucky that someone with so much talent survived the strenuous training required of people for this mission.”

“Actually, he didn’t. He is the only person on this mission who didn’t do all that well in survival training. However, because of his culinary abilities, NIEA allowed him on the mission anyway, since they consider excellent dining essential to crew morale on a voyage of this length.”

“I agree. Good food is a bright spot in anyone’s day. But now that I’m here, he isn’t the only creative cook.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you forgotten all the good meals you’ve eaten at my house?”

“No, I haven’t, and I’ll have to admit that you do know your way around the kitchen. But right now, I’m more in need of a chief engineer than another chef.”

“Once we get underway, the engineering workload might not be all that demanding. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind helping out in the kitchen. Your chef can’t work around the clock, and he might like some time off now and then.”

“True, let’s keep that in mind.”

“On another subject, are you worried about anything in tomorrow’s checkout schedule?”

“Not really. We actually have a fairly light schedule. Our checkout procedures resume at 8:30 AM with a two-hour break at 11:30. If no problems are encountered, checkout will be completed at 4:30 PM. The most crucial event is the full power engine test at 3:30, but I don’t anticipate any problems. Our engines are just enhanced versions of the power plants you have on the Goliath, and they’ve been frequently operated at full power for nine years now. At 1:30 PM the next day, there will be a presidential farewell address, followed by our departure at 2:00 PM. Now that you’re part of the mission, are you worried about anything?”

Moose leaned back, briefly pondered the question and said, “Twenty years ago, you and I were part of a football team that won back-to-back national championships. As I see it, our current situation is quite similar. If you can provide the same inspirational leadership now as you did twenty years ago, we should all end up dying of old age on Alcent.”

“Now that my all-time favorite fullback is on the team, my job will certainly be easier. When Mike hit me with a replacement request, it threw me for a loop. The backup engineer is a very capable individual, but for some reason, I’m not comfortable working with him. I don’t think that he and I would ever have been a smoothly functioning team, and in a time-critical crisis, smooth teamwork is essential.”

“That has always been true for us. When we were playing college football twenty years ago, we instinctively worked together. It seemed like we were almost able to sense what each other was thinking.”

“Twenty years is a long time, but talking about football brings back fond memories that are so clear, it seems like they happened only yesterday. Have you ever considered that we could be comfortably retired by now if we’d gone into professional football instead of into space? Think about it, we could be having a relatively risk-free life on Earth; instead, we are about to embark on a mission we may not survive.”

“We all have choices to make. I believe an individual’s state of well-being at any point in his life is the direct result of all the choices that individual made up to that point in his life. Rather than play professional football, I chose to go into space because I enjoy the adventure of it. Facing and conquering the unexpected hazards one sometimes finds in an adventure into the unknown gives me an emotional high like none other. Knowing me as well as you do, you had to know what my decision would be when you gave me the opportunity to go to Alcent with you.”

“I was pretty sure you’d accept. After all, my offer to you was just one more unexpected challenge for you to conquer.”

“It was definitely unexpected. You dropped it on me right out of nowhere, and it’s definitely a big challenge.” Moose checked the clock and said, “It’s time for me to go back to the engineering library. There are some systems I want to look at before I turn in for the night.”

“I’m going to my quarters to call my parents. I can’t see them in person before we leave, but the video phone in my quarters has a screen covering one entire wall. A phone call to my parents is almost like being at home with them. I’m also going to call my brother and sister.”

“Say hello to them for me,” requested Moose, as he headed for the engineering library.

“Will do, see you in the morning.”

Mike and Michelle entered the cafeteria just as Moose and Jerry were leaving. Mike introduced Michelle to Moose. After exchanging greetings, Mike and Michelle picked up menus and consid­ered what to order.

“Can we order food to go and eat on the observation deck?” Michelle asked. “Viewing the Universe from above Earth’s atmosphere is rather spectacular. It might even be romantic.”

Mike assessed Michelle from head to foot. He smiled at her affectionately and said, “I have no objection to eating in such a setting with a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you. You have a nice way with words.”

A short time later on the observation deck, Mike explained to Michelle,

“Here in space, it’s easy to become disoriented, especially in the zero gravity situation that we’re now in, so let me tell you where we are. To start with, our current orbital position places us directly between Earth and Moon with the Sun at our backs. We can’t see the Sun because the shields are in place to protect us from solar radiation and to keep the observation deck in darkness. To our left is Earth with the face that we see half in daylight and half in darkness. The longitudinal axis of the Challenger is currently in upright alignment with Earth’s axis of rotation, so that when you look at Earth, the North Pole is at the top. To our right is the Moon, also showing a face that is half in daylight and half in darkness. That brilliant yellow star over there is Alpha Centauri A, and the bright orange star next to it is Alpha Centauri B.”

Michelle silently stared into the heavens. She was enchanted by the stunning beauty of the multitude of stars shining in brilliant contrast to the stark blackness of space.

Meanwhile, Mike stared at Michelle. She was enchanting.

After a couple minutes, Michelle’s eyes wandered back to home planet. “Earth looks so tiny from up here,” she said. “It really doesn’t appear much larger than the Moon.”

“We are considerably closer to the Moon than to Earth,” Mike said. “In round numbers, we are a little more than 125,000 miles from Earth and somewhat less than 105,000 miles from the Moon.”

“When I see Earth suspended against the background of infinite space, it seems so small and fragile. It’s hard to believe that it’s teeming with life locked in competition for finite living space.”

“I get the feeling that you’ve gained an entirely new perspective in regard to our place in the Uni­verse,” noted Mike.

“This is my first trip into space, and viewing Earth and the Cosmos from here makes me feel like I’m a small insignificant part of it.”

“That’s a fairly normal reaction. I’ve experienced those feelings more than once. But however inconsequential you may be feeling at the moment, you’ve become the most important part of my universe.”

Mike’s words caused Michelle to glow with happiness. After a few moments, she said, “As a sci­ence reporter, I’ve written numerous articles on astronomy, and I’ve always known that even on a clear dark night, observing the heavens through Earth’s atmosphere greatly limits what you can see. But until now, I didn’t realize how much beauty is obscured by the atmosphere. For the first time in my life, I’m able to appreciate the vastness of space and truly enjoy its magnificent beauty. The stars are so numerous, it seems like I can see millions of them, and they’re so brilliant, sharp, and colorful that I feel like I’m peering into a galactic treasure chest filled with colorful jewelry. And to top it all off, Star Voyager data gives us good reason to believe that there might be an abundance of life out there, making the galactic treasure chest even more precious.”

Michelle stopped talking when she felt Mike’s arms encircle her from behind. She turned within his arms, so she could face him. In the soft romantic glow of light from the heavens, Mike noted that Michelle’s natural beauty took on an almost angelic appearance. He responded by giving her a long tender kiss. He felt an involuntary tremble in Michelle as she responded. With a supreme effort, Mike managed to gain control over his rapidly growing desire, and he said, “Before we get too carried away with this, I think you should tell me your decision in regard to what we’ve been planning.”

“The way I feel right now, I really don’t have any choice but to do what you’re asking me to do.”

Mike kissed her again and softly whispered, “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Now, I need to explain to you what we must do to achieve our objective. Let’s go to my quarters, where there won’t be any risk of being overheard.”

PRESIDENTIAL FAREWELL ADDRESS

Forty hours later, the Challenger and her human occupants were ready to go. All checkout proce­dures had been completed. The Goliath and personnel shuttle had undocked and moved away to a safe distance.

The security team that had guarded the Challenger during its construction was onboard the personnel shuttle for a ride back to Earth. Its job was now finished because the only people on the Challenger were its personnel, and access to the starship was no longer available.

Before the shuttle could return to Earth, the news team had to cover the starship’s departure. TV coverage would be provided by the SNS crew.

With engine ignition less than a half-hour away, the Challenger’s personnel had said final goodbyes to friends and relatives in preparation for permanent departure from Earth. All were facing TV screens awaiting the presidential farewell address, which was expected momentarily.
Appearing on TV, the presidential press secretary said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.”

The press secretary’s image was replaced by that of the president, who said, “Today is truly an epochal occasion as we are about to witness the birth of a new era in human history, the beginning of interstellar expansion. People have dreamed about interstellar travel for centuries, and that dream is about to be realized with the Challenger mission to the Alpha Centauri System. This mission illustrates that what can be conceived by the imaginative human mind can be achieved by free men and women working together when not held in check by a lack of resources or by a stifling political system. Captain Jerontis, we are proud to send you and your personnel, the finest men and women that America has to offer, on this historical mission. Establishing a new civilization is a big responsibility, and I urge all of you to study our history, learn from our mistakes, and not repeat them on Alcent. I urge you to learn from our greatest successes and carry these into your new civilization. Make it a great one that we can all be proud of. Our prayers are with you. Captain Jerontis, you and your crew are ultimate achievers. If you were to leave an inspirational thought with our nation’s youth on how to be successful, what would it be?”

“Mr. President, before I do that, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all Americans whose hard work, dedication, and sacrifice made this mission possible. I especially want to thank the American taxpayers for funding it.

“To our youth, I will simply say that your freedom makes you responsible for your future well-being. Each day, when you get out of bed in the morning, simply say to yourself: My future depends on the choices that I make today, and then, think about it.

“This simple concept was responsible for turning around the life of a close friend of mine. During his first eight years in school, he was disruptive and rebellious. He studied very little. He was well on his way to becoming an illiterate street thug. When he entered the ninth grade, his science teacher had a fairly large sign on his desk that faced the class. The sign said, MY FUTURE DEPENDS ON THE CHOICES THAT I MAKE TODAY. At first, this simple message didn’t mean much to my friend, but as the school year pro­gressed, it started to have a profound effect on his daily activities. Instead of hanging out with the local street gang, he started doing his homework. After a while, he chose to go a step further and spend some time in the school library researching subjects of interest to him. Anyway, he went on to attend a university, where he earned an advanced engineering degree and became a sports hero.”

“I like that message,” stated the President. “If your new society is based on that simple concept, it should get off to a very good start. In fact, I like that message so much that I think it should be prominently displayed in all of our classrooms and offices. Too many of us forget that freedom of choice is a potent double-edged sword loaded with personal responsibility, and making the right choices in daily life is a personal responsibility. May you and your personnel always make the right choices.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

Captain Jerontis turned to his flight crew and gave the order to start the fifteen-minute countdown. A few minutes later, Connie appeared and handed him a note that said, “All personnel are at their stations.”

Jerry made eye contact with Connie and said, “Thank you!”

Shortly thereafter, the warning klaxon blared out its urgent sounding notes indicating that ignition was only three minutes away. A flood of excitement filled Jerry’s mind and body with the full realization that twenty years of hard work was rapidly coming down to a climactic moment. With a fresh flow of adrenaline, Jerry’s pulse increased, and his mind raced through a series of thoughts: I am leaving Earth, and I will never return. Will I ever regret this? Will our voyage be a safe one? Has the Challenger been sabotaged in a way that has escaped our detection? What challenges will we encounter on Alcent? Will I always make the right choices? I will certainly try. Am I going to miss Earth? Will I miss my family and friends? Of course I will, but I can deal with that.”

As the countdown entered the final minute, Jerry hoped that once they had ignition and were under­way, his adrenaline flow would get back to normal. Meanwhile, his excited mind continued to race through thoughts of the past and aspirations for the future. Then, the final seconds ticked by: 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - ­2 - 1 - IGNITION!