Blue Planet Rising (Pebbles in the Sky Book 2) Read online

  The group as a whole stood to salute him and the general stood and returned the salute with tears in his eyes. He motioned them all to sit back down. “Thank you. There’s more to this meeting than announcing my retirement. I wanted to tell you all about some changes that are coming to the Space Force and felt it was better done face to face. As you know, the economy of the United States is in shambles. The rest of the world is in even worse shape. As a result of this, tax revenues are a pitiful remnant of what they used to be and there have been some major budget cuts proposed by Congress and the President. There have even been some proposals to abandon the base at Phobos and cancel the Lagrange station that’s under construction.”

  General Seale held up his hand as everyone started to protest. “Hear me out. You don’t need to tell me of the importance of those projects. To put your fears to rest, let me say that there has been some additional funding sources identified that will keep those bases and projects operational. However, there’s going to be some changes in the way that you do business. Some of them, well, you may not like what I’m going to tell you. Please hear me out before you voice your opinions. Just be aware that these changes have already been set in motion. I have reluctantly given my approval on them. Luckily for me, I’m retiring and my successor will have to implement the changes. I apologize in advance to him for the dump, but I’ve done my share and now someone else can fight these battles.”

  “The first change, and the most significant one, is that the United States Space Force is going to become an international service. We will be accepting personnel from the new British, German, and French governments into Space Force. In return, they’ll be providing thirty percent of the force’s funding,” General Seale informed them.

  Colonel Dexter spoke up. “General, those countries haven’t lifted a finger to help us in the past. Why now? What’s this going to do to morale? How can we ask our personnel to learn to speak French and German? The logistics are going to be a nightmare!”

  General Seale shook his head. “I guess they felt a twinge of conscience for not helping us in the past. That, and their wish to get back in space. They want to share the wealth that’s going to start coming in from the private mining endeavors. And to put some of your fears at ease, I don’t think that it will affect morale that much. We’ll be getting the cream of their military services, and they’ll have to go through the same academy and training programs as our present personnel. In addition, all the foreign candidates will be required to speak fluent English. We’ll simply have some personnel from other backgrounds and countries with us. This could actually enrich the entire culture of the Space Force. They’re going to be allowed to have up to the same percentage of force personnel as they contribute to the force budget. At this point, it will be primarily British Commonwealth personnel with a sprinkling of French and German personnel. Try to think of this situation as similar to the standing NATO naval forces of the early century. It’s been done before, and should work again.”

  “Speaking of naval forces, there’s another big change that will affect all personnel. Effective in two months, all office and technical specialists will be converting to naval military rank and nomenclature. This move is viewed as being more appropriate as the Space Force grows and is more widely accepted among all the contributing nations. That’s one reason I am retiring,” laughed the General. “I don’t think I could stand to be called Admiral. All you Colonels will be converted to the equivalent naval rank of Captain. I know it sounds like a demotion in the present Air Force ranking system that we have retained to this point, but it is what it is.”

  “What a bunch of bureaucratic crap,” grumbled Major Jenkins.

  “You might as well accept it,” replied General Seale. “Major, your new rank will be Commander. All of you might need to freshen up on the naval ranks. The enlisted personnel will all receive new rankings and specialty codes also. I know this sounds like it’s just administrative bull crap to appease our new allies, but if it will keep Space Force funded, we have no choice.”

  “The final item I want to bring you up to speed on is the next manned Elpis expedition.” The General noticed that Major Hanks sat up a little straighter and gave him his full attention as he mentioned that subject. “There have been some changes to the mission parameters that I need to update you on.”

  “The expedition budget and mission profile has been changed quite a bit. The mission will now include two transfer ships, the “Colonel Pierce,” and the “David Honstein”. Major Jenkins, soon to be Commander Jenkins, will still be the mission commander as well as the captain of the Colonel Pierce.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Colonel Ellis. “At first, you were talking major budget shortfalls, and now we’re drastically increasing the cost of the Elpis Expedition? What gives?”

  General Seale picked up his notes. “As I was saying, the parameters of the mission have changed. Instead of a quick drop and four week look around before heading back home, the ground team will now be staying planet side for approximately four years.”

  “Whoa!” exclaimed Major Jenkins. “What gives with that? How are we going to keep a team supplied for that long? We can’t possibly keep a transfer ship in orbit there that long.”

  “That’s the reason two ships are now going on the trip,” explained the General. “The ground crew is now going to consist of ten personnel. They’ll be tasked with exploring the alien site as well as environmental and geological studies. They will be constructing a small landing field for future operations as well caching rocket fuel for future flight operations. They’ll need additional equipment as well as a vastly larger amount of supplies. The plan is for them to set up greenhouses to grow the majority of their own food. Should the mission have problems, there’ll be a window in two years to snatch them up with a long trip by a transfer ship. It’s hoped that any emergent supply or equipment needs can be sent by high speed robotic ships. Hopefully, their mission will be the beginning for a permanent base on the planet.”

  “And how are we going to pay for all of this?” mused Major Simmons. “I still have difficulty getting some supplies for Shackleton base from time to time. My people aren’t the star studded glory guys that some of the other bases have,” he said as he elbowed Colonel Dexter from Phobos Base.

  “I suspect that some of the funding is being provided by our new allies,” answered General Seale. “In addition to the Elpis mission, I’ve been notified that we are going to be providing logistical assistance to an international company that wants to start mining operations on the moon and the near Earth asteroids.”

  “That would be that rich Greco guy and his cronies, from what I hear,” said Colonel Dexter. The same guys who sent those probes to contaminate Elpis with Earth life forms. I don’t trust that bunch as far as I can throw them. I still wonder why we allow his two sons to remain in Space Force. They’re probably feeding intelligence and classified information to their dad on a constant basis.”

  “Hold on,” said Major Jenkins angrily. I’ve spent time in space with Lieutenant Jason Greco. He’s a damned good pilot. Don’t forget, he’s the junior officer that took over the last Elpis expedition when Colonel Pierce died. I haven’t found any fault with his service or his ability. He’s totally dedicated to his job. According to him, he has very minimal contact with his dad.”

  “What about his brother then?” accused Colonel Dexter.

  “Enough you two,” interrupted General Seale. “We know that we have a security leak in Space Force, as well as one in NASA. That source has been passing information to known business contacts of Benjamin Greco. We don’t know who it is, but we do know is that it’s not Lieutenant Jason Greco or his brother Lieutenant Allen Greco. Every communication they have had with contacts back on Earth has been monitored very closely. They were initially the prime suspects, but they’ve since been cleared. Jason Greco hasn’t even been back to Earth since the last Elpis expedition. Until such time as they do something that violat
es their duty or security status, they’ll continue to be treated as anyone else. As a matter of fact, Jason Greco is slated to be the lander pilot for the next Elpis expedition.”

  “Do we know who the leader of the ground expedition is going to be yet?” asked Major Smith.

  General Seale looked over at Major Jenkins before he answered. “The name at the top of the list is Major Kristy Nichols, as she has her doctorate in space systems engineering. Her talents and skills are thought to be a perfect match for the exploration of the alien site. She’s also flight qualified so if there was an issue and the landing shuttle’s pilot was disabled, she could step in and take over.”

  Major Jenkins looked away as the rest of the room became awkwardly quiet. They all knew that Hank and Major Kristy Nichols had gone through a whirlwind romance, marriage, and subsequently divorced less than two years later.

  “The rest of the crew roster will probably be released in the next couple of months. The three additional spots on the crew will be filled with various specialists from our new allies.”

  “There’s one more subject that I wish to bring up. That would be the recommendation for my replacement as the commander of Space Force. I have recommended that Colonel Ellis be promoted to head of Space Force. The President and the Joint Chiefs have accepted my recommendation. He has worked side by side with me for the entire existence of the Force. He also has handled logistics and mission planning in my stead when I have been ground side. There will be some other shuffling of the command structure, but I have refrained from getting into that. Colonel Ellis will have that responsibility, since he’s the one that will have to work with his various commanders in the future.”

  “The head of Space Force should not be a Colonel. So tomorrow, before you all disperse back to your respective commands, there will be a special ceremony for his advancement to General…err… to Admiral. He’ll be the first one with a naval rank in Space Force. That was my idea about the rank by the way Colonel Ellis,” General Seale said with a grin. “I couldn’t resist.”

  General Seale stood up to leave and all the other base commanders stood to congratulate Colonel Ellis. “I will see you all at the advancement ceremony tomorrow. It’ll be broadcast to all Space Force personnel. I’ll also use that occasion to explain about the changes in force makeup and the new ranking system to all of the rest of the Space Force personnel. Dismissed.”

  Chapter 14 th

  February 19th, 2045

  Fayetteville, Arkansas

  Peter was trying his best to keep up with his son, Eric. In his youth, Peter had been an excellent snow skier, but he hadn’t been on the slopes in over twenty years. As typical of boys his age, Eric had no fear, and threw himself down the slope with reckless abandon. Peter slid to a stop and watched Eric go down the slope whooping and laughing as he outran his father. Peter smiled and pulled up his snow goggles and looked up the slope as Susan came to a sliding stop just uphill from him, spraying him with snow.

  Susan pulled her scarf down off her face revealing her flushed cheeks and red nose. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “He beat you again, I see.”

  Peter nodded. “His lessons are paying off.”

  Susan laughed. “Winter time sports are the ‘in’ thing now, my dear. Who would have thought that Arkansas would become a snow skiing Mecca five years ago?”

  Peter grunted. “I don’t know if Mecca is a good word. Most of the slopes here are intermediate at best. I miss the old resorts in Colorado and Wyoming.”

  Susan shrugged. “You can’t ski on glaciers dear, and that’s what all the old ski resorts are becoming. They’re all part of the Northern Frontier now. Most of them have become permanently frozen and not easily accessible.”

  “I have a good idea,” said Peter. “Let’s go down to the lodge, lie in the hot tub, and have a couple of drinks. Maybe we can find an in-doors activity that’s not quite so bad on the knees.”

  “Would that activity happen to be in our bedroom suite?” grinned Susan slyly.

  “Maybe, follow me and you’ll find out,” said Peter. “Eric will find us later. He’s probably with his buddies that he met yesterday. He can take care of himself.”

  Several hours later, Peter sat on the sofa catching up on his messages as Susan brushed her hair out and got dressed for dinner. The time in the hot tub followed by their time alone in the bedroom had done them both wonders. The demanding requirements of his position as NASA Director were taking a toll on their married life. They had both needed this vacation very badly. Even here on vacation though, he still had to keep up on his messages.

  Susan looked over his shoulder at his message pad. Peter tried to roll it up so she could not see it. She slapped him on the head playfully. “Is that message so top secret they’ll kill you if I happen to read it? Or, was it from your girlfriend?”

  Peter rolled the display back out. “It’s the final crew roster of the Elpis Landing party.”

  “Are they really going to spend four years on the planet alone?” asked Susan.

  “Yes. Elpis is only in close enough conjunction with Earth every four years to make the mission plausible. It’s too long a journey to do at other times. The transfer ships can make the voyage in two months there and three months back during Earth’s closest approach to Elpis. So, the ground expedition members are going to be on their own for about four years. It’s possible to get them back in two years if there’s an emergency, but that would mean about a six month trip either way. Not a very fun thing to do on a small ship.”

  “Do I know any of them?” asked Susan.

  “Here,” said Peter passing over the display. “You probably know or have heard of most of them”.

  Susan looked down the list.

  Ground Mission Commander….Lieutenant Commander Kristy Nichols

  Ground Mission Pilot…..Lieutenant Jason Greco

  Ground Mission Security and Supply Specialist….Master Chief Donald Sims

  Ground Mission Transportation and Construction Specialist….Chief David McGill

  Ground Mission Ship and Equipment Specialist…..Petty Officer First Class Donald Chamness

  Ground Mission Medic and Lab Technician…..Petty Office First Class Sarah Mullen

  Mission Xenobiologist…..Dr. Brianna Driskall, United States of America

  Mission Geologist…..Dr. Albert Abernathy, New British Commonwealth

  Mission Meteorologist…..Dr. Fredrick Vaughn, United Germanic Peoples Federation

  Mission Physician…..Dr. Beatrice Doucette, New French Colonies

  “I know about half of them,” said Susan. The enlisted personnel and the people from the other countries I have no knowledge of. There are only four women and six men. How’s that going to work out?”

  Peter took the display back and rolled it up. “They’re not going there to make babies, Susan. They’ll be too busy to fool around anyway. They were picked for their expertise and specialties. Every one of them has cross training in another specialty or area of expertise. For example, Dr. Doucette specializes in wilderness and emergency medicine, but she also has her masters in biology and is a master horticulturist. Dr. Abernathy is a geologist, but also has a masters in archeology. You know Brianna Driskall’s background. All of them are very highly trained. The military people are also cross-trained in different specialties.”

  “Ok, Peter, I’m ready for dinner,” said Susan as she pulled on a sweater.

  “Don’t forget your PA,” said Peter. “With rationing in effect, they’ll have to charge our food allowance budgets at the restaurant.”

  “You know it really sucks going on vacation and not being able to eat what you want,” sighed Susan. “It’s a rather hard way to fight the country’s obesity problem.”

  Peter grunted. “I guess the rationing system is necessary, but it’s full of loopholes. The rich are still getting what they want to eat from the black market. The really frugal people just eat less and sell their excess food on the side. From what I hear, t
hough, the government’s backyard greenhouse and hydroponics programs are really starting to get off the ground. The South and Central American countries are planting fields left and right and selling the food to us in exchange for energy. With oil production down to like thirty percent of pre-encounter levels, the excess electricity that we have from the big nuclear power plants is our best export. Hopefully, by late summer they’ll be able to cancel the rationing program.”

  “I hope so,” said Susan as they went out the door of their Chalet and started down the path toward the lodge. The entire resort was new and it had all the modern amenities. It had been built by some entrepreneurs when the weather had changed to the much colder climate they were growing to accept. “Eric knows to stay put while we are gone, I hope.”

  Peter nodded. “He and one of his new buddies are immersed in a virtual reality bobsledding game. They’ll be fine until we get back.”

  As they were walking down the path, Susan grabbed Peter’s arm and pointed toward the sky. “Peter, look, the moon!” Through a rare break in the dust laden clouds, the full moon could be made out. Just below it, a single bright star could be seen. Although the skies were still obscured most of the time, there were now occasional breaks in the clouds from time to time. It had been so long since there had been an un-obstructed view of the moon or the stars; it was a novelty to see either again.

  Peter stood and looked up. For someone whose whole existence was the exploration and study of what lay above the Earth’s atmosphere, it had been very depressing and frustrating not being able to see the stars or moon. “The data from our latest atmospheric sounding probes shows that the dust is finally starting to dissipate. Hopefully, by next summer, we can see the sun again instead of a hazy blurred light in the sky.”

  The clouds shifted again and the moment was lost. They continued down the path toward the lodge and their dinner.