(eng) Mackey Chandler - April 09 by A Sudden Departure

Author:A Sudden Departure [Departure, A Sudden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

"The plot is on your screen," Jeff said. "You'll need to talk to Central Control through the satellite net, since we're on the back side, and inform them of your plan for orbital insertion. Don't commit to a landing plan yet. I'm going to have to suit up and get the drive module back in the hold. It may take more than one orbit to do. I'm not that good at zero G work and I want to take it slow and safe. Would you call Heather and let her know we'll be a little late, and we'll explain it all when we see her?"

April just looked at him.

"You do have to approach in command or some stickler will check the logs and say we switched the conn and you can't claim the hours."

"How can you be thinking of that?" April demanded. "We just did an interstellar flight. It's historic. Who cares who has the conn and how the hours will be logged?"

"You'll care next year if you have to recertify, and I hadn't decided about making any big announcement. Why don't we just go talk to Heather and see what we want to do?"

"You want to keep it secret?" April asked.

"At least for right now, yes. Let's talk about it. All three of us. If we want to do it publicly we can do it again properly equipped, so we. . . " he grimaced, and changed his statement. "So I don't look like a flaming idiot."

"You may be throwing away your place in history," April warned him. "Like Neil Armstrong going back up the ladder and sending the other guy down."

Jeff laughed. "The other guy. See how thin the margin of fame is? Anyway it's your fame, I was just the payload tech running the experiment and you still had the conn when we jumped."

April screwed up her face. "Buzz something. I can't remember his real name. James Weir may very well do it soon, and he'll be the ones in the history books."

"And once he does there's a couple billion Earthies down there who are going to want to do it too. I'm not sure how many will make it, but a whole lot more than all of us on Home I think. I'd be happy to let him have all the fame, and give me the stars. Why not get a little head start on the mob and get out there and grab some of it for ourselves? Everybody will start close and cautious. We can be bold, go out further and own it. One hopes there is some decent real estate. Shucks, it's so big out there it will take them a long time to even find us and know we're out there."

April was open mouthed at the audacity of it.

"We're coming in the wrong way too fast. I'm pretty sure there isn't any possible rational maneuver to explain that. What will I say when they notice?" April asked.

"Brass it out. Say you've been testing advanced drive systems if they won't drop it.

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