Asteroid Box Set: Discovery, Diversion, Destruction: A Gunner Fox Trilogy by Bobby Akart

Author:Bobby Akart [Akart, Bobby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-08-11T22:00:00+00:00

“Res gesta per excellentiam,” mumbled Gunner, reading the Latin inscription aloud.

“That’s right,” interjected Chief Rawlings. “Achieve through excellence. It’s the standard for what we do here at NASA. For me, those words represent my commitment to a belief, a frame of mind, that I have the qualities useful to pursue our mission to develop space and reach for the stars.”

It was an emotional moment as Chief Rawlings seemed to tear up as he explained the purpose of his life’s work. He subconsciously touched his right shoulder and ran his fingers over his own Mission Operations patch.

For Gunner, it was a rite of passage. Until that moment, he was still an Air Force pilot tasked with flying an experimental aircraft. The reality was setting in that, albeit for a short period of time, he was an astronaut, like Heather.

The emotional moment got to him as well. He’d graduated from the khakis and polo shirt he’d been wearing since his arrival. He removed his sweat-soaked shorts and tee shirt, then pulled on the coveralls, zipping it up to a near perfect fit.

“I feel like one of the team now.”

“You certainly look the part,” said Chief Rawlings, with a laugh. “Before we head into the office, so to speak, we need to talk about your team. I have to make a decision this morning that will leave a lot of folks butt-hurt.”

Gunner exhaled. He knew that there was some animosity among the regular astronauts as it pertained to him. For one thing, they’d lost eleven of their friends barely a week ago in a tragic ending to a mission designed to save humanity. In a way, being on this flight and diverting IM86 was a form of revenge for those lives lost. But, also, Gunner was an outsider who hadn’t paid his dues. Becoming an astronaut was a long, arduous process, and Gunner had taken all the shortcuts to go to the head of the class.

“How are you gonna deal with it?” asked Gunner.

“Well, for one thing, I’m going to pick a team that compliments you and your limited capabilities, but who can also work together without emotional baggage.”

“Works for me. The Starhopper allows for a crew of eight. I understand that the nuclear payload requires us to bring along Russians and European astronauts. Is it gonna be an equal number of four and four?”

“Yes. Three Russians and a Frenchman who are already at the lunar outpost. They are qualified in every manner except they’ve never trained on the Starhopper. They’ll get their opportunity to view the spacecraft and get oriented on Sunday.”

“If they know nothing about the Starhopper, why do we even need them on board?”

“Stupid politics. It was the only way to get the United Nations to sign off on us sending nukes into space. They’ll sit there, observe, and—”

Then Gunner became suddenly unemotional and his demeanor stony. “They do realize we might not make it home, right? Face it, Chief. This is practically a suicide mission.”

Chief Rawlings rolled his head on his shoulders and closed his eyes.

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