Chapter 7: The Ship's Crew
The Visitor provided the personnel requirements for the mission. The U.N. accepted the responsibility for recruiting and selecting the individual crew members. The Visitor did reserve the right to veto individual selections. The proposed crew would consist of 30 to 40 individuals with a diverse background. Besides the obvious need for a captain and other officers, the crew needed to have construction and machine repair capabilities. Cross-training and dual credentialing was mandatory in order to fulfill mission requirements without exceeding the roster size. The decision was made to proceed with selection of the ship's captain as the primary goal. Notification of the position was sent to all space-capable countries requesting volunteers for the position. The mission was defined as a life long mission, unaccompanied, with considerable risk. Military commissioning would be required.
The U.N. Commission was overwhelmed with the number of applications that they received. The vast majority were from non-qualified personnel. Many were from religious fanatics and other persons with questionable motives. The Commission decided to reject all applications except for those with documented space command experience. This narrowed the thousands of applications to a handful. Significant political posturing was evident and heated arguments occurred, especially between the Russian and American contingents. A Japanese astronaut was finally accepted as a compromise. His name and credentials were forwarded to The Visitor who immediately vetoed the decision, causing significant uproar both at the U.N. Commission and in Japan. The Visitor explained that the nominee lacked experience in long-term self-reliance and isolation. The U.N. Commission responded that none of their candidates had the experience that The Visitor asked for. The Visitor asked if any other applicants had the required experience if the need for actual space time was dropped. The Commission responded that they thought that the space experience was critical, but The Visitor responded that command experience was much more important. The Commission was obviously upset at the refusal of The Visitor to accept their compromise candidate, but dutifully reviewed the entire list of applicants using the criteria that The Visitor had demanded.
Captain Brezinski had been in military limbo since her attack on The Visitor. She maintained her commission, but was given no assignments. She had then been relegated to the status of a non- entity. When the announcement was made that volunteers were being sought for The Visitor's ship, she felt compelled to apply. She realized that it made no sense for her to apply because she lacked space experience. The experience on her submarine following the attack had dramatically changed her. She felt more at peace with herself, but at the same time was very uncertain as to her future. She completed her application because she felt a strong need to become part of what The Visitor represented. Her superior officers refused to forward her application because they felt she was tainted by the attack. Captain Brezinski decided to break her chain of command and forwarded the application directly to the U.N. Commission. Her military career was all but ended anyway. Another black mark on her record would not change her future, and she figured there was no harm in trying. The U.N. Commission had initially filed her application with the religious fanatics and other obviously non-qualified personnel.
When the U.N. Commission reviewed the thousands of applications, they came up with only one candidate that met the requirements that The Visitor had set forth. The irony of the situation made even the senior commissioners smile. The only candidate that met the requirements was the officer who had led the attack against The Visitor's ship. The decision to forward Captain Brezinski's nomination to The Visitor was made with a sense of mischievous delight. The fact that The Visitor accepted the nomination came as a complete surprise.
Captain Brezinski presented to her commanding officer as ordered and received the dressing down that she was expecting for having bypassed her normal chain of command. Following the very intense reprimand, the Admiral handed her an envelope stamped "confidential orders" and told her that she could open it. Captain Brezinski was already shaking following the verbal reprimand. The possibility that the envelope contained her orders to join The Visitor's mission produced an overwhelming anxiety. She opened the envelope and started reading the orders. She instinctively sat down and stared at the sheet in front of her. The orders were quite simple. They read, "You have been selected to command the special U.N. Forces manning The Visitor's ship. If you are willing to accept this position your commission will be transferred to the U.N. and you should report to the U.N. consulate immediately."
The Admiral was now smiling and asked Captain Brezinski if she was willing to accept the position. Captain Brezinski stood at attention and saluted the admiral saying, "I accept this position for myself and my country."
The admiral stepped around the desk and extended his hand in congratulations. He said, "Russia is proud of you and I know that you will represent us well." He informed her that a car was waiting outside and that she should report immediately. Captain Brezinski saluted the Admiral and performed a formal about face, leaving her homeland and former career.
The driver saluted Captain Brezinski and opened the door for her. He advised her she was to be taken directly to the U.N. consulate. Captain Brezinski entered the car after having unconsciously returned his salute. Thoughts were racing through her mind and she was not aware of the short trip to the consulate. Upon arriving at the consulate, a formal military guard was waiting. They saluted and after Captain Brezinski returned the salute they escorted her into the consulate. Waiting with the U.N. Ambassador was the commanding officer of the U.N. forces. Introductions were brief and the commanding officer reviewed the mission goals as far as they were known. He reminded Captain Brezinski that the mission was strictly volunteer and that it would be lifelong. Captain Brezinski just nodded. He then asked her if she was willing to accept the position and the transfer of her commission to the U.N. Forces. Captain Brezinski replied that she was willing to accept the position and its requirements. A brief swearing-in ceremony was held and Captain Brezinski became the commanding officer of The Visitor's ship and crew. The U.N. Ambassador told Captain Brezinski that she had six hours to prepare for departure to the training site which had been established in Australia. Captain Brezinski was driven back to her apartment which was essentially bare. She packed a small duffel of personal belongings and sat on the edge of her bed. She felt as if she should call and tell somebody the good news, but her only remaining friends were her fellow officers aboard the submarine. They had been scattered across the military bureaucracy with orders to maintain secrecy. She knew that Russia would no longer be her home and that she was beginning a new life just as she had when she had accepted her commission on the submarine. She returned to the car with intense anticipation and with surprising little dread.
The U.N. Commission began to recruit and fill the remaining officer billets and science positions. They appointed screening advisory councils to further delineate the individual requirements. Having a computer perform the initial screening of the applications in order to insure that all applicants had acceptable credentialing reduced the number of applications from several million for each published position, to a few hundred. These pre-selected applications were then referred to the advisory councils for further review. The top candidates were then sent for psychological evaluation and those remaining were actually invited for interviews.
Doc Jules had been following the story of the ship's progress with keen interest and when the call for a medical officer came forth, Doc Jules applied immediately. The requirements for the medical officer included the need for surgical experience and general medical experience. He knew that his surgical experience was probably satisfactory but that his general medical skills had suffered. Medicine had become so dependent upon magnetic resonance imaging that they had changed the designation of the medical degree from the traditional M.D. or D.O. degrees to an M.R.D. degree. This new degree
was also being awarded to practicing physicians who could document adequate training with magnetic resonance testing. He had always been a hands-on physician. This stemmed at least in part from his Osteopathic background. He found that the physical examination of patients was the central element of diagnosis and relied on MRI diagnostic testing only as a supplement. He completed the application in part to hide from his tragic loss and partially for the adventure that it represented. His application proceeded through the initial screening procedures and he was notified that he had been selected for an interview.
The interview process involved formal interviews with leaders of the medical establishment as well as a battery of psychological tests. A rating was given in many categories and only those candidates with a sufficient score were forwarded onto the final selection committee. The interviewing technique became much more aggressive with the final selection committee and a list of four finalists was forwarded to The Visitor and to Captain Brezinski.
He had scored well in all categories except for his knowledge of MRI testing. The leaders of the medical establishment had recommended that his name be dropped because of this deficiency, but the committee as a whole decided to include his name. It was obvious that his lack of the politically correct, MRD degree was more of a political handicap than an operational shortcoming.
All four of the final candidates were flown to Australia for the final interview with Captain Brezinski. The Trans-Pacific Flight in the Military Transport was not particularly exciting, but visiting with the other three finalists was interesting. All four candidates had military experience and were free to leave because of major changes in their lifestyles. This freedom from strong personal ties appears to have been a major criterion for the selection committee. The hazardous and lifelong nature of the mission mandated that those individuals with significant ties to family or home had to be excluded for the sake of the remaining crew members. The four finalists had very similar credentials and they debated who would be chosen for the position. The French surgeon had the strongest academic credentials and he seemed confident that he would be chosen. Doc Jules knew that his chances were probably the poorest because of his lack of training in MRI testing.
They were met as a group by Captain Brezinski and the mission requirements were again reviewed. During the individual interviews, Captain Brezinski asked each of them how they would treat an open fracture of the leg if there was an emergency loss of all power except for the life support system. The French surgeon replied that treatment would wait until power was restored to the diagnostic unit. He also stated that not including the MRI unit on the emergency power circuit was a serious mistake which should be corrected immediately. Doc Jules was surprised at the question and after a few seconds replied that he would set the fracture by palpation and use simple splints to stabilize the leg until the appropriate equipment was available. Captain Brezinski was impressed with Doc Jules' logical and expedient approach. His evaluation had included the negative comment that "Doc Jules represented the old-fashioned touchy-feely type of physician." Captain Brezinski decided that this was not a negative but an advantage.
Doc Jules was asked to return to the captain's office after all the interviews were completed. Captain Brezinski asked, "Have you recovered enough from the death of your family that you can make an honest decision about joining the mission?"
Doc Jules responded, "I do not know if I will ever recover fully from my loss. My loss does give me the freedom to proceed with the mission and the mission gives me the opportunity to begin anew. I will be capable of performing my duties." Captain Brezinski offered him the position and he spontaneously arose, saluted her, and accepted the position.
Brother Simon knew of the recruitment effort for a geneticist for The Visitor's mission, but he had not considered the position. When he was called to the Abbot's office and was questioned about the position, he was unable to supply much information. He was surprised when the Abbot asked him to apply for the position. The Abbot told Brother Simon he was the world's premier geneticist and that a member of the Church should accompany this mission. Brother Simon nodded and said he would forward his application, but that his age may represent a detriment. The Abbot thanked him for being willing to accept the calling. They prayed together that "God's will be done."
Brother Simon forwarded his application and patiently waited. He participated in the interview process with many of his academic colleagues. The interview committee expressed concern regarding his age, but because of his high academic standing they felt obligated to forward his name along with the other finalists. The Visitor did not object to Brother Simon's age and he was included in the final four, who were taken to Australia for final selection by Captain Brezinski. During this interview Captain Brezinski quite pointedly asked Brother Simon if he could separate his religion from the work of the crew. Brother Simon responded, "My religion is part of me and is inseparable from my work. I do acknowledge the individual nature of belief and would not impose my beliefs on other crew members." When asked about his age, Brother Simon replied, "I am willing to overlook the young age of the other crew members because I understood that not enough people of my maturity are available for the crew."
Captain Brezinski enjoyed the sincere humor of the reply and decided that Brother Simon was her choice. When Brother Simon advised the Abbot of his selection, the Abbot held a prayer ceremony and released Brother Simon from all of his vows except for his allegiance to God. Brother Simon had essentially no personal possessions to pack except for his clothes and his personal computer, which he was granted by the Abbot. He accepted the new responsibility willingly, and despite his very quiet demeanor was excited about the adventure.
The selection of the ship's engineering was becoming the most difficult issue to resolve. The politics and lack of truly outstanding applicants was making the decision most difficult. When a tentative decision had been made and Mike was advised of the results, he lost his temper and stormed into the director's office. He demanded that the decision be rescinded. The director told him that neither he nor Mike had any say in the decision. Mike threatened to resign before he would turn his work over to an incompetent engineer to ruin. The director reminded Mike that he had a commission that was valid until the project was complete and that he could not resign. This settled Mike down some and he began to actually discuss the issue. The director told Mike that nobody particularly liked the choice, but that no one better qualified had applied. He then asked Mike if he was sure that his dislike was based on fact and not on personality conflict or the fact that he had been Mike's competitor. Mike replied that he had always been glad that the competition had been hobbled with him, which had allowed his Boeing Team to dominate for years.
After an hour of intense discussions with the exploration of multiple alternatives, the director called the U.N. selection committee and asked if they would reconsider their choice. They replied that the position would be officially filled at 4:00 p.m. and that if Mike and the director could not find an acceptable candidate within the few remaining hours that the selection would proceed. Mike was actually distraught with the choice and was lamenting when the director told him that the only other course of action would be for Mike to take the position. Mike objected. He did not even like to fly much less travel to a different solar system. The director then said that they would have to support the U.N. selection committee. Mike just groaned and returned to his own office.
He and Mary had no sooner returned to the stack of paperwork that they were working on, when his work was again interrupted by a call from the base operator. Mary was excusing herself to take the call in her outer office when Mike said, "Just answer the damn phone in here so that we can get back to work!" Mary picked up the phone and listened to the base operator explain that there was an emergency phone call for Mike from his wife. When Mary relayed this message to Mike, he immediately corrected her, "That would be my ex-wife.
Put the call through, Mary, on the speaker phone." Mary accepted the call and started to leave the room, but Mike motioned for her to sit down and said, "You might as well stay and enjoy the comedy." When the operator said, "Go ahead, please." Mike said, "Hello, Tisch, what is the emergency this time?"
A woman's voice responded, "Mike, you know my name is now Teanna, and I called you because the Rev. Director has had a revelation and realized that the mission that you are working on is not the work of God but of the anti-Christ. He told me that you must immediately quit working for The Visitor and this mission."
Mike was shaking his head and his eyes rolled back when he replied, "And why does his Highness think that I am now working for this anti-Christ?"
Tisch replied, "The Rev. Director said that because The Visitor has not chosen any of our people for the mission, but instead chose a representative of the Pope who himself is a servant of the anti-Christ. It is obvious that the mission is itself a work of the anti-Christ."
Mike listened to this explanation with a frown on his face shaking his head. He replied "And because of this religious infighting I am to drop my work and ignore the commission that I have accepted?"
Tisch responded, "I am trying to save your soul and prevent the power of evil from gaining control."
Mike thanked her for her concern and said he would consider what she was asking and thanked her for calling.
Mary looked at him in a questioningly manner and asked, "And what was that about?"
"When I married Tisch she was a vibrant young woman full of life and adventure. When her mother died suddenly, Tisch began to search for solace in religion and got hooked up with this bunch of fanatics called the Branch Divines. It was so bad that I even had her hospitalized in an attempt to reverse the brain washing, but the damn doctors said that she was okay and released her. Tisch then divorced me, changed her name, and moved into their commune. Now the only time I hear from her is when her religious leaders want something."
Mary's only reply was a quiet "Oh."
Mike got up and walked back down the hall to the director's office, poked his head into the office and mumbled that he would accept the position. The director nodded and asked why he had changed his mind. Mike replied, "Let's just say that I just had a religious revelation." The director just looked puzzled and called the selection Committee chairman and told him that Mike would accept the position. The chairman said that they would fax the agreement and that if Mike signed it they would change their recommendation, but that Mike would still need to be approved by The Visitor and Captain Brezinski. Mike signed the document and left the office with the feeling that he had been had. He was secretly happy to continue his work, but his fear of flying left him with a queasy feeling in his gut.
The Visitor approved Mike without any delay and arrangements were made to expedite his interview with Captain Brezinski. Mike did not relish a transoceanic flight and accepted the need for the trip with significant complaining. He brought enough paper work along to keep himself occupied, but found that his mind would wander to thoughts of the adventure which he had grudgingly volunteered for. He slept fitfully during the extended flight. He was met with a small U.N. military guard who escorted him to Captain Brezinski's office. He was not recovered from the long flight and probably was not yet thinking clearly. When he was shown into the captain's office, he was surprised to realize that Captain Brezinski was a woman. He had a shocked expression on his face and just stammered, "You’re a woman."
Captain Brezinski's initial stern expression dissolved into a smile and then into a hearty laugh. Mike did not know how to respond, but found his face getting progressively hotter. He finally apologized for his comment and tried to explain that he did not watch TV and that his exposure to the popular news was minimal. Captain Brezinski accepted his apology and asked if her gender changed his decision to apply for the mission. Mike honestly answered that he had never considered working for a female boss, but that he didn’t think it was a problem. Captain Brezinski said she was impressed with the progress Mike had made on the ship and that she would be happy to have him as a member of her crew. Mike did his best to salute and thanked the Captain for accepting his application.
When asked if he had any questions or reservations, Mike replied that he was a little concerned about the initial space flight. The Captain promised that he would have adequate training so that he could accomplish the transfer to space without difficulty. Mike just nodded, keeping his phobia about flying to himself. After several more minutes of discussion concerning the details of the ship's propulsion system, the Captain congratulated Mike and welcomed him aboard. Mike responded with a less than military "thanks" and a simple salute. The Captain returned his salute with a smile and wished him "good speed" on his return to the construction site in Texas. Mike left with a good feeling about his new "boss", but still with a little dread regarding the actual space flight. He did not think that living and working in the "ship" itself would be a problem, but he was concerned about transitioning into space. His return flight to Texas was much less stressful and he actually completed most of the paperwork that he had brought with him.
The remaining crew selection proceeded along similar lines, and with six months left prior to departure the crew was complete. The training process was individualized for each crew member. Extensive cross-training was accomplished in order to insure adequate capability in each area of responsibility. The scientific crew members spent the majority of their training adapting to space travel and learning specific ship responsibilities. The construction and maintenance personnel as well as the few experienced space personnel spent a large portion of their training learning technical fields in order to serve as assistants and backup personnel. The crew was organized along standard military lines of command, but the nature of the mission required a blending of responsibilities. All personnel would be involved with construction and maintenance duties and all crew members would have technical and scientific responsibilities.