A Bo Jon Little-horse P.I. novel.
Mars-mission: 'Star-fire'.
By Danny E. Allen
Copyright Danny E. Allen 2011
Chapter One
Paul L. Sexton Junior, Lead-Commander, had sat in the chamber till 7 a.m.... ...It was now 11, ‘P.L.’, as he was called, was due-in the Space Aeronautics-Chief’s office by one... He was never-late, from Navy-R.O.T.C. at Rutledge, in ‘08; to graduate-ceremonies, at Annapolis; to being 'first' at 'maneuvers', as Captain of a Destroyer. ...His favorite-hobby was ships; from ancient-Vikings to high-brow nuclear-vessels; he loved anything ‘Oceanic’... Once a year, he would travel-by outrigger on the New Guinea coast-line. Where only major-ships, of Australian seas-traffic went-on. On weekends, he went from his-home in Virginia; to the seaside, to watch seagoing Maritime-vessels move off-shore. The sea, was in his-blood from seabirds, shore-creatures, currents and salt-water.
He-reached the Chief’s office by 10:15 after being-released from the Atmospheric/rocket-tension /human-accelerator velocity-device known as the Astro-huma after being given the ‘Okay’. He-was in the best-shape of his-life. 30, 6'1" and 192-pounds he could run 10-miles without breaking a-sweat. An All-American, Ivy-League's best Future-Scientists of America, he'd been a very capable-individual. As he grew-into adulthood he-wanted to be 'among the stars'. ...The largest-sea was greatly, unexplored; sat in the skies with trillions of stars not two-alike. He had wondered, if he could get there one day. ...To study astronomy, to use all the skills he could obtain, and journey-out onto the universe.
He met the 'trials', 'tests' and 'talents' until today, becoming the best-suited Captain of the Mars-explorer Inter-planetary vessel named 'Star-fire'. ...Planned two-years ago, by American, Russian and Chinese-scientists sharing-data over the internet, and working-out the 'kinks'; finally re-officiated-by NASA and a multinational-accord. ...The greatest world-event since Marco Polo, and most proficient-entity in modern-history. A great in-culpability, sealed-after the mightiest-Recession; a solemn-enterprise correctly, begun by the world's private scientists. Only less than a half-decade ago, all technical-entities, joining-forces. Not only-hope but devotion, to seal the final-resolve and first-'centrality' far-beyond human-existence. By and for, a great-convention of humanity. What had once stalled-'civil' and social-upheaval, 2014, was a world-view of one-community. And the ideas of internationally, private-avail became apparent.
Like the lessons-of-life the world had overcame to suit most-everyone. Nations-retired conflict, and understood everyone needed to live-together... All the while, great-thinkers, duty-masters, leaders brought-to the forefront of the 'great-endeavor'. With the return of economy, the many-treatises of fate and the private corporate-advice and aid-to those less-fortunate. Their-inspiration from hunger, disease, housing and means, whole communities-healed. It-was up to the many nations acting as one... P. L., learned as many to be inspired by those in the military from his coming-home after Iraq and Iran, and the new-era of peace. It-motivated him to do what he really, wanted. Signing-on with NASA, as he was reaching a Rear-Admiral-level he-was assigned to head the international-Mars commission-astronauts. The dream was beginning to be reached. There was 'smooth-sailing' as the new human-adventure revealed its magnitude. ...As a Colonel in the Air-Force, his father was 'proud'. He didn't have to pull any-strings, he did it on his-own. P. L., was never one to be excited. He-knew the rules by self-rule, long-before the Navy...
As P. L. grew more accomplished things just fell-into place. As he was one of the more technically-astute, skilled and competent-men of the Navy, he was nearly, an 'exact-match'... One-thing which set the 'bar' was that the future Mars-missioners be 'spotlessly', by the record. So as he was given a highly, honored-discharge he was to begin training and preparing for astronautics. ...Where the 'right-stuff' seemed 'archaic' the Mars-team were personal, professional and com-punctually, people of the world. P. L. spent 6-months in-detailed preparations. He finished early, and being the first-committed decided by his-colleagues. He was given a 10-day furlough, upon which he-studied Astrophysics, emerging-media and Inter-Space studies. With P. L. it was gratifying, he had just-enough time to go to dinner with his-family, and go visit the beach.
On the final-day, he arrived at HQ-NASA to see his-crew set-up for manning of the future-ship. P. L. had wondered what the 'outside' looked like. ...A large command-module, eight-boosters, 6-sub-boosters; a satellite-module and recess-module with solar-graphs along the upper-section... It was 'grey-blue', in the prototype. Weighing 132 tons, illuminating a sub-structure of tensile-galvanized, reinforced-steel and 18-fuel-docks. A redistribution ratio of 75-1. 22-retro-devices from cone-to rocket-boosters, with independent-triggers... A silver alloy-frame and 2,200 pounds copper-alloy, tracing for under-structure. It was beyond 'state of the art'. One of the device-personnel said: ...'If 'Nirvana' was a space-ship; 'it'-came close'. It could reach 17-times the sound-barrier and once out of orbit it could reach 7,200 mph within 8-minutes. It glowed, like a darting-'blue-diamond'. The allusion was like a large-scale 'obelisk' yet it was representing so much more.
From the start of private working-plans and conceptions to the schematics of risk in-reality, the whole of its 'existence' was a monumental-macrocosm. ...Chinese-designs and production-'eloquence', Russian-might and manifests; Japanese ingenuity and competence; and American-completion it-carried the 'life’s blood' of the world. All the crew, thought it was a development of a new-nascent world-order. It-was the 'cementing' of things once thought-distant and unreachable, till-now. NASA-engineers were assigned diligent-principles in how the greatest-vehicle in the world would set sail for a distant-planet. The 'Red-planet' was over 140,000 miles away yet 9-shipmates would pilot it for 27 to 35-days and end-up 120-miles above its-orbit, and begin the greatest-adventure ever known...
No enterprise since Marco Polo had been that immense. Each occupant, knew what it-engendered. The epithetic of the human-saga. The ultimate-change in world-history. The remembering of social-history, sat-on this project. 8-other men and women besides P. L., began studying the 'mint'-scaled design. Then, they were to witness its planned-'innards', mechanics and self-capacities as of all it was capable. P. L. knew he was seeing a new-'reality' being made. He understood this massive-structure would be his-responsibility and an elaborate quintessential-embrace no Captain ever taking-charge of a vessel, without knowing the ultimate-relatives. He studied ship's Captains from Columbus to Ahab never taking-exception to its relegations. He wanted to espouse the execution of this vehicle from ignition to splash down some 40-days journey, until then he'd treat her like a 'babe' rationalizing in-devotion in secured-birth and 'growth' to the maturing of the joys of her life.
It was a 'promise' of pride. A 'prospect' of crucial, sincerity and a duty by men. The crew had already become familiar with each other. They knew each other's family by name. And by the end of the member-certification, they were close. A month together in space meant that one needed to be re-acquainted with your fellow-'Martianauts'... Researched from the immense-pool of capable men and women, in which the scale meant 30-vested NASA committee-members spent 18-months studying candidates, from the Russia-Army to Chinese-Guard to Japanese Elite-forces to America's highest performing-soldiers... It was like an electoral-college yet votes were as anonymous as the candidates-elected. 'Promises' was no longer the name of the game but competency, ruled. If 9-members were to take-on the destiny-of humanity the humanity-engineered, needed to rise to the occasion.
There was no room for civil, professional or social-pride. The character-of code, commi
tment and compliance had to be 'first and last'-considerations... So these men or women, as being 'manifest' to, were deemed-to be functionally, 'adroit'... Impeccable persons were to hold the reigns of world-'wonder'. Each person was to be completed-in design and development inordinately, having the 'vision' of a 'world-community'.
P. L., as Commander was proven to be too, 'obvious'; if ever a position could suit someone 'worthy', it was he... He came-into the picture as a 'perfect' case-history. An African-American, raised and commanding as to be self-disciplined. A 'progeny' of hard-work, duty and intelligence. Graduating second-in his class and third-highest GPA elected to the prestigious Science-Club. Studying both Warfare and Space-science as well as Maritime Sciences. Sailing-on all seven-seas. Commissioned as a