Adventures of Space Cadets 101: Space Pirates, Allies and Aliens. Darryl Dean Wright
gravity grabbed it, like from a star or a planet. Its signal would bounce back in real time on whatever frequency signal its owner used. Consumers could actually feel like they were in space because the probe’s signal came through on the screen saver. Every day the probe would make it farther into space. One-third of the world’s population had bought one or two of them. Houston Inc. made billions of dollars from them which started the company off.
Right then Kirk was in Lab Eleven finishing up the final touches on one of his many ongoing inventions. “Icon Visitation,” was a graphic video card. It was gaming Tech that gave the ability to bring information and data from one game to another game using adapters, even if it was two different gaming systems, like p.c. to something else. You could take one character from any game and put him in a different game. Just picture James Bond playing a football game or flying a spaceship to save Earth, or for that matter, having a spaceship landing in the football game. The choices were unlimited.
The commercials that were used to grab the public’s attention had a billion and a half units already on a waiting list to buy. There were so many ways that the card could be used. Nobody would ever become bored with games lying around the house anymore.
Everybody in the lab was checking out Kirk's playing one of the games using his new video card and an adapter with his associate, Will. Will was the only other teenager that worked at Houston Inc. Everyone was of course rooting for Kirk, but it wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about changing a game to make it fun and more interesting. Will had just won and Kirk said, “Fractal”! The people there were patting Will on his back.
Chapter 2
LAUNCH
Apollo 99 was a bar in the downtown business district in Houston, Texas. It is where Austen Houston was having his club meeting, and it seemed proper. The place was packed even though it was a weekday and still early evening. Austen was buying a round of drinks for all of the twenty-five cadets at the club.
Adriana Simpson was a pilot, first in the Air Force for a tour, then as an alternate astronaut for the last two N.A.S.A. missions that never happened. New tech prevented those launches, but now she was going up in one of those shuttles anyway, because the Mr. Houstons had bought one of them. They planned a trip, and Austen invited her to go with him. She was, after all, a member in his club. She was space happy and anxious to go.
She had been frustrated with her career, and she was thinking about joining E.D., but right now she was going into space with her buddies who told her not to join Earth Defense because there were too many rules and no fun.
She was cute and unattached. She was twenty-eight and got along with everyone. She raised her mug and toasted the president of the 101, “To Captain Austen, two more weeks!” It was so loud in the Apollo, you would have thought that it was a Friday night.
With all of the cadets there wasn’t much room left in the bar for any other patrons except the few that beat the crowd. Austen was buying their drinks also. He said to everyone, “Now I’d like to make a toast: to being unemployed for seven months and doing what we all crave!” Everyone drank up and got real loud.
Lita Scott yelled out, “Everybody please quiet down! Bartender, turn the screen up.” She had everyone’s attention, and the barkeep turned the view screen up. On the screen was the evening M.C.C. news. They were talking about a man who had broken out of Quarantine Miami Florida. The same man had broken into the very same area almost three days ago. They were showing footage of the escape via helicopter. S.W.A.T. was shooting at the man running through the main street, but the only ones getting shot were D.E.A. agents and innocent bystanders across the street. Of course the man was blamed even though all he was carrying was a duffel bag. He had no gun in either hand.
As he jumped into a passing convertible driven by some gorgeous woman, two S.W.A.T. officers were shot by D.E.A. agents as the man made his escape. W.E.T.W.O.R.K. had just shown up, but they were too late for the party.
As the camera zoomed in on the man giving the heli the finger, Austen recognized the face behind all of the chaos - his brother, JR Houston. He then sat down hard. Austen knew that Lita recognized JR also, which is why she yelled, "Quiet!"
He ordered two shots from the bartender and whispered in Lita’s ear, “E-mail that piece on the screen to my younger brother’s cell. No sense in JR messing up just my evening.” She laughed and did as she was asked. Austen felt a migraine coming on.
At Houston Inc. on one of the middle floors inside the conference room, Derek Houston had the lights dimmed. He was showing a film that he had acquired from his brother Austen, who borrowed it from N.A.S.A. Derek said to his club members that this film wasn’t about good things that happen in space, but so that history wouldn’t repeat itself, this film was about the bad stuff that happens in space. The film was titled "Disasters and Close Calls." Derek had been lecturing throughout the film, but it was just about over. He could tell nobody there was enjoying the film at all.
“So you see there on this last clip, the astronaut sacrificed himself so that the others could make it, and they did make it.” The film came to a stop. The lights were back on, and Derek asked the crowd, “Can anyone come up with a way that he could’ve cheated death?” No one answered. “He was a hero, but not that smart. He too could have made it … anyone?” Everyone was thinking, trying to come up with an idea, but still no answer. He looked at Kirk, his son, but all he did was shrug his shoulders.
“It’s true they lost all communications and life support. They were shallow breathing, but they did manage to get a distress call out before they lost all power.” He was looking at each person in the room.
Derek gave the class plenty of time, but still no answer. He decided to fill them in, “People, I’m not asking for an essay. It isn’t that hard a question, and don’t worry, I’m not going to test you.” You could feel the whole room all sigh.
“What the film doesn’t show you was that Earth Defense was only twenty-eight minutes out from where they were, so there are a few answers that come to mind. On the film, they showed the guy taking his life not ten feet from an escape pod. If he would have used the pod, it would have given him twelve hours of air, and still leave the rest of the ship with nine hours of oxygen. So anyway, the Nightingale was rescued, that much is public knowledge. Even the back-up systems have back-up systems. You have to spend every second to figure out how to live a few more seconds and never give up! Pick a solution and if the math doesn’t add up, then find another. It never occurred to that pilot to get in the escape pod, or for a better answer, do nothing. That’s right, sometimes nothing is the answer. Sure, hindsight is twenty-twenty, and I’m not trying to scare you cadets. I’m just pointing out that sometimes you have to find the answer that is right in front of you and that there is always hope. I know that I am very lucky and thrilled to be taking some of the smartest minds with me, just in case we do run into trouble.” Everyone laughed a little at the way he made that statement.
Normally, Derek’s son, Kirk, would be with his uncle because he was on Austen’s crew, and Noah, Austen’s son, would be with Derek’s crew. But since Austen was at a bar and Kirk was sixteen, Kirk was with his dad’s crew that night.
They each had a nephew on their crew because, quite frankly, when the captains gave orders, the sons always argued with their fathers. The boys could not comprehend that Captain’s word is law, especially in space. Stubbornness was a family trait.
Derek continued, “I’m sorry to show you this … reality film, but trust me when I say that this is educational. Out there (he pointed up) I don’t ever want you guys to give up or panic. Panic and space don’t mix; all you get is more … space.”
“By the way, this film is classified, so forget you ever saw it,” he said.
Before he could say anything else, Lynda Clark who was teary eyed said, “How the heck are we going to forget what we just saw?!” Several cadets were sick from watching the film.
Derek replied, “I apologize; poor choice of words. What I meant to say was if you mention this film to anyone … you’re fired.”
Lynda