Moon Hoax

19 WHO WINS?

An uncomfortable silence settled over the conference room as Sie Wang nervously rubbed his hands back and forth on his legs under the table.

His boss, Kuang Pin, finally broke the silence with a firm voice. “As leader of the MK Laser Program, why did you not change the factory codes?”

Sie bowed his head in shame. As he continued looking down, he said in a soft voice, “Sir, I and I alone made the decision not to change those codes. It was a mistake, and I apologize. Please forgive me for my poor judgment.”

Kuang asked again more sternly, “Why didn’t you change them?”

Sie lifted his head. “Sir, the process of changing those codes is very complicated. We considered changing them at first, but our programmers were having difficulty and informed me we needed assistance from Byington. I concluded a visit by one of their technicians was too risky. I instructed the team to leave the codes as they were. I made this decision fully aware that if another country ever did get access to those codes and reached the back side of the moon, they could reprogram the laser and lock us out.” Bowing his head, Sie continued, “I now regret that decision, sir.”

Kuang slammed his fist down, spitting out the words, “Because of your lack of judgment, we have to send a manned rocket to the moon that costs over five billion yuan to do a simple little task that you could have had done here on Earth.”

Sie bowed his head lower in disgrace.

A weighty pause filled the space over the conference table before Kuang continued. “Sie, I am disappointed you failed us; however, I cannot reprimand you until we resolve this crisis. You are too deeply ingrained to replace at such a short notice, and I want our best men overseeing this mission. If the U.S. launches a rocket to the moon, I still want you managing the operation to insure we change those codes before they do.”

Sie slightly lifted his head, both surprised and happy he was going to be left on the project. “Thank you, sir. I will not let you down.”

“Who do you think should be the taikonauts on this mission?”

Sie thought for a moment before answering. “Sir, I recommend sending only two men since we do not plan to land. This will keep the weight down and help our men beat the Americans to the moon. I feel the most qualified men for this mission are Tang Liwei and Nei Zango. They have already flown the mission, and are familiar with the laser.”

“Will they be able to reprogram the laser on the back side?” asked Kuang.

In a firm voice, Sie replied, “Yes, sir. I will make sure of it.”

PETER SLOWLY CRAWLED out of the Galileo simulator, helped by a couple of assistants. Squeezing out of that small hatch in his flight suit was a tight fit. He felt good about the exercise, especially after successfully landing the capsule with the tough obstacles thrown at him. Allen had directed Bernie to train both men on how to return Galileo to Earth in case of emergency or if they were unable to dock at the station. Allen wasn’t as concerned about saving the men as he was saving his capsule. Galileo was an expensive piece of equipment designed to be reusable, and since it was currently SpaceQuest’s only operational capsule, Allen wanted his baby back if at all possible. Besides, there was always the possibility of trying the operation again.

Viktor waited for his turn as Peter was helped up. Taking off his helmet, he flashed a cocky smile. Viktor smirked. “Nice job. I bet old Soviet cosmonaut can do better.”

“You’re on, old man,” said Peter, slapping his partner’s back. He was always open for some friendly competition. “If you lose, you stay in tonight studying, and I get the evening out with your daughter. If I lose, I stay in and you go out with her.”

“Deal,” said Viktor before putting on his helmet and being helped into the simulator.

Peter sauntered over to the control room to see how he did. Sitting next to Bernie at the control panel was Anya, there to learn and observe the training. She winked as he approached; he smiled back. “So how did I do?”

Bernie answered, “Good. Checking from the data it looks like you landed safely. There were only some minor issues which I can debrief you on later.”

Peter cheered inside after hearing those remarks.

Bernie excused himself as he focused back on Viktor, talking to him on the headset, getting him ready for his simulation.

Anya stood, and leaning toward Peter whispered, “You look pretty damn hot in that flight suit.”

Peter smiled. “Well, thank you.” He leaned over to her, whispering back, “I have to say, you always look hot, no matter what you’re wearing, or for that matter, not wearing.” He pulled away, giving her a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.

Anya just smiled. “Are you going to be able to get away for dinner tonight?”

Peter had been promising her the last few days he would take her to a nice Hollywood restaurant. The problem had been finding time. Though there was always studying to do, he figured tonight would probably work. Besides, he planned on winning his bet with Viktor. “Baby, it’s a date.”

She smiled. Peter excused himself to get out of his flight suit and get more comfortable.

He returned a short time later dressed in SpaceQuest-issued sweats. He walked up behind Bernie and Anya and could see on the control panel Viktor had just finished the simulation. With cockiness in his voice he asked, “So did the old man crash and burn?”

Bernie turned with an impressed look on his face. “That old man never ceases to amaze me. He landed that thing perfectly. At least you don’t have to worry about getting home safely if you pass out up there.”

Surprised, Peter said to Anya, “Oops. It looks like your dad is taking you to dinner tonight.”

Anya pouted. “Why?”

“We had a little bet on who would do better in the simulation, and you were the prize. Sounds like I lost, sorry,” said Peter with a slight grin.

Viktor approached. “How old cosmonaut do?”

“Viktor, you were pretty damn impressive,” said Bernie. “You hit every mark and landed it perfectly. Great job!”

“Better than Mr. Novak’s?” asked Viktor with a slight grin.

“Sure was,” said Bernie.

Viktor turned to Peter, “You study tonight. I eat steak.”

Anya asked in a sweet tone, “Nana, is it okay if I go out with Peter instead? You and I can go out another night.”

Peter demurred. “Anya, I made a bet and lost. I need to pay up. Go and enjoy your dad tonight.”

Anya gave her dad that look, the same look Maria would have given him. That look no father could ever say no to. Viktor turned to Peter, sighing. “You know, I tired. I could use sleep tonight. You go. I’ll take her another night.”

Anya stood and hugged Viktor. “Thanks, Nana.”

Obviously Viktor was a softy when it came to his little girl. “Well, I still owe you,” Peter said. “Make sure you remember.”

“I remember, no problem,” Viktor said with a grin.

PETER WAS IN HEAVEN. Sitting across from him was one of the most beautiful women he had ever had the pleasure to sit near. The hint of mesquite smoke floating in the air teased his senses about the steak that would soon be coming. By his side stood an elegant silver champagne bucket on a stand containing a fine bottle of champagne already poured by the waiter. Their table was elaborately decorated with beautiful stemware, plates and glassware, all perfectly placed on a beautiful white tablecloth. It doesn’t get much better than this! Thank you Viktor!

Peter lifted his champagne glass. “A toast to your dad for allowing me to renege on our bet today so I could spend a wonderful evening with his daughter.” They started to move their glasses closer when he added, “Of course losing to your dad was an example of what a great astronaut, excuse me, cosmonaut, your dad is. I’m fortunate to have him on board for the mission. To a good man.”

Anya quickly added before their glasses met, “Don’t forget, he’s also a great father.”

Peter nodded slightly as their crystal glasses lightly touched. They both took a sip while gazing in each other’s eyes. Then Anya said, somewhat jokingly, “You’re going to bring Dad back home safely, right?”

What was he to say? She was being facetious, but he was hoping not to think about dying during this special evening, or for that matter, her father dying. Peter was hoping to focus just on Anya. Whatever he said would probably be remembered later, so he felt it best to say nothing and just smiled, sipping his champagne. He hesitated another moment before saying, “You love your father very much, don’t you?”

“With all my heart. Growing up, I was very close to him. I was kind of an ugly duckling as a child. I was this skinny girl with glasses, braces, acne… it wasn’t pretty. All the kids use to pick on me. There were times I would look in the mirror, upset with the image I saw. One day I didn’t realize I had the bathroom door slightly open, and Dad saw me standing there, crying. He said nothing, but knew why I was upset. He told me years later, seeing me upset broke his heart. From that moment on, he was always complimenting me on how pretty I was. He said it so much I started to believe it. By the time my braces came off and I got rid of the glasses, I was a confident young woman, thanks to Dad.”

“Wow, I would never have expected that. You’re so beautiful. It’s amazing you ever thought you were unattractive.” Her smile prompted him to go on. “Maybe that’s what makes you so special. For such a beautiful woman, you’re very humble and unpretentious. Your inner beauty is as lovely as the outside. In other words, you’re perfect for me.”

Anya flashed a big smile. “Wow, thanks. Let’s hope we have many dinners like this over the years,” and lifted her glass to toast their future together.

As their glasses touched Peter couldn’t help wondering if continuing their relationship was right. He was definitely falling for her, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. But his heart was bursting with feelings he had never experienced. Their nights together in her hotel room were more like actually making love than just having sex. He wanted to continue to tap into that and get closer to her soul. He would have to make a decision on their relationship, but tonight was not the night.

They sat in comfortable silence, staring at each other. Finally Peter spoke up. “I would have never thought we would be sitting like this after our encounter in D.C.”

Anya gave a small nod.

“When you first walked into our dining room I noticed you right away. You practically took my breath away. I especially remember those sexy black boots.”

With a suggestive look, Anya leaned over the table. “I have those black boots back at the hotel. Maybe I can wear them for you tonight.”

Peter grinned, “Yeah, just the boots?”

She smiled, taking a sip of her champagne.

Peter continued, “One funny thing about D.C. was how I attempted to give you a hug a couple of times, but each time you blew me off. It definitely seemed like you weren’t interested, which to be honest, kind of enticed me.”

Anya laughed. “Good, because it was all show, just for you. The last time we saw each other I was almost sixteen and had a big crush on you. You were this handsome college graduate who barely noticed me. In De Luca’s I decided to act the opposite, tease you a little, pretending I wasn’t interested. But believe me, I was. That’s why we went there in the first place. Dmitri told me you two were meeting there for dinner, and I had to come by. I wanted to check you out, and I have to say, I was pleased with what I saw. I also wanted to show you how I had grown up. Dean was all upset with me for dragging him across town that night. He complained the whole way. I just said my brother highly recommended the restaurant and I wanted to try it.”

Peter said, “Well, you sure did grow up. I can’t tell you how shocked I was when Dmitri introduced you and asked if I remembered his little sister. In my head I was remembering back to that teenage girl, yet standing in front of me was this beautiful grown woman. I couldn’t believe it.”

She smiled and elevated her glass symbolizing an imaginary toast before taking a sip.

“So what was the story with Dean?” asked Peter.

“Believe it or not, he was my first boyfriend, my first love. Back in Russia, I never really dated. When I went to Georgetown, it was all about studying, and Dean was one of my lab partners. After working together for months, he finally asked me out. Before I knew it, we were living together. But something never felt right. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I guess you could say we weren’t soul mates.” She said the last with a twinkle in her eye. “He asked me to marry him, and though I never felt it was quite right, I still said ‘Yes.’ For me, the relationship was comfortable and besides, I was very much involved in my work. Neither one of us wanted to quit our jobs and move, so for years we just went along being engaged and living in different countries—not very practical, but safe. After Mama died, I started questioning our relationship. I saw how much my dad loved my mom, and how crushed he was when she died. I did not have that same connection with Dean. I was missing something.”

“Lucky for me,” said Peter, doing an imaginary toast. “Your mom was a sweet lady. I’m sure it’s been tough on your whole family, especially your dad. He always mentions her during training. In fact, I catch him mumbling to himself, and whenever I ask, he always answers the same way, ‘I talk to Maria.’ I can tell he loved her deeply.”

“They were perfect together. Nana has been miserable ever since she left. That’s why this mission is so great for him. I can’t tell you how pleased I am you selected him. I haven’t seen him this cheerful and energetic for years. He’s acting like he’s fifty years old again. It’s been wonderful to witness.” She paused for a second. “Thanks, Peter.”

Reminded of the specter of death hanging over the mission, Peter answered somberly, “You’re welcome.”