They were a team, Janice Kirk thought, like their husbands. A set. See one, you expect to see the other two. So here they all were, side by side. Janice in the middle, with Vina Pike on her right and Nancy McCoy on her left, wearing their Enterprise IX visitor badges. Trying to look brave, not nervous, and all the time wondering and worrying. So many things might go wrong. You never let that show, never let anyone see you had doubts.483Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9ikNoGt8Y
Out in the vast Control Center room, on the other side of the glass booth window, you could sense excitement. Even though people were doing their jobs, tending their consoles, doing whatever else it was they had to do. Jim had tried to explain all the technical stuff to her, and she'd read about it. In interviews Janice was able to give the impression she was a very well-informed astronaut's wife. There were, though, things she couldn't understand, some she'd just forgotten.
There was Gene Roddenberry out on the floor. He sensed Janice was looking at him, turned, and gave her that small grin and guarded wave which were so characteristic of him. What was he thinking inside? What was he feeling? Did he have any of the doubts or fears she felt?
"This is Robert Sarnoff, Enterprise Control. We are at T-plus 131 days, 4 hours 15 minutes into the flight. The flight director reports that all is going well. The Landing Module has been successfully checked and the crew is in excellent health."
Janice pressed Vina's hand. They watched the giant TV screen, which still showed only the test pattern.
"In just a few moments we should be receiving a television signal from the spacecraft. It is important to know that it takes 21 minutes for the signal from Mars to reach Earth. We have no way of communicating with Enterprise IX, and what we'll be seeing actually happened 21 minutes ago."
The screen went black.
"We have no signal from Enterprise IX."
There was the crackle of static.
"Incoming transmission. Repeat---incoming transmission."
"Houston, this is Enterprise IX. Houston, this is Enterprise IX," came Kirk's voice.
Janice realized she'd been holding her breath. She sighed it out.
"CM/LM separation was nominal. I have CM in visual contact through port window. Delta-V burn time 2.3 seconds."
"3.3 second burn is correct. We should hear from the CM soon."
"Houston, this is Enterprise CM." It was Pike's voice.
Janice squeezed Vina's hand.
"I see the Landing Module. I have him 22 degrees to starboard."
"He will now inspect undercarriage."
"I see the undercarriage. Houston. It looks good."
"They will start Descent Orbital Initiation. DOI time should be 4 minutes and 35 seconds."
"Commencing DOI," announced Kirk.
Congressman Johnston was happy. He sipped at his coffee and beamed across his desk at the large color TV set which filled one corner of his Washington office. Five other men were gathered in the office---two aides and three fellow congressmen.
"You just wait," he said. "In about five minutes that asshole Sephiroth is going to call and tell me how pleased the President is."
On his color screen the red surface of Mars showed.
"This is Robert Sarnoff, Enterprise Control. The flight director advises that the LM crew has been given a go for the first EVA on the Martian surface. Because the time delay would make a conversation impossible, the crew has taken a pre-recorded message from the President of the United States along with them. When they are on the Martian surface, Commander McCoy will activate the recorder and the crew will hear the message for the first time."
"Houston," came Kirk's voice, "I have the hatch."
"Camera activated," said McCoy.
Fully suited and helmeted, Kirk emerged from the spindly-legged module. He gingerly lowered himself out of the hatch and down the ladder. Halting on the final step, he said, "I'm on the bottom rung."
Johnston chuckled. His aides chuckled.
Poised on the bottom rung, his booted foot still not touching the red surface of Mars, Kirk said, "I take this step in the name of peace for all mankind."
He left the step and seemed to float on the ground.
"Houston, I am on the surface of Mars."
While Kirk bounced on the surface of the planet, McCoy descended the stairs and joined him.
The two men joined each other, then unfurled an American flag. Sticking the small metal flagpole firmly into the ground, Kirk said, "We will not claim this planet in the name of the U.S. Instead, we will claim it in the name of all the people of the planet Earth. May our visit increase the knowledge of the human race."
"Houston," said McCoy, "I am starting the tape." McCoy had moved to the module. He rejoined Kirk and stood beside him.
"To the men of Enterprise IX," began the recorded voice of the President, "I bring you greetings from your fellow Americans. And from, I am sure, all the people of the world. There are moments in history when an event occurs which unites all people. When the Second World War broke out, all free men and women---black, white, British, Russian---put aside their petty squabbles and realized we were partners in a civilization that goes beyond our geographic borders."
"The asshole's almost eloquent," remarked Johnston. "Has he got a new writer?"
"Wrote this himself," said one of the other congressmen. "Or so I heard."
"No shit?"
"Now you three men, with your courage, optimism, and strength, have brought all of us together again. We will never be the same. For this moment, more than any moment in our history, has made all the people in the world realize we are part of a planet, which is part of a system which is part of a universe. We are a small, energetic species, capable of pettiness, yet capable of brilliance. You have shown us how wonderful we can be, by showing us how high we can reach. You have crossed space, the final frontier. You have shown us we are people of different colors, religions, and ideologies, but a single people nonetheless. You are the basic truth in us, you are our reality. We will never let you down, and we will always be grateful."
After a second the phone on Johnston's wide desk rang.
The plump congressman answered it. "Yes? Ah, hello there, Mr. Vice President." He winked at the others in his office. "Yes, it is. Yes, it's wonderful, Mr. Vice President. A very proud and wonderful moment for all Americans. I see, yes. Well, you be sure to tell the President that's very gracious of him. I appreciate it, I really do. Thank you and all my best to you and your pretty wife. Yes, goodbye." Johnston hung up and took another sip of his coffee. "Asshole."
After one moment of hesitation, Hikaru Sulu left his console. He avoided the curious glance of his immediate superior and headed directly for Dr. Roddenberry. "Can I talk to you for a moment, sir?"
Roddenberry adjusted his glasses. "Sure, Hikaru. Got a problem?"
"It's just that there's something I can't figure out, sir."
"You're one of our smarted kids. If you can't figure it out, it must really be a problem. Shoot."
"Well---I don't really know for sure what's wrong," said Sulu. "It's something, though, in the readout. I spoke to Dr. Jeffries about it a long time back. He said it was the console. But....well, could you take a look at it?"483Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSstObkWRqm
Roddenberry made no move to take the young man up on his invitation. "What console are you on?"
"Telemetry. No. 47."
"Oh, yeah. Dr. Jeffries talked to me about that one. They're supposed to have fixed it, Hikaru."
"Apparently not, sir. I keep getting the same oddball readouts."
"What exactly?"
"See, I did a program on my own, sir, just to check something. That readout's different."
"Uh, you did your own program?"483Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGgQMZP6OG
"I did. And I don't think it's the console at all. I think that, somehow, the transmission from Mars isn't...."
"Okay, okay, Hikaru. I think I'm going order the technical people to really take that console of yours apart," said Roddenberry, briefly putting an arm around the young man's shoulders. "Keep up the good work. With your kind of dedication, you'll be running this whole place someday."
"Well---thanks." Sulu, frowning, turned away and walked slowly back to his console.483Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBGjoBD8WG
