Space Hoax

29 RE-ENTRY

Peter wanted to walk on his home planet, to hold his lover once more, but there was only a slim chance that would ever happen again. Mission control had rushed them through the re-entry procedures, cutting out some of the steps. Amazingly their spacecraft hit every milestone perfectly as it flew through the dense atmosphere. Peter hoped the flawless re-entry was a sign everything would work out fine. Of course, that was wishful thinking as they approached the moment of truth. Around 23,000 feet the drogue parachutes were to open. If that didn’t happen, they were doomed.

He shaded his eyes from the bright sunlight as he looked out his window. He fought the continuous g-forces as his ship decelerated toward the massive blue marble below. The majestic Pacific Ocean peeked through the scattered, white clouds below. The large body of water was teasing him. Damn, we’re so close.

Mission control called out, “Galileo 2 approaching 23,400 feet; velocity 420 feet per second.”

If the landing went as planned, he should soon hear a minor bang followed by a slight tug indicating the small drogue chutes were deployed. He closed his eyes as he dedicated all of his senses toward recognizing the jolt. After a few anxious moments, he opened his eyes and registered their altitude was down to 22,500 feet. They had passed the point when the chutes should have been released and they were still flying like a bat out of hell. Shit. He looked over at Jesse, whose eyes were wide open with concern. Peter tried to show strength as he flashed a quick wink before radioing, “We’re at 22,500 feet and no sign of the drogue chutes, over.”

“Roger, Galileo.”

Peter waited, hoping mission control would respond with some miracle solution, but the radio stayed silent. Damn. The main parachutes were set to be released in roughly 30 seconds at approximately 10,000 feet. At the speed they were traveling, the main chutes wouldn’t fully deploy, and he could do nothing to change their dire situation. Though he was positive the main chutes would be released, the question was how much drag would they develop. Galileo’s designed splashdown velocity was 30 feet per second, around 20 miles per hour. If those chutes failed to open properly, their impact speed could be as high as 200 feet per second, sure death for both men. If only they were landing on land like the Chinese ships, at least then, there would be a slim chance of crashing through trees to break up their energy. Landing on water at those speeds would be the same as slamming onto concrete, only after impact the surface would open up and swallow them whole.

The radio crackled. “Galileo, what is your velocity?”

Peter responded in a fierce tone. “355 feet per second, over.”

“Roger.”

A bang confirmed the main parachutes were being deployed. Please, God, let them catch. A combination of light tugs in rapid succession followed by the ship going into a slight spin were signs the parachutes didn’t fully open. Shit. “Failure with main chutes.” Peter’s heart sank when he reported their velocity. “230 feet per second.”

“Roger.”

Peter was still waiting for some plan of attack from mission control. Their lack of response made it obvious they didn’t have one and neither did he. The ship was being tossed around under the struggling chutes. Peter steadied himself as he looked over at his partner. His voice was flat and emotionless. “We’re going to hit hard; brace yourself.”

Jesse’s tone was surprisingly clear and strong. “Roger. Let’s survive this crash.”

Peter liked the young man’s attitude. He took another look at their velocity. He was encouraged to see it dropping, but they were still falling way too fast. He figured they needed to be at less than 150 feet per second to have a shot.

Peter was surprised to hear a new voice squawk over the radio. “Galileo 2, this is the recovery ship. We have a visual; please tell us your splashdown error.”

Splash down error, are you serious? Peter let his emotions get the best of him as he yelled out. “We’re falling at over 100 miles per hour is our God-damn splashdown error, over.”

There was no response.

At the 1,500 foot level, and with only seconds left before impact, Peter took a final look at their velocity. A slight glimmer of hope shot through him seeing it had dropped to 162 feet per second. The one unknown was how much energy the spacecraft would absorb during impact. Even falling at six times faster than their intended splashdown speed, he convinced himself they could survive. Their fate was now in God’s hands. Facing skyward, Peter tightened the straps holding him down in his seat. He was prepared to be smashed painfully hard backward. His life was either over or he would completely change it. Either way, he was convinced this was his last mission. He quickly yelled out. “It was an honor flying with you, Jesse!”

“The honor was all mine, sir!”

ANYA SAT AT the small dining room table in Suzy’s house as the young mother brewed some tea. Anya’s excuse for visiting was to drop off presents for the boys, explaining it was a Russian tradition to give children gifts when their fathers were in space. She said it always seemed like Christmas every time her dad flew.

Anya looked outside the window and admired the boys playing. She settled in with easy conversation. “You have two wonderful boys.”

Suzy seemed unassuming and relaxed as she poured the tea. “Oh, thank you.” As she set the two cups on the table, she looked outside. “They sure are enjoying those presents. Thanks again. Now they’re going to be all excited the next time Blake flies.”

Anya reached for a cup as she tilted her head, lifting an eyebrow. “Weren’t they excited this time?”

Suzy spoke in a gentle tone as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Brian was okay with it, but Matthew was scared. Surprisingly, he seemed to grasp what his father was doing. In fact, it was so cute the last thing he communicated to Blake. Matthew signed, Don’t die, Daddy, I don’t want another daddy. I could see Blake was caught off guard by his fears, but then he knelt down and put his arm around Matthew, promising he would be back. He then pointed to Matthew’s heart and said a part of Daddy would always be right there, even when he was in space. It was such a sweet and touching moment.”

Anya turned back toward the window. Suzy’s words had touched her heart. She closed her face down like a gate slamming shut. Though she had no idea what was going on in space, she still had to make sure she didn’t give away any sign she knew anything. She prayed Blake was okay as she pretended to be watching the boys.

Suzy asked, “Is everything all right?”

Stay strong, Anya. She took a deep breath before turning back with a consoling smile. “Yes. That is a touching story.”

Suzy sprang up. “How rude of me, I should have gotten us something to snack on.”

Anya raised her hand as she emphatically shook her head. “Please don’t go to any trouble.”

Suzy marched over to the counter. “Oh, it’s no trouble. I baked some cookies last night with the boys.” When she was halfway across the kitchen, the phone rang. “Excuse me.” She did a 90-degree turn and aimed for the sound. As she answered, she looked to the floor with a slight smile.

Anya studied the young woman’s face to see if this was the call. For a few moments, there was no change in Suzy’s expression as she just listened. Soon her smile gave way as disappointment etched steadily across her face. This was the call. Finally, the mother spoke to the caller. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” When she hung up, she dropped her head.

Anya innocently asked. “Who was that?”

“EarthOrbit. They had to cut the mission short and asked me to hustle over to Hobby Airport. Apparently, the men are coming home today. EarthOrbit wants to fly me over to the recovery ship.”

Anya let out a big sigh, sure that this meant both men were returning.

Suzy looked outside at her children. She spoke with a hint of alarm in her voice. “It’s kind of odd they’re flying me to the recovery ship. That was never in the plans, and they asked me not to bring the kids.”

Those comments made Anya nervous. She swallowed hard as she kept her demeanor steady. “I’m sure they’re doing it just because they’re cutting the assignment short. Maybe Blake asked for you. Anyway, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Suzy flashed a grim smile.

Anya offered, “I can watch the boys if you would like?”

Suzy gave an appreciative nod. “Thanks, but I’ll have my mother come over.” As she reached for the phone, she suddenly stopped and turned toward Anya. She bit her lower lip for a moment before asking, “Would you mind going with me? I could use the support. Besides, with Peter as part of the team, I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Anya rose from her chair. She would love to escort the young mother. Plus, being on the ship would allow her to learn if Peter was involved. “Sure, I would be more than happy to.”

MING WAS SURPRISED to see his boss’s door shut. Though it was not an uncommon sight during most days, Kuang had purposely left his door wide open lately so he could be given quick updates on what was happening in space. Ming assumed Kuang was probably on a private call. He took a moment to ponder if he should interrupt. Since his boss had insisted on being informed on the latest developments, Ming was sure the news of the Americans landing in the Pacific warranted being told immediately.

The assistant director lightly knocked on the wooden door. He listened intently for a response. Nothing. Ming tried again, this time knocking harder. Again nothing. Convinced his boss was on an important phone call, Ming cautiously opened the door. Because he had not been invited in, he bowed his head as he entered.

Looking at the floor, Ming was surprised he did not hear a sound. “Sir, I have an important update.” He stopped all movement as he waited for his boss to answer. After a long beat, Ming gradually lifted his head. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of Kuang hunched over his desk, his head turned sideways with his arms sprawled out. Ming stood stunned. He saw no movement. He approached guardedly. Kuang’s lifeless eyes were wide open with a blank stare aiming directly at him. Ming tried to process the grim sight. Soon he stood over the desk and saw the bottom side of his boss’s face soaking in a puddle of blood. Ming cautiously placed two fingers on the director’s neck to check for a pulse. As he struggled to get a reading, a handgun lying on the floor next to the desk confirmed his suspicions. After a few moments, it was obvious his mentor was dead. Ming gently closed the dead man’s eyes before softly placing a hand on Kuang’s head. He bowed to say a short prayer for the disgraced leader.

PETER’S MIND WAS floating in a big fog. Where the hell am I? He was going in and out of consciousness as he tried to focus on his surroundings. He felt like a big blob of Jell-O lying in a bed. He was having a difficult time moving any part of his body. He took a few minutes to grasp his situation. As he struggled to clear his head, he saw a man in a military uniform with a stethoscope around his neck standing over him. The man appeared to be talking, but all he heard were muffled sounds. Come on, Peter, wake up.

He looked away as he tried to recall what had happened. He closed his eyes. Bit by bit he started to remember the mission. Then it hit him—he and Jesse had crashed in the Pacific. The man standing over him must be a doctor. His first impulse was to try to find out if his friend had survived. He turned to the man and tried to ask, but nothing came out of his mouth.

The sound of the doctor’s genial voice began to break through Peter’s haze. “Don’t strain yourself, young man. You’re lucky to be alive.” The man turned away. “Nurse, get him some water.”

Hearing the word water made Peter realize his mouth was bone dry. He circled the outside of his mouth with his dry tongue, feeling the rough edges of his chapped lips. The doctor grabbed a cup with a straw from the nurse. He bent down and gently slipped the straw into Peter’s mouth. The first few sips burned flowing down his parched throat. He was starting to get his bearings. He tried again to talk, hoping his words wouldn’t come out gibberish. “How umm Jesse?”

The man looked dumbfounded for a second before he let out a big sigh. “Oh, how’s your partner? He’s fine. He’s banged up too. You two are a couple of lucky sons of guns. Someone up there likes you two. So how do you feel?”

Peter was relieved to hear that Jesse had made it. He tried to move his arms, but found he was having trouble. Obviously he was heavily drugged, yet still in a lot of pain. “I feel like I was hit by a wrecking ball.”

The man chuckled. “That’s a good description. Your body did experience something like that. You sustained some serious internal bleeding caused by the blunt force trauma your body has been through. In fact, blood had stopped flowing to your left leg due to the pressure buildup from the bleeding. I was forced to do a deep cut in your thigh to relieve the pressure before I was able to stop the internal bleeding. The good news is you should be okay; the bad news is you have a couple of tough weeks ahead of you.”

Peter cleared his throat as he looked around. “So where am I?”

“You’re in the infirmary of the LaGrange, the Navy ship that picked you two up. You’ve been out for awhile.”

Peter’s head was clearing by the minute. He assumed SpaceQuest couldn’t get their recovery ship to their location. He tried to sit up before the doctor put his hand on his shoulder. “Son, you don’t want to do too much. Remember you just had surgery.”

Peter relaxed as he let his head fall back on the pillow.

A slow grin began to emerge on the doctor’s face. “I have someone here who would love to see you.”

“Who?”

The doctor stepped back and motioned for someone to approach. All the pain miraculously disappeared when Anya stepped into the light, her face beaming with a joyous smile. She looked like an enchanted angel floating toward him. He thanked God once again for another chance at life as she leaned down toward him. The familiar scent of her coconut body lotion empowered him to slightly raise his head to kiss her soft lips. She cooed, “Thanks for sticking around.”

Peter dropped his head as he remembered his promise to God. “Baby, I don’t plan on going anywhere. You mean too much to me. In fact, I’ve decided to make some changes. I don’t want you worrying about me anymore.”

Anya rose with a twinkle in her eye. She caressed his hand. “I appreciate that, but we don’t need to make any hasty decisions.”

EVER SINCE THE small infirmary had cleared out, Anya had been holding Peter’s hand. It was one of those simple moments in life he was pleased to be experiencing. He was savoring every minute as he stared at his soul mate. He had no opportunity to mull over Blake’s death; Anya consistently kept steering their conversation toward easier ground. Though he was still groggy and tired, he appreciated the light talk.

One subject she talked passionately about was their wedding plans. She was giddy with excitement when describing the latest details. He was delighted to see her happy, and more importantly, glad he was going to be around to participate.

During a lull in the conversation, he stared up at the ceiling. In his mind, the mission had still been a failure. His heart ached for Suzy knowing she had probably been informed of her husband’s death. He wished he could have been there when she was told, comforting her with Blake’s last words before the hatch was closed. He convinced himself the first thing he needed to do when he returned to Houston was to visit her.

Peter’s concentration was broken by the sound of the door opening. “How’s the astronaut doing?”

Peter turned to see the doctor entering with a small, blue duffle bag in his hand. “Hanging in there.”

The doctor did a quick scan of the monitors before stationing himself on the opposite side from Anya. “Good. How’s the pain?”

“Bearable.”

“Let the nurse know if it becomes unbearable.” The doctor then passed the duffle bag over to Anya as he kept his eye on Peter. “I was asked to give this to you. It’s your personal items found in the spacecraft.”

Peter was curious what exactly was in the bag as he watched Anya set it in her lap. “Thanks.”

The doctor patted him on the shoulder. “Make sure you take it easy. If you need anything, just push the call button.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

As the doctor left, Peter turned to see Anya pulling out her picture from the bag.

She wore a blushing grin as she eyed the photo. “So you took me along?”

Peter tenderly responded, “You’ve been with me on every space flight. You’re my good luck charm.”

Her smile grew larger. She then reached in and pulled out Matthew’s toy plane. “What’s this?”

Peter’s heart sank at the sight of the toy. Though it reminded him of Blake’s death, it also reminded him of the smile on the father’s face when he received it. “Is there a spacesuit glove in there?”

Anya searched through the bag. “I don’t see it, why?”

“When I went to the spacecraft after the explosion, I found his glove floating with that toy attached.” Peter took a deep breath as he looked back up at the ceiling. He took a moment before turning back toward her. “That was the final confirmation Blake was dead. That toy is Matthew’s. I gave it to Blake as we were strapping him in prior to launch.”

Her voice trembled with sadness. “Oh.”

“I want to make sure Suzy gets both.”

Anya’s voice rose. “Oh, she’s here. You can give this to her now if you want.”

Shocked by the news, Peter jerked his head up painfully. “She’s here?”

Anya nodded as she compressed her lips. “Yeah, in fact that’s why I’m here. After I learned about the explosion from Dmitri, I went over to her house to offer support. When she got the call to fly to the ship, she asked if I’d accompany her.”

Peter assumed Allen flew her out. “Where is she now?”

Anya gave a modest shrug. “Not sure. I was with her in the ship’s chapel when I learned you were starting to wake. She could still be there. You want me to go check?”

“So she knows Blake didn’t survive?”

“Yes, I was there when she was told.” Anya looked to the floor as she shook her head. “It was devastating. I held her in my arms as she cried.”

Peter fought through the pain as he forced himself up, yanking out the wires and tubes connected to his arm. Instantly the sound of alarms filled the small room.

Anya frantically raised her eyes as she cried out over the screeching noise, “What are you doing? You know the doctor told you to stay in bed.”

Peter was determined. “I’ve got to see her. Those men were my responsibility.”

Anya put her hand on him. “Stay here, I can go get her.”

Peter was not wavering. “No, I want to go to her.”

A nurse came running in. She quickly determined the cause of the alarms and growled, “What are you doing?” She quickly flipped a couple of switches, cutting off the obnoxious sounds before pushing Peter back down onto his pillow.

Not having the strength to fight, he gripped her hand and looked her directly in the eyes. “Sorry, but I just learned the wife of my friend who I was unable to save is on this ship. I must see her.”

The nurse grabbed at the loose wires, preparing to reattach them. She answered in a frank tone, “You need to stay here. We can bring her to you.”

Anya stepped between the two and gently put her hand on the nurse’s shoulder. Her voice was surprisingly fierce. “Clair, this is very important to Peter. I know he should have contacted you before disconnecting himself; we’re very sorry about that. But a man died on his watch and he wants to personally give his condolences to his wife.” She leaned in, whispering loud enough so Peter could hear. “I’m sure you can understand why he would want to go to her, and not have her come to him.” She straightened back up and resumed her original tone. “She is in the chapel. I can wheel him over in a wheelchair and have him back in a jiffy.”

The nurse looked down at Peter. He flashed a pleading expression as she studied his face. “I couldn’t do this if we were on land.” She turned to Anya. “I’ll give you five minutes.”

Anya soon had Peter wheeled up to the small chapel’s entrance. Suzy was sitting alone in the front pew in the dim room.

Anya whispered. “Do you want me to push you in?”

In a hushed but direct tone he answered, “No, I need to do this alone. Please help me up. I want to walk in.”

“Honey, you should stay in the chair.”

Peter gave her that look.

Anya positioned the chair and locked the wheels so he could get up. “Okay, but you sure are being stubborn.”

With her help, Peter used all of his strength to get out of the chair. He had an extra tough time moving his left leg, feeling the pain shoot throughout his body with each change in its position. Once he was standing, he reached for the open door handle to steady himself. He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “I’ll be okay.”

She pointed down the hallway. “I’ll be standing right over there, waiting. Just call out if you need me.”

He flashed a quick wink before reaching for the doorframe, struggling to hold on to steady himself. He patted his robe pocket to ensure he had Matthew’s toy before taking a few painful steps into the small chapel up to the back pew. With only three rows of pews, Suzy was only a few feet away. Her blonde hair glowed lightly from a soft spotlight aimed down on the multi-colored stained glass window pane at the front of the room. As he resumed his movements, the sounds caused Suzy to turn. Her face was blotchy, eyes red and puffy from crying. She instantly recognized him. She solemnly stood and reached her arms out toward him.

Supporting himself with one hand on the pew, he reached for her with the other. As they embraced he softly said, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

She pulled away a little, a tear running down her cheek. “You did everything you could to save Blake. Jesse told me how you risked your life for them.” She took a deep breath. “Jesse feels guilty he wasn’t on that ship when the explosion happened. But because Blake was the one scheduled to do the spacewalk, he didn’t have the connection for the oxygen pack.” She fell silent for a moment as she looked toward the stained glass. “I guess it was his time.”

Peter put his hand on her shoulder. “I feel like I let him down. That I let you down.”

She turned with a stern look. “Don’t you ever think that. Thanks to you, he had a fighting chance. You were willing to lose everything for them. I will always hold that dear in my heart.” She put her head down. “I blame EarthOrbit for putting Blake in a faulty spacecraft.”

Peter wanted to tell her the cause of the accident but couldn’t.

Suzy grabbed his hand. “Blake looked up to you. He was constantly talking about your moon mission, especially when you two were training together. He was looking forward to flying with you.”

Peter lifted his head as he looked directly into her eyes. “He was a great man, with a good soul.”

She bit her lower lip. “Blake told me you were going to strap them in before launch. Did you?”

With a bleak smile Peter tried to stay strong as he answered, “I did. They were both so excited and ready. Just before the hatch was closed, Blake did ask me to tell you something.”

A ray of hope appeared on her face. “What?”

Peter took a deep breath as he took a moment to look at the stained glass. He turned back. “He wanted me to tell you he was thinking of you and how much he loved you.”

She tilted her head slightly as another tear started to trickle down her face. “Really?”

Peter put his hand on her shoulder. “Yes, but I told him he could tell you that himself when he returned.”

She looked away as she brought a tissue to her face, lightly dabbing her eyes.

Peter removed his hand and reached into his pocket. “You remember the toy plane you gave me?”

Suzy turned and answered with sadness in her voice. “Yes.”

Peter took her hand and placed the plane in the center, closing her fingers around it. “This was with Blake up to the moment he died. While I was rescuing Jesse, he took the time to attach it to his glove, showing how much his family meant to him, that he was thinking of all of you up to the last minute.”

Suzy lightly caressed the toy and fought back more tears. Peter bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before turning to walk out.

As he wrestled with the difficulties of leaving, he heard her muster up the strength to call out. “You’re a good man, Peter Novak. Thank you.”