USSR Hoax

7 BACK OFF

Bending at the waist, Tom was trying to stretch out his back after sleeping on a rock-hard bed the night before. The Michoud folks always put the NASA visitors up in the same dumpy old motel, the only place to stay within thirty miles of the facility. When Tom informed Anne he wasn’t coming home, she jokingly asked if he planned on enjoying the night life. What night life? She knew how boring the place was. He simply answered that he might have a couple of beers with some squirrels before hitting the sack.

The Director of Assembly turned to Tom. “Back problems?”

Tom straightened up. “I’m fine.”

Both Tom and the director stood behind a Marshall engineer who had half his body extended inside the F-1 engine, looking for the stamped lettering. Tom had alerted the shop floor manager about his findings after the morning meeting. The busy manager had no idea what Tom was talking about and had directed him to the Director of Assembly, who seemed interested.

The engineer called out, “I don’t see it.”

Tom positioned himself so he could help guide the young man. “Do you see the main fuel valve?”

The engineer’s legs shifted slightly. “Yeah, I see that.”

“Look to the right, underneath the HP oxidizer duct. In fact, just place your forehead up against that duct and you should see it right in front of you.”

After some further movements, the engineer’s voice shot up. “Oh, I see it. Wow, that’s odd.”

After both men had inspected both engines, Tom asked, “So what do you think it is?”

The director’s voice was direct. “It’s something I’ve never seen before, and I doubt anyone with Marshall or any of the contractors have ever seen it.” The man took off his glasses and locked eyes on Tom. “You need to take this up with the Canoga Park folks. This happened on their end.”

The engineer, standing behind the director, nodded in agreement as he adjusted his tie.

Tom wasn’t surprised he was being pointed toward the engine’s manufacturer, but he hoped someone here could have shed some light on the mystery. He figured since the piping covered the part, no one at the plant had ever seen the markings. Since neither man seemed too concerned with the findings, Tom doubted either one of them would do anything with the information. Marshall was on a tight schedule to get the stages completed. The last thing they needed was odd etchings holding up production.

Earlier Tom had snagged one of the NASA-issued Polaroid cameras in hopes of getting some photos. He had a meeting scheduled later that day with Dick and wanted to show the pictures to get his take. “Do either of you mind if I take pictures of the markings?”

The director spoke frankly as he headed down the stairs, “Knock yourself out.”

“HAVE A SEAT, Tom.”

Dick had a peculiar look on his face as Tom entered the office, possibly a sign good news was coming. He confidently took a seat across from his boss.

Leaning forward, Dick put both arms on his desk. “So I have some good news.”

Tom straightened up. “Oh?”

“You are no longer grounded, so no more escorts when flying.”

Happy to hear the news, Tom anticipated Dick was going to follow that up with information on his next crew assignment. Tom waited a beat before answering, “That’s great, because some of those guys made me nervous.”

His boss raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

Tom didn’t want to get into it. He cared more about his next assignment. “Actually just one, Chris Riddick.”

“Did anything happen?”

Though Tom should have spoken up, he elected to keep his promise. “No. Just be aware he might need more flight training.”

“Okay, duly noted.”

Tom couldn’t contain himself. “So, will I be assigned a mission now that I’m cleared?”

Dick stared at Tom, as if contemplating the idea. “Right now, I’m going to hold off on that. Besides, most of the assignments have been given out. I’ll consider it when new ones become available.”

Tom slumped back in the chair at the news. At least he was back in the game.

“So how is everything going in New Orleans?”

Slightly dejected, Tom reached into his shirt pocket for the snapshots. He had already sorted through them, picking out the best ones for Dick. He left the remaining ones in his briefcase. “I thought you might be interested in seeing these photos.” Tom leaned over, plopping them on the desk.

Dick tilted an eyebrow as he took the pictures. “What are these?”

“I was investigating plumbing issues inside the F-1 engines, and while looking, I came across these odd markings. I checked with the Marshall folks, but no one had any idea what the markings were. In fact, they had never seen them before.”

Dick went through them slowly, pausing at one, a bewildered look on his face. “One of these shows only grinding marks.”

“Yeah, one engine had that in the same location as the mysterious lettering I found in the other engine. It’s as if the markings were supposed to have been ground out.”

Dick raised his eyes over the picture. “Was Marshall going to have this investigated?”

“I don’t think so. They’re on a tight schedule and I doubt they’ll do anything with the information. They directed me to the engine manufacturer.”

Dick shot him a puzzled look before shuffling through the photos again. “These markings do look strange and out of place. I’ll pass this on and see what I can find out.”

“Great, please let me know what you hear.”

Dick set the pictures down. “Will do. There’s one more thing. Tomorrow night is the Governor’s Ball in Austin and I would like you there. I’ve requested other astronauts to attend as well.”

Tom was hoping to have a relaxing weekend with the family. “Can I bring Anne?”

“Absolutely. In fact, I’ll have a room booked for you for the night. It’s a first-class hotel, so it should be a nice little getaway.”

“That would be great, especially after dealing with the shoddy accommodations in New Orleans.”

Dick leaned back in his chair, his voice staying steady. “They don’t take good care of you in Louisiana? Haven’t you been getting out and enjoying the nightlife?”

Tom leaned forward, placing both hands on the desk. “Are you serious? There’s never time for any nightlife fun, just dinner and bed. They usually put me in some rundown motel about a mile from the plant. The closest nice hotel is over thirty minutes away.”

“I’m sure the accommodations aren’t that bad.”

“Yeah, if you consider knobs falling off the television as being nice.”

Dick chuckled as he stood up. “Sounds like you don’t have time to watch TV anyway.”

Assuming Dick had somewhere to go, Tom got up. “Did you see the news last night?”

“Nope, I didn’t get out of here until after ten. Why?”

Both men walked toward the doorway before Tom stopped shy of the exit. “The North Vietnamese were showcasing a POW, some type of propaganda ploy. What was amazing was the POW used his eyes to blink out torture in Morse code while answering questions.”

“Really? Good for him. That’s some hero.”

“I agree. Men like that are the real heroes of this country, more so than us astronauts.”

Dick put his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “Tom, you have to remember we are in a Cold War with the Soviets, and those bastards are backing the North Vietnamese. So in a way, we’re all fighting the same fight. If we’re successful in beating the Soviets to the moon, we’ll have a great chance to win the Cold War and wipe out Communism. Men like you, risking your lives to help achieve that goal, are heroes too.”

Tom wasn’t so sure. With a slight smile, he turned to walk out.

Dick gave Tom’s back a solid pat. “I just need to know orders will be followed.”

Tom trudged down the hallway as he called out, “Duly noted, boss.”

DRESSED IN HIS spiffy black tuxedo, Tom held Anne’s hand as they maneuvered through the maze of elegantly decorated tables in the large hall. The room was primed for the star-studded event, adorned with hanging chandeliers and large, impressive, replica Roman columns. The VIP guests were given the opportunity to enter early to get desirable seats. Tom had attended a few Governors’ Balls in the past and always enjoyed the special attention he received for being an astronaut. But this time around, he wanted to sit somewhere in the back and out of the limelight. He already had his fill of the celebrity life. His hope was to enjoy a nice evening with Anne. As he scanned the large auditorium, he noticed the round tables were numbered. Curious if that meant he was supposed to sit at a particular one, he checked out a table they passed. Other than the meticulously placed dinnerware and wine glasses, there was no indication a specific VIP should be seated there. Since no one had informed him he was assigned a table, he continued his search for a secluded spot way in the back.

Arriving at a nice, isolated table, Tom picked out two of the best seats facing the front of the hall. Being a gentleman, he pulled out one of the chairs for his wife. Anne adjusted her long, formal black dress before taking a seat. Inhaling her sensually scented perfume, Tom bent down and proudly gave her a romantic kiss on the neck. He let his lips travel up to her ear before whispering, “You look beautiful.”

She looked up with love in her eyes. She straightened his bow tie. “Aw, thanks. You look mighty handsome yourself.”

He lifted his hands and flashed a brash grin. “That’s all that matters.” His mouth suddenly felt dry. He was ready for a drink. He looked around for the nearest bar and found one behind them. “I’m going to get us a couple of drinks. What would you like?”

Anne curled in her lower lip. “Mmm, how about a glass of champagne?”

Tom stood up. “Got it. I’ll be right back.”

After getting the drinks, Tom turned to see that the hall was filling up with guests. As he returned to the table he saw that another couple had already positioned themselves next to Anne. Approaching from behind, Tom was unable to determine who they were. The man next to Anne was leaning dangerously close to her, apparently chatting away. The lady on his other side was looking off in another direction, smoking a cigarette, not a part of the conversation. Once Tom was close he heard the man’s voice and instantly recognized the cocky tone; Chris Riddick, who appeared to be flirting with Anne. Though Tom trusted his wife one hundred percent, he still hated seeing any man, particularly Riddick, hitting on her. Damn, I don’t want this guy next to her.

Feeling it was his prerogative to be rude, Tom aggressively extended the hand holding Anne’s drink right in front of Chris’s face, cutting him off midsentence. “Here’s your drink, honey.” Tom purposely pushed Chris’s arm aside.

Looking up, the brash grin on Chris’s face grew wider. “Oh, hey, Tom. Is this your beautiful wife?”

Setting his free hand on Anne’s shoulder, Tom steadied himself, his voice growing stronger. “She is.” Looking down at the rookie, Tom’s eyes flashed a silent threat. So back off!

The vaguely pretty lady next to Chris looked over with a shy smile. Chris gave no indication he was going to introduce her. After Anne took her drink, Tom politely extended his hand in the direction of the woman. “Hello, I’m Tom Novak.”

Setting her cigarette down in an ashtray, she timidly took his hand. She said in a soft voice, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tom. I’m Sandy Riddick.”

Chris looked back at his wife as he pointed toward Tom. “This is the veteran astronaut I told you about, the one I flew to New Orleans.”

The arrogance flowing from the man made Tom cringe. Yeah, the one you almost killed. He took a deep breath as he simply smiled.

The friendly gesture would be to sit next to Sandy so the couples could get to know each other, but Tom wasn’t interested. Besides, he wasn’t comfortable leaving Anne alone with Chris. The rookie came across as a shark circling in for the kill. Instead, Tom sat down in his original chair. He was pleased when Anne turned and put a reassuring hand on his leg. With her head blocking Chris, Tom rolled his eyes. Before he could get her reaction, he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. A waiter was standing next to him.

“Excuse me, Mr. Novak, but you’re supposed to be seated at the governor’s table up front.”

Tom turned to his wife, lifting both hands in a gesture of helplessness. He looked back at the waiter. “Thank you, we’ll be there in a minute.”

“Yes, sir.”

Though Tom wasn’t too excited about being seated at the head table, it was the perfect excuse to get away from Chris. He gave the signal to Anne it was time to go. As they got up, Tom turned to Chris and gave the rookie a parting dig. “I guess I have to go sit with the governor.”

Chris stood up and smiled. “The advantages of being a space hero.”

Before Tom could hustle his wife along, Chris leaned over and gave Anne a hug. The embrace seemed more than platonic. When Chris pulled back, his eyes were trained directly on Anne’s. “It was wonderful meeting you.”

Tom reached for Anne’s hand, breaking the trance. As he pulled Anne away, he noticed a glow about her face. After a few strides away from the table, Anne said in a chipper voice, “Chris is kind of cute.”