Chapter 64: Houston...

“Congressman, I don’t understand the question,” I said into the microphone at the table sitting before the House Science Subcommittee on Space.

We had not been able to keep quiet the news of the incident on Astra, even though we have kept all the details as quiet as possible. Just as we thought we had those concerns allayed, someone finally paid attention to the stories Billy had been seeding regarding the nugget and its journey to L-5. A diligent reporter had managed to learn we had restarted our production line in Barcelona for the building of station assemblies. Suddenly, the U.S. Congress decided they did not have enough to do and wanted to stick their nose in my business.

“Mr. Taylor, it is a simple question. What would be the damage inflicted if your efforts to capture the asteroid termed ‘the nugget’ fail?”

His new phrasing, without the two minutes of rambling speculation and spurious supposition was simple. It was just flawed in its underlying assumptions.

“There would be no damage, Congressman,” I answered.

“I find that hard to believe. You stated that this asteroid massing over four million tons would not cause any damage if it were not captured after you altered its orbit to bring it closer to earth?”

Congressman Philips had been hounding me on the dangers of space and ‘meddling’ with the natural order of things for nearly thirty minutes. I would not mind answering relevant questions, but their lack of understanding on science and engineering was wearing thin.

“Sir, if we fail to capture asteroid 1950 DA when it arrives at our L-5 target, it will continue in its present orbit for approximately six years and then we will attempt to capture it again. After our initial capture efforts and orbital changes, its chance of intersecting the Earth’s orbit dropped from a one in eight thousand chance to zero.”

Congressman Philips sat back in his chair as the structure of his argument for more oversight was wiped away. Several other members of the committee tried to conceal their grins. I was glad I had some friendly faces looking back at me.

The chairman of the meeting asked the Congressman to yield the questioning. Congressman Calvert, the chairman of the committee took the prerogative to ask questions.

“Mr. Taylor, what resources do you anticipate mining from asteroid 1950 DA once you do capture it?”

I read off the prepared list of materials our cores and early analysis had indicated we would find. I also reinforced that developing the techniques for processing the asteroid could take years to fully develop.

“So, sir, is it fair to say that you have undertaken a significant R&D effort betting against the future economic return on your investment?”

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded. “And what will be the impact on jobs here in the United States?”

“While it is too soon to have firm numbers, we expect that our materials processing plants and semi-conductor partnerships will gain significant numbers of jobs locally. Additionally, it is my team’s hope that the materials from our mining efforts will accelerate building on both the Moon and Mars as we continue to expand our outposts and operations there.”

He nodded again. “Economically, what is the benefit of mining an asteroid rather than mining the material here on earth and lifting it to either of your bases?”

“In the grand scheme of things, the economics are marginal, given the capital investment required to build the capability to process the asteroid. However, I believe there is significant benefit to not mining those same materials within the biosphere of Earth. We will not have to handle pollution from our mining or any hazardous by-products that may be generated as part of our processing. Additionally, some of the elements we expect to capture in significant quantities are rare here on Earth and have only limited supplies.”

Several members were nodding and appeared happy to get the conversation back on a positive track.

“Can you elaborate for the members what some of the uses of these materials are?”

“Yes, sir. Most importantly, for my efforts, they are used extensively in the micro-magnetic controllers for fusion power generation. They are also used to a lesser extend in the processors used for controlling the generators.”

“And will having a greater supply of these materials allow you to increase production of generators?” Congressman Calvert asked.

“Again, it is years before we will have access to this supply, but once we do, it will not necessarily let us build generators faster, but it will keep the price and pace of production steady for a longer time.”

He looked at his watch and then looked at the other members of the committee. “I believe the questions relating to the safety of operations regarding asteroid 1950 DA have been answered, which was the primary point of this investigative hearing. Since I understand you have testimony scheduled with another committee on broader matters, I think we can close this session. Do I have a motion?”

Ten minutes later, I was standing in the hallway as Katerina finished a call and a senate staffer fidgeted nearby.

Katerina ended her call and then joined me. “Senator Hutchison would like to invite you to lunch,” she said. “She would like a briefing on some of the documents we provided prior to your testimony tomorrow.”

The staffer stepped closer. “Mr. Taylor, I’m on Senator Hutchinson’s staff and did the initial review of your materials. I can take you to her offices.”

I motioned him to lead on and fell in beside him. “What types of questions do you have for us?” I asked, fully expecting him to deflect or dissemble.

“I’m mostly interested in the logistics chain you’ve used for building your heavy lifters, as well as Astra Station.”

I was surprised, both by the straight forward answer, and the question itself. “Why? I asked.

“I’m interested in international law,” he said as we stepped outside the Rayburn House Office Building and headed toward the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“And?” I prompted.

“It seems to me that all of your orbital construction efforts have originated outside the United States, but your command and control systems are run from here, along with about half of your training.”

“That’s right. What’s the question?” I asked.

“Under the Space Treaty, it seems like we might not have jurisdiction over your orbital operations. At least that’s how I see it. The Senator is concerned you might be trying to avoid our proper oversight and the due diligence we have an obligation to perform from a chartering perspective.”

Part of me wanted to groan. Part of me wanted to smile. Someone had finally looked at the big picture.

“I wouldn’t say I’m avoiding oversight, but I can’t disagree that the U.S. Senate and our government may lack jurisdiction to regulate activities that do not originate from U.S. locations.”

“But under the charter, there is an implied oversight role. The language is a little ambiguous, but the intent seems to be that your operations are sanctioned by us. The senator wants to understand if new legislation is required to close the gap.”

That was a worry. I was intentionally skirting the language of various treaties and laws. I had hoped my time in Washington would be limited. It looked like that might be wishful thinking, now.

“Are you done for the day?” Chrissy asked as she shaded her eyes from the bright sun just starting to descend toward the west.

She was stretched out on a lounger, nude, enjoying the privacy of the house at the lab. She was on a week break from her training for another trip to Mars now that the Astra incident had been fully resolved. She had worked a little with Billy and Tom to provide some PR coverage on the re-opening of Astra but negotiated my agreement that she would get back to her ‘real job’ once those junkets were finished. I had agreed, mostly to get out of having to do the press tour myself.

I smiled down at her, wiggling my eyebrows at her. “I’m done with work, but don’t think I’m ‘done’ if you’re going to lie out here like that.”

She laughed and flipped her hair back out of the way as she rested her head once again. “Well, I could probably use a little help with my sunscreen, if you’re going to be that way,” she said.

I pulled off my own polo shirt and grabbed a towel and the sunscreen from nearby. I knelt at the foot of the lounger and started with her legs.

“I wouldn’t want you to burn and miss anything next week,” I teased as I rubbed lotion into the tops of her feet and around her ankles before working up the fronts of her calves. Next week was the Fourth of July and our annual shareholders meeting. She didn’t know it, but I was giving the six people who had helped re-network Astra a share each of the company. I expected we would be allocating a quarter-million dollar per share dividend in the same meeting.

She parted her knees slightly as I worked lotion higher up her legs.

“And what do you expect me to do next week?” she asked with a wiggle of her hips and a smile. “Something nasty?” There was desire in her voice as I skirted around her pouting pussy lips and massaged her hips before moving to her side.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I teased as I squirted more lotion on my hands and began rubbing it into her arms. “Maybe I’ll ask you for a favor when we’re in New York.” I had decided to just make the Penthouse our home for the week, since we always seemed to end up there regardless of other plans. Jer was excited to be visiting some new galleries. This time, he was actually taking a full portfolio with him.

“What kind of favor?” she asked as I circled my hands on her stomach and then moved higher to gently massage her wonderful tits with lotion. I took the opportunity to kiss each nipple to proud attention before rubbing lotion on them.

“Maybe it will be a sexual one,” I said softly as I massaged lotion into the thin strip of hair before stroking along her engorged pussy lips. She lifted and spread her knees to give me even greater access.

“That sounds like a good plan,” she said as I flicked a finger across the top of her slit, stroking her clit. She lifted her hips, trying for more contact, but I playfully slapped her thigh.

“Roll over, and I’ll get your back,” I commanded.

She did, stretching her arms above her head. I went to work applying lotion, spending time tracing my fingers across her skin and then rubbing firmly into her muscled back and ass. Once again, she spread her legs, letting me easily stroke from her pussy all the way up to the base of her spine.

“Have you ever tried anal?” she asked out of the blue after my fingers danced around her asshole.

I applied a little more lotion to a finger and slipped it between the smooth mounds of her ass before answering. “I have. Why?”

She shuddered as my finger played with her rosebud, pushing gently inward, but not actually penetrating her.

“I like the feeling of you playing back there. I guess I’m just a little curious. I’m not sure I want to try it, but I kind of wonder about it.”

I pulled my fingers away and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. “It can be hot and good, but it can also be painful and gross, if you aren’t careful.”

“Do you want to fuck my ass, Paul?” she asked.

“Do you want me to?”

She rolled on her side and pulled my face to hers for a kiss. “Yes, but not today. Right now, I just want you to fuck me here in the sun and come deep inside me.”

I hurried to comply.

The lounger was not the most comfortable bed to screw on, but it was better than the sandstone tile of the porch area. Chrissy scooted down the chaise on her stomach and lifted her hips to make it easier for me. I lined up and thrust, sinking deeply into her. I grabbed her hips and started to thrust.

She looked back over her shoulder, smiled, and then dropped her head and began thrusting back against me. All too soon, I felt myself starting the climb toward an orgasm. I paused, wanting to savor the feelings and regain control of myself. Chrissy did not want to stop and kept her thrusting.

“Don’t stop, I’m so close,” she begged.

I tried to resist but couldn’t. My motion resumed. Luckily, my pause had been enough to give me a moment to recover control. A minute later, Chrissy shuddered on my cock and stopped her thrusting. This time, it was my turn to continue the motion. Her clasping pussy increased its resistance to my thrusting, creating more friction, and the tight vise of her cunt pulled my own orgasm from me a few strokes later.

I plunged into her as far as I could, feeling my seed pump deeply into her. After three strong spurts, she seemed to wake from her own feelings. She slipped forward, turned, and then sucked my coated cock into her mouth. Her tongue and suction kept me from softening completely. She then flopped back on her back and spread her legs to show me the creamy mess seeping from her.

“That was a good start, but you said you weren’t done working yet,” she said mischievously. I smiled and lined my dick up once more.

Later, as the sun actually approached the horizon, we laid on the chaise, with my arms wrapped around her. We had made love three times, including the passionate fuck that had started it all.

“This feels wonderful,” Chrissy said softly. “I’ve really missed our alone time together, you know.”

“Me too,” I said. “It seems like we are both too involved in separate projects.”

“You need to change that,” she said.

“Oh? Do you want me to ground you?” I asked jokingly.

“Only if it’s like Jyl got grounded,” she replied.

I was shocked. Jyl had grounded herself for the last trimester of her pregnancy. Chrissy and I had never talked about children, other than the two I already had. I wasn’t certain what to say.

“You know I love you,” I temporized.

She patted my hand which was cupping her breast. “I know you do. I love you, too. That’s why I’m mentioning it. I’m going to be twenty-six in the fall. I should be back from Mars in the new year. I think that’s when we need to start making some plans,” she said.

She turned in my arms to look me in the eye. “I’ve been patient, and I haven’t asked for much from you, Paul, but I love you and I want a little piece of you that will be just mine sometime soon. Is that so much to ask?”

Candace slid her notepad in front of me with a date circled. I glanced at it and nodded. We were infront of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for the third time in as many months. The first had been in April, following my testimony to the House committee. That had stirred up some news and controversy when the politicians finally realized I had not ceded as much control to them as they thought in the SHARE Act and our associated charter for operations.

I had been back in June, following the inaugural launch of our fifth Orion spacecraft from Kenya. This time, they had focused on the ongoing management and operations of our international flight control teams. Fortunately, we had a spotless record interacting with the FAA and other parts of the national air traffic control infrastructure. Delta had lauded us for the upgrades at the airports we operated from.

Now, they were coming at me from an insurance angle, since their remit covered legislative oversight for insurance as well.

While there were plenty of friendly faces on the committee, there were some trying to stir up opposition to my operations or support for their own legislative efforts. The cat and mouse game of veiled accusations and mis-represented answers was wearing on my nerves. It did not help that Chrissy was away training for her next trip to Mars or that I seemed to be spending too much time in Washington even when not testifying before Congress.

I forced myself to focus on the question.

“Senator,” I said, “there are no actuarial tables for most of what we do in orbit and beyond. Given that, it is imprudent to talk about insurance.”

“But if there were some incident that landed here on Earth, and it was a flight that originated from the U.S. we could have liability for it under the Space Liability Convention.” It was a fair point.

“The U.S. government would only be liable for damages if I was not able to cover those damages, sir.” I said.

“But you just said you don’t have insurance,” he countered.

“I self-insure, sir.”

He shook his head and pulled out a page of his notes. “My staff has estimated that a catastrophic event on Astra could result in trillions of dollars in damages if major parts of the station landed on earth. How can you self-insure for such a possibility?”

It always seemed to come back to money.

“I maintain sufficient reserves in the Fusion Bank to offset and stand ready for such a possibility, sir.”

“Trillions of dollars?” he asked skeptically. “And you’ll double that amount when you launch your second station, which we know you are preparing to do without seeking chartering approval?”

Here was where the date Candace had circled came into play. We were on track to launch the hub and first eighteen spoke modules of the L-5 station in another month.

“I will maintain sufficient reserves for such a possibility, however, with our second station being located at Lagrange Point Five, the risk of an incident resulting in debris striking Earth is vanishingly small.”

“But the risk is real for Astra, correct?”

“Our systems are designed to limit those sorts of possibilities,” I countered.

“But you can’t eliminate them all, can you?”

“No, sir,” I admitted.

He sat back as if he had scored a major victory. I was not certain it was much except a possible sound bite in the future.

“Christ, they seem to have an axe to grind,” Candace said as we left the Dickerson Building where the hearing had been held.

“We need to get ahold of Lila,” I said as Tamara hurried to catch up to us as we walked toward our car.

“Why?” Candace asked.

“Someone here has an agenda beyond votes. Senator Blain was leading the questioning. He’s after something specific, but I don’t know what.”

“He seemed awful proud of his play regarding liability for Astra,” Tamara said as we hustled into the car.

“We need some political operatives here. I really want to know what in the hell is going on. This should have been an easy year with Kelly in the White House and lots of jobs being created from our spin-offs and new capabilities.”

Candace gave me a funny look. “Blain is a Republican. He is trying to position himself as a watchdog for your Democrat sister, who happens to be the President.”

I shook my head. “It seems like there is more at play than that.”

Tamara handed me a phone.

“What’s up, Paul?” Lila asked.

“The team here in D.C., does it have any non-security operatives?” I asked.

“Maybe,” she replied. “I’d rather not discuss it over the phone. How about I have Tiffany come by and talk to you?”

Tiffany had been promoted a few times from my security detail and now ran the D.C. office.

“Do that. Thanks, Lila.”

I hung up and handed the phone back to Tamara. I thought about options for a few minutes as we idled through the heavy afternoon traffic.

“Tamara, I’ve got a special job for you,” I said several minutes later.

She opened her ever-present notebook. “What’s that, Paul?”

“I want you to go visit your husband.” Allen was up on Astra this week while we were supposed to be in Washington. “I want you to pull Thomas in as well as Hunter. We’ve got three weeks until we launch hub two. I want us to see what it would take to dock hub two to the Astra Hub and move the whole station to L-5.”

“What?” Candace and Tamara asked at the same time.

“Two wheels was a design we looked at early on but moved away from for the first station. Having counter-rotating rims would eliminate some of the station-keeping required due to precession, but we did not think it was worth it for the first habitat. If we took that approach, and moved the whole place to L-5, whatever Blain is angling for becomes meaningless.”

“That seems like a pretty drastic action,” Tamara said.

I shrugged. “We’re not committing to that path, but I want us to know our options. I’ll talk to Tiffany and we’ll see what we can find out about Blain and his possible agenda before we decide, but we can’t squander three weeks while we’re waiting.”

Tamara nodded. “I’ll get on it as soon as Katerina can get out here to take over for me.”

It was Candace’s turn to nod. “We know better than to let you run around on your own,” she quipped.

“I’d rather not have to move the whole mass at once,” Michael, the commander of Astra, said.

“I agree,” said Allen.

We were debating how we would relocate Astra to L-5 if we needed to.

“Okay,” I said. “So, we proceed with assembly of the L-5 station out there and have an Orion fitted as a tug for Astra?”

Hunter nodded. “That gives us the greatest margin of safety and also gives us a lot of mission and timing flexibility. How soon are you thinking you want to move Astra?”

That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. If the politicians behaved, we did not need to move the station. However, I suspected they would not behave.

“What if we just proved the capability by raising it to a higher orbit?” Tamara asked.

Everyone looked at her.

“That’s an interesting idea,” I said. “We’re at about six hundred klicks right now. How high could we go without upsetting traffic or radiation exposure?”

“The inner Van Allen belt starts about one thousand klicks,” Michael replied. “We’d have to check on orbital paths, but we should be able to raise our orbit by one or two hundred klicks.”

“How long to map out the orbital path and verify these structural numbers?” I asked.

The plan they had come up with required an Orion to dock with the ‘north’ end of the hub, on the opposite side of most of the zero-g manufacturing areas we had built along the spine.

“We can orient the station with the station keeping thrusters,” Hunter said. “Then we just need the Orion for thrust.” He was punching numbers into his computer. “I’ll want several eyes to validate the assumptions and calculations, but our initial estimate was a minimal thrust burn for about fifteen minutes to keep acceleration low enough to not be noticeable in the station.”

“Home much advanced notice do we need before we move station?” I asked and looked at Sheryl.

She shook her head. “Nothing in the contract specifies the orbital height we’ll maintain, so you can move it to a higher orbit without telling our tenants. Hilton is in the same boat. You’ll have to coordinate flight plans with the carriers coming up here, but Allen’s team does that today.”

“Okay. Let’s get a plan together to triple check all the calculations. Tamara, I’ll want you to work with Candace on whatever notices we have to provide the UN under the Registration Convention.”

“What about the Senate?” Tamara asked.

“The station was not launched from the U.S. and the Orion we’ll use to move it wasn’t either. We don’t have to tell them anything.”

“Is that wise, given the current environment on the Hill?” Tamara asked.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure I care.”

I recognized the emissary from the Chinese embassy, even though I had only seen her once many years before in Hong Kong. I stood up and moved to shake her extended hand as Tamara closed the door on my temporary office in Washington. I was really growing to hate the town.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Mr. Taylor,” she said as she shook my hand. “I don’t believe we were ever formally introduced. I am Yuan Yuhan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yuan. We met briefly in Hong Kong, correct?”

“Yes. I was at the reception with Minister Chen. I was his assistant then.”

I smiled. “And now you are with the embassy here in Washington?”

“Yes. I was posted here last year.”

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” I asked. I was wary when it came to the Chinese lately, even if they were beautiful women.

She smiled. “Straight to the point, as Minister Chen warned me. I am here on behalf of my former boss. He hoped that your prior working relationship would help bridge any misunderstandings that we may have.”

Her phrase puzzled me.

“I’m sure Minister Chen could have just reached out to me and asked whatever is on his mind,” I said.

She gave a slight shake of her head. “That would not have been prudent, given his new role,” she said.

“Oh? I was not aware he had moved positions,” I replied.

“Yes, about the time I received this assignment, he was promoted to oversee the Ministry of Railways. While he still keeps an eye on the power needs of several provinces, including Hong Kong, he is primarily concerned with improving our internal transportation networks now.”

I thought about that. Moving from responsibilities just in Hong Kong to a much wider remit sounded like quite a promotion. I said as much.

“Yes, it was a significant change for him, but he has settled in and is working at bringing change to this critical industry. He has watched the work your companies did with Russia to upgrade the Trans-Siberian railway with envy. He reached out to me when the new Persian Corridor railline was announced.”

“And what, exactly, is Minister Chen looking for?” I asked.

“He only asked that I open a dialog with you. It is our understanding that you are a significant partner with the organizations that built much of the rolling stock and right-of-way being used in Russia. Minister Chen understands that fusion power gives us options to eliminate the diesel engines being used on many lines today. At the same time, changing the rolling stock to more modern electric engines could improve the rate of transport throughout China. Finally, if we adopt the same standard used elsewhere, it would be possible to tie into the Russian network and create a capability to ship from Asia to Europe in a cost-effective manner.”

I nodded. “Yes, that all makes sense. However, other than introductions to the principals involved in that work, I’m not certain what I can do to help you.”

She gave me a small smile.

“You also have a new bank that has shown its interest in helping fund such vast infrastructure projects. Minister Chen asked that I broach that topic for your consideration.”

I sat back and thought about her statement. Something did not seem quite right. Then I realized Minister Chen did not want to discuss financing over the phone. That would be the only reason for a personal outreach. But what did that imply?

“We have only done a single agreement in this space, so far,” I said while thinking furiously. “And that agreement took years to lay the groundwork for it. Is Minister Chen willing to take such a long view to upgrading your railways?”

Yuan tipped her head, but it was not a full nod. “Minister Chen believes that the preliminary work can be begun, and that discussions regarding surety of funds can be had if both parties decide to move forward.”

She paused for a moment, licked her lips, and then continued. “The Minister feels that you would want to ensure stability and security of any financing agreement and understands you may have hesitations in that regard. He believes he can help address those concerns in the short term as a working relationship is established.”

I was certain Kelly or even Candace would be able to parse that non-promise better than I could. It sounded like he was offering ... intelligence.

“I would welcome such discussions,” I said. “Would you help facilitate those?”

She nodded. “While I have certain obligations in Washington, I can travel as needed to represent Minister Chen in this regard.”

“I don’t like it,” Lila said. “They got caught with whatever they were trying on Astra, even if we can’t prove it, and now they want to establish a back-door agreement to talk to you? It seems fishy.”

“But only if we assume there aren’t two or more factions in the mix,” I countered.

“Paul, just because you want something to be true, doesn’t make it so. If I can’t talk you out of meeting with her again, you have to agree to go slowly. They need to re-earn even the smallest ounce of trust with some real intelligence.”

I nodded. “I don’t disagree. It took us five years to hammer out a deal with Minister Khalil for the Persian Corridor project. We’ll have time to work through this, too.”

“But we already know they are playing a long game, Paul. Five years might be perfect timing for whatever they have in mind. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

I ran my hands through my hair. It had been a long day. “Look, I hear what you’re saying, but right now we have zero information on their intent. Working to get anything solid is in our best interest. We’ll do just like you’ve warned me, and only trust what is verifiable, but nobody in our government is getting any solid data either. We need to develop something.”

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