Resources: Freedom Is Reborn Page 11

"I need you to locate the asteroid mining frames that we put a beacon on and have them brought to the Infinity Metals prep area. Thank you"

  After hanging up the phone, I continued, "We are of course going to have to do some re-engineering and put it all together before we can launch the vehicles together, but it is all pretty straightforward. It shouldn't take any longer than 30 days to complete the work."

  Ben, "That addresses the problem with the asteroid mining vehicles. What I would like to address next is what we are going to do about Agent Chane. If not for his efforts, we would not be in this situation. What, if anything can we do about him?"

  "I think we need to get some more information regarding Agent Chane and I know just the right person to help us with that," as I pressed an icon on the phone. "Please come in now."

  A young lady entered the conference room and sat down across from me. “I'd like to introduce you to Miss Joni Jackson until recently she was the executive secretary for Agent Chane. She has agreed to help us on the condition that we do not harm Agent Chane in any way.”

  "Everyone just calls me JJ," replied Miss Jackson. "I worked with Agent Chane for five years and got to know him quite well. Once he gets his teeth into something is like trying to take a stick away from a bulldog. Usually, it is tough to deflect or distract him from an investigation. This assignment seems to be different though. Almost like his heart isn't into the chase. He is a firm believer in the Constitution, individual rights and doing what is moral. I believe we can swing him over to our side by appealing to his ideals."

  Jackie, "How do we do that? It's not like we can just call him up."

  "What I haven't mentioned is that Agent Chane and I were also developing a personal relationship," said JJ. "I believe that if I explain my reasons for leaving and what it means to me that I can persuade him to our side."

  "Actually Jackie, that's exactly what we should do!" Holding up My phone. "Ben, doesn't Humanity Holdings have some encrypted cell phones for backups?"

  "Yes, but I'm not sure where you're going with this Jim?" Said Ben.

  "Well it's pretty straightforward, the emergency phones are set up just to dial one specific number. That number is connected directly to the command post but can be easily changed to any other number on our system. Let's have one of our technicians modify the phone to call JJ's cell, and have it delivered anonymously with a note to contact JJ."

  Ben, "The only caveat, I would have to that is that after modifying the phone is that it be delivered in a way that cannot be traced back to us. Other wise that it sounds like a good plan to me. Jackie, JJ what do you think?"

  Jackie, "Yes, I think that will work. What do you think Miss Jackson?"

  JJ answered, "Yes, that should work, and I will make myself available for the call."

  Ben, "Well that covers the things that I had on the agenda. Does anyone have anything?" Everyone indicated they did not, and the conference call wrapped up.

  "Jackie, could you stay on the line for a moment?"

  "Yes, Jim what did you need?"

  "This phone issue has got me thinking. We need to get you a different phone in case the FBI is able to track the one you have. Humanity Holdings subsidiary in the Jacksonville facility IT department will be able to get you a different cell. I also want you to stay there until just before the next passenger launch. As an additional benefit, it has a complete communication set up, you will be able to continue working with your crew on the new launch vehicle."

  Oval Office, White House, Washington DC

  Phone ringing. "Agent Chane speaking."

  "Helo, I am Miss Tabatha Smith-Hamilton calling from the White House," she said, "The president's Chief of Staff has scheduled a meeting with the president at 5 PM today for you and the deputy director of the FBI. Please be at the east gate at 4:45 PM and you will be escorted in. The president expects you to be there. A confirmation email from the White House should arrive shortly for verification."

  "My schedule is open, so I will be there at 5 PM." After the line went dead, I was wondering what the hell now. Does this mean that I’m being removed from the case? I guess I'm going just to have to wait and see.

  *******

  White-house East gate 4:40 PM

  I figured arriving a little early wouldn't hurt, as this was the first time I had been invited to the White House. After security verified my ID and reason for being there. They had dogs sniff around, and went through my car. Other guards with mirrors were looking underneath the car for explosives or something else. In addition to a sturdy gate, there were retractable metal posts that seemed like they could prevent just about anything from just driving in.

  Gate guard, "Are you armed Agent Chane?"

  Agent Chane, "Yes, I am."

  Gate guard, "I'm sure you understand, but I need to confiscate your weapon before you can be allowed on the White House grounds. Your weapon will be returned to you upon leaving." After making sure the gun safety was on, I handed him the weapon. "Thank you for your patience, Mr. Chane; we can't be too safe with the president and his family. The Chief of Staff is waiting inside the gate and will ride with you up to the White House."

  "Thank you, Sargent," I said, as I drove through the gate. I recognized the Chief of Staff immediately and let him into the vehicle. "I'm a little nervous as to the reason, having been invited to the White House, sir."

  Chief of staff, "Agent Chane, the president wanted a personal briefing on the status of your investigation because he is not happy with your progress. The deputy director of the FBI has already arrived and is waiting. I really cannot say any more." Waving me to proceed, I drove up to the White House.

  "Please exit the vehicle Agent Chane, and the attendant will park your vehicle," said the Chief of Staff as he exited the car. As we proceeded through the White House, there were a lot of people hustling down the halls and going in and out of various rooms. "Here we are at the oval office waiting room. I will call you and when the president is ready for you. In the meantime, please have a seat with the Deputy Director."

  A few minutes later the doors to the oval office opened and out filed a group of 20 or so children. They were all talking a mile a minute about having met the president and how they were going to tell everybody how nice he was.

  Holding the door open the Chief of staff indicated we should enter, "The president will see you now."

  The president was busy talking with an aide, so I took a moment to glance around the oval office. It was more impressive than I had thought it would be. The busts of Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill were prominently displayed and lighted.

  "Agent Chane, Deputy Director, I am sorry to drag you away from your work," said President Rodriguez, as he shook our hands. "Gentlemen I don't have a lot of time, so let's get down to business. Frankly, I am unsatisfied with the investigation's progress. While Agent Chane has made some progress; we can do better at finding out, what companies are not complying with my executive order. I believe a more diverse set of resources would be beneficial.

  To that end, you have been given direct access to the NSA and their resources to find the companies involved. Also, a UN security adviser has been assigned as a liaison.

  What about this Jackie Van Swanson, what are we doing to locate her?"

  Deputy Director, "So far we have kept the search for her quiet and have been using passive resources to locate her. I would suggest that we put out a person of interest bulletin. We can always add her to the wanted list later if we need to."

  Agent Chane, "Sir, I don't think that's appropriate since she has not violated any laws at this point."

  President, "The director, is a point about issuing a bulletin Agent Chane. I don't care if she hasn't violated any laws, these companies and people will get out of space and devote their money and energy to the Third World! I will not have them stand in the way of my legacy. Agent Chane, your contact at the NSA has already been set up. With their resources, you should be able to get this investigation wrapped
up.

  I want results, not excuses! If you cannot take care of this matter soon, I will get someone else to replace you! Do you understand me?"

  Deputy Director, "Yes sir, I will get right on it. Agent Chane, I expect your full cooperation in this."

  "Yes sir," I replied, not feeling comfortable at all the way things were going.

  "I think I've made myself clear gentlemen. I expect to have a report on the investigation weekly," said the president as he picked up a couple of folders from the desk. "These are your contacts in the NSA and the UN security liaison. They are expecting your call Agent Chane. The Chief of Staff will escort you out."

  Construction hanger, Space station, Lagrange 5

  PA system, "Director Booker, please report to Infinity Metals for final assembly of the mining vehicle."

  "Acknowledged," I replied, on my cell phone, heading for the tube two and the construction area.

  The number of people moving around the station is surprising compared to what it was just months ago. Everyone seemed to be in such a hurry to get the final preparations done.

  Upon entering the construction area, the launch framework came into view. It was entirely different from the stripped-down version brought into the construction area a month ago.

  She was ugly, as most things are designed for space. Just a metal frame with areas for what is needed for the mission. At the back was a single rocket engine. Then the first mining vehicle unit, a fuel cell, and then the last three mining units at the front of the frame. Around the structure at various points were mounted thrusters to steer or turn the vehicle.

  The technicians were moving around the vehicle making adjustments and running tests.

  "Guys are we about ready to run the tests and launch this vehicle."

  Technician, "Hi Jim, we are doing the final adjustments to the thrusters. I will be starting the test of the guidance system in a moment."

  "Great, I'm going to get Jackie on the line and then we can run the final tests," I said while connecting to Jackie on the phone. "Hello Jackie, this is Jim. We are ready to do the guidance test."

  Jackie, "So were there any issues with the changes to the frame?"

  "No, the only real change was adding an additional fuel-cell to the frame. Originally we put it right in front of the rocket engine, but the simulations showed an imbalance that needed to be corrected. The fix was to move it forward one spot and run some fuel lines. Adding the extra fuel cell will decrease the transit time substantially. The shortened time required an update to the guidance software, and that's what we are testing today."

  Technician, "We are ready for the test."

  "Proceed." As I watched the technician type commands on his keyboard, the screen started showing lines of code for the guidance software running in a window. Suddenly the lines stopped scrolling, and an error window popped.

  Error! Variable BAL1 Out Of Range!

  "Damn, I was afraid of that," said the technician as she started to go through lines of the code.

  "Afraid of what?" Inquired Jackie.

  While the technician worked on the code, I replied, "This is the same error code that we were receiving before we moved the fuel cell. Moving the fuel-cell forward one spot alleviated most of the imbalance issue. As the fuel-cell empties the front of the vehicle becomes slightly heavier than the back. Any slight imbalance will cause the vehicle to go off course. I am checking the extent of the imbalance."

  Jackie, "Is it something we can fix? Important is will it delay the launch of the vehicle?"

  "It looks like we made it most of the way through the simulation, so it should be a relatively minor fix. I should have an answer in a moment." The technician was still frantically going through the code and checking the extent of the problem.

  Technician, "The simulation is showing that as the fuel cell emptied a slight imbalance developed. An adjustment to the second mining vehicle's mounting brackets should bring it in line." After speaking the technician moved over to the launch frame and made the necessary adjustments.

  As I watched the technician restarted the simulation and the lines of code were streamimg by again.

  "Jackie, these glitches are always nerve-racking when we're doing this stuff. Although, I would worry if we didn't have any glitches at all because I would be wondering if we missed something."

  Jackie said as we watched, "That is so true. I can't tell you how many times when we were designing the mining vehicles that we went down the wrong path and didn't know it for weeks. Then suddenly we would get an error showing that something wasn't working right and we would have to backtrack."

  The technician turned around and said, "That adjustment fixed the issue. The simulation ran through without a single error and well within guidelines. The vehicle is ready for launch at this point. All we have to do is load the fuel."

  "When is soonest the launch window available?"

  "That would be tomorrow at 4:43 AM." Jackie said, "Please have the vehicle fueled and moved to the launch area. Jim, I will call back tomorrow at 4 AM for the launch."

  Technician, "That will not be a problem, Jackie. It will be fueled and in the launch area by 7 PM tonight. I will be in the command post waiting for your call. Tomorrow then."

  ******

  Next morning at 4 AM.

  I sure got up this early in the morning. Hopefully, the launch will go as planned.

  Communications technician, "I have Miss Van Swan on video conference. Should I put her on the screen?"

  "Yes. Good morning Jackie, I see you got something to eat there," I said watching her take a drink of orange juice.

  Jackie, "With the time difference between us it is quite early, and I needed something to get going. So is everything ready for the launch this morning?"

  "Yes, we are ready for the launch. The crew actually had the vehicle in the launch area ahead of schedule yesterday.

  Since we have some time before the launch, I was wondering when you would be able to get up here?"

  "They are telling me, I will be on one of the last ships out of Jacksonville next week. I feel so cooped up here." Jackie replied.

  Laughing! I replied, "Just wait until you get up here. While we have tried to make it comfortable, it gets to you anyway. Just looking at the same dull walls. Although, I do expect it to get better, once the thousand-foot spheres and bigger are finished. They will have large open areas for people to get together and to shop."

  Jackie, "Now, I'm not so sure I want to come."

  As the countdown clock reached five minutes, the technician stated, "Five minutes to launch, and starting launch sequence."

  "This is the moment of truth Jackie. With this launch, your dreams of mining the asteroid belt will take a giant leap forward."

  "The first launch and mining vehicle success already validated, what I am trying to do. However, this launch takes us to the next level. We will be able to send tons of materials back to earth." Said Jackie. "It's been a long time in coming."

  Technician, "10 seconds to launch ..5..4..3..2..1.. ignition. We have ignition."

  We all watched expectantly as the rocket engines fired. The initial burn would send the vehicle on its way to the asteroid belt and the Nemesis group. There would be a few minor course corrections along the way, but that was it. It was really somewhat anti-climactic, but that's the way I like them.

  "Now that that is done Jackie, I will see you up here in a few weeks."

  "I can't wait," replied Jackie, "even though it's going to be some time before it reaches Nemesis, and I still have a lot of preparation to do for the expanded mining operations."

  Shortly after that, we closed the video connection.

  Jim’s office, Space Station, Lagrange 5

  "Cortana, connect me with Ben and Theo," I said, While waiting for the phone to connect them, I put the finishing touches on the newest version of the secure one app and started the compiler.

  Cortana, "Your parties are on the line, Jim."

  "
I am calling to update you two on the status of the secure one and cellular system updates. I just completed them, and I am ready to implement the updates."

  "That is great Jim," said Ben. "I know you were anxious about the loss of the cell phone in the hanger raid."

  "Yes, I am apprehensive about that. Before they triggered the automatic wipe of the cell phone, the GPS tracker indicated that it was located in an FBI building."

  "How will this update affect our current phones?" Wondered Theo.

  "Theo, your phone will receive two updates. They will be labeled 5G and secure one version 2. Just reply yes to the 5G system update, and a few minutes later your phone will restart and be configured for 5G. Then open secure one, and it will indicate that you have a new update to install. Continue with the update and when it is done the enhanced security will be in effect."

  Ben, "When will you be sending out these updates? I believe the sooner, the better."

  "I agree with you on that Ben. We don't know if the FBI has one of our working phones and if they do, how soon they can crack the encryption. I will be activating the 5G cellular system update in 30 minutes. I am sending out a text to everyone indicating that the system will be down for about 20 minutes while we upgrade. The phone update will follow about an hour later. Due to the number of phones to update, it will take approximately three hours for everyone to receive both updates and be secure."