admitted that I am scared out of my mind right now?"
"Me too," Debra admitted, wrapping her arms around her chest.
Pakinski rubbed his eyes, took a long drink of coffee, then sighed.
"If we go back," he said, "the whole point of the trip gets lost. The television show. The colony at Jupiter. All of it, wasted."
"And we live out our long, safe lives on Earth, never getting to say we went for the gusto," Debra said.
Pakinski's expression turned bemused.
"You don't seem like the gusto type to me," he quipped.
Debra looked at him directly.
"I'm not," she said seriously.
"But you're not going to vote to turn us around, either?" he asked.
"No."
"And if the others vote to go back?"
"You're technically in charge. Think we can go forward under mutinous conditions?"
"No way in hell."
"Right, so . . . we have to hope it's unanimous. One way or the other."
"I think so, yes. And we need to decide before the night watch is through."
"Yup," Debra said. Then she went back to her bunk and waited.
"Ratings are in orbit!" Groomer crowed. "No pun intended."
At this point, the lag time--back to Earth--was so distracting, rapid fire conversation was no longer possible. You talked, then waited, and waited, and then came the response, and you talked, and waited some more. And on, and on.
"If memory serves," Debra said, "the Apollo 13 mission was a big attention-getter too."
Many minutes passed . . .
"The Apollo 13 guys were heroes," the boss finally replied, "even without landing on the moon. And now that you're trying to decide whether or not to turn
Determination
around, it's like the whole world is holding its breath. They want to know what's going to happen. Do you all push on--literally, Jupiter or bust? Or do you bring the ship back home, having fallen short of the goal, but saving the crew? You should know that every talk show and every pundit is going wild with this. People saying you should go for it. Other people saying you're stupid to go for it, and that the only sane choice is to come back. And they're all watching the clock, knowing that you have to make a final choice within mere hours. There is literally nothing else more important on Earth right now, than what you're all deciding to do up there."
"I guess it's a kind of fame," Debra said unenthusiastically, her arms wrapped around a pillow. She waited while the little two-way screen stayed blank. With the tiny door to her sleep compartment closed, their conversation was exclusive.
"I'm sorry," the boss's image said. "I suppose I sound like an ass, going on about ratings when you and the crew are making a life-or-death decision. You should know that I've already told Pakinski he has my full support to turn things around and come on home. I love the fact that you're the talk of the Earth right now, but that doesn't mean I think you should sacrifice yourselves for the sake of my ambition. Really, at this point, the trip has already accomplished everything I could have ever hoped--and a whole lot more. There'd be no shame in coming back early."
"Easy for you to say," Debra replied, "you're not the one who has dreamed of going to other worlds since she was a little girl. I'm pretty sure Pakinski and the rest of us know that if we turn around now, there won't be a second chance. Yeah, the Apollo 13 guys were heroes, but Jim Lovell never flew in space again, and neither Fred Haise nor Jack Swigert got a chance to fly on future moon missions. Ratings for
Determination's
flight might be amazing now, but if we turn around, people are going to call us quitters. Viewers will get bored and drop out. Along with the advertisers and their dollars."
More minutes of black air.
"Hey, look," the boss said finally, "if I were in your place . . . I am honestly not sure what I'd do. I agree with you and Pakinski: It's got to be a unanimous vote. Hopefully, everybody has cooled off enough to be able to see the big picture. Just let no one say Ben Groomer forced you to continue
"Me too," Debra admitted, wrapping her arms around her chest.
Pakinski rubbed his eyes, took a long drink of coffee, then sighed.
"If we go back," he said, "the whole point of the trip gets lost. The television show. The colony at Jupiter. All of it, wasted."
"And we live out our long, safe lives on Earth, never getting to say we went for the gusto," Debra said.
Pakinski's expression turned bemused.
"You don't seem like the gusto type to me," he quipped.
Debra looked at him directly.
"I'm not," she said seriously.
"But you're not going to vote to turn us around, either?" he asked.
"No."
"And if the others vote to go back?"
"You're technically in charge. Think we can go forward under mutinous conditions?"
"No way in hell."
"Right, so . . . we have to hope it's unanimous. One way or the other."
"I think so, yes. And we need to decide before the night watch is through."
"Yup," Debra said. Then she went back to her bunk and waited.
"Ratings are in orbit!" Groomer crowed. "No pun intended."
At this point, the lag time--back to Earth--was so distracting, rapid fire conversation was no longer possible. You talked, then waited, and waited, and then came the response, and you talked, and waited some more. And on, and on.
"If memory serves," Debra said, "the Apollo 13 mission was a big attention-getter too."
Many minutes passed . . .
"The Apollo 13 guys were heroes," the boss finally replied, "even without landing on the moon. And now that you're trying to decide whether or not to turn
Determination
around, it's like the whole world is holding its breath. They want to know what's going to happen. Do you all push on--literally, Jupiter or bust? Or do you bring the ship back home, having fallen short of the goal, but saving the crew? You should know that every talk show and every pundit is going wild with this. People saying you should go for it. Other people saying you're stupid to go for it, and that the only sane choice is to come back. And they're all watching the clock, knowing that you have to make a final choice within mere hours. There is literally nothing else more important on Earth right now, than what you're all deciding to do up there."
"I guess it's a kind of fame," Debra said unenthusiastically, her arms wrapped around a pillow. She waited while the little two-way screen stayed blank. With the tiny door to her sleep compartment closed, their conversation was exclusive.
"I'm sorry," the boss's image said. "I suppose I sound like an ass, going on about ratings when you and the crew are making a life-or-death decision. You should know that I've already told Pakinski he has my full support to turn things around and come on home. I love the fact that you're the talk of the Earth right now, but that doesn't mean I think you should sacrifice yourselves for the sake of my ambition. Really, at this point, the trip has already accomplished everything I could have ever hoped--and a whole lot more. There'd be no shame in coming back early."
"Easy for you to say," Debra replied, "you're not the one who has dreamed of going to other worlds since she was a little girl. I'm pretty sure Pakinski and the rest of us know that if we turn around now, there won't be a second chance. Yeah, the Apollo 13 guys were heroes, but Jim Lovell never flew in space again, and neither Fred Haise nor Jack Swigert got a chance to fly on future moon missions. Ratings for
Determination's
flight might be amazing now, but if we turn around, people are going to call us quitters. Viewers will get bored and drop out. Along with the advertisers and their dollars."
More minutes of black air.
"Hey, look," the boss said finally, "if I were in your place . . . I am honestly not sure what I'd do. I agree with you and Pakinski: It's got to be a unanimous vote. Hopefully, everybody has cooled off enough to be able to see the big picture. Just let no one say Ben Groomer forced you to continue
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