seawasp | Fenrir: Chapter 16

Work continues, with a ticking deadline...

Chapter 16: Making Choices

Time to Launch: 670 days

"I really really hate asking this question," Stephanie said, "but should I really even be on this list?"

York Dobyns stared at her. "Are you saying you don't want to go?"

The rest of the CSC – Crew Selection Committee – stared at Stephanie with equally dumbfounded expressions. That added up to a lot of staring eyeballs, making Stephanie feel like she was in one of those dreams where you showed up to work naked.

"No, of course not, York!" she answered, trying not to look embarrassed. "Obviously, I want to go, I'd ride the rocket out there alone if I had to! I was asking because I'm just a fresh off the line IR astronomer, and I can't see we need one of those anymore for this project."

"First of all, I don't think we can predict what we'll need," Olivia Davies said. The UK representative sipped her tea, then continued, "Imagine, for instance, that we gain charts from the Fens. If they do infrared astronomy, I would expect you would have much to contribute. Second, it is rather assumed you're going. Everyone expects you to be on board, and given that we are not going to be terribly cramped for space, I believe both practicality and public expectations can be served. As you want to go, you will – assuming you pass the physicals."

Stephanie tried to hide the huge leap of joy in her heart, realized she'd failed miserably as everyone else grinned with her. "Well… all right, then! Put me down on that list right now!"

"Already done, Director Bronson," Faye Brown said. "I put you first on the list when we started it."

Director Bronson was a pretty cool title to have. She smiled and nodded at Faye. "Thank you, Faye, everyone."

"If only it was that easy to pick the rest of the thousand or so we'll be taking," York said.

Neysa Deshpande blinked. "Aircraft carries have crews of three to five thousand, and Carpathia will be, what, well over twice their size?"

"Close to five times in terms of mass," Stephanie confirmed, with a subtle nod from York telling her she was on target. "But we're not a military vessel, and you're not packing scientists and other civilians into little bunks – plus, the drive system alone will take up a lot of that mass. So yes, a thousand's correct."

"And at least a hundred of those are going to be explicitly military," York added.

"Practically speaking," Stephanie said, "I – meaning CENT – think you should focus selection first on the mechanical and materials sciences, because the basic structural components are already underway and we will need experts inspecting candidate components very soon."

Looking at the various lists on the screens, she grimaced, looked to York, then squared her shoulders. "I think it's obvious we'll have to narrow our crew choices, um, politically."

Neysa laughed. "How else? We will pick based on how much support the project is getting from each country, yes?"

"Assuming they've got a qualified candidate – but yes, that's about the size of it. There'll be griping no matter how we do it, but that's the only way I can see to be halfway fair to all the countries supporting Carpathia."

"That will certainly reduce the selections by a significant amount," Olivia Davies agreed. "Even if we'd rather use more professional divisions. Now, you said we'd have to get the inspecting experts 'soon'. How soon? Days? Weeks?

"A couple months," Li Xiu Ying said. "Next week is the projected date for our candidate pusher plate design completion. I believe the Germans will have theirs a week after that, and America's in a day or two later. Manufacture will take a while – but mostly is dependent on the site being selected in time."

"And about the same time we'll be looking at the final designs for the main springs for the plates and the shock absorbers," Stephanie confirmed, glancing at her own summarized production schedule. "Electrical and electronics engineers will be next up, then optics, automation, software, pretty much everyone else… and we have to start manufacture as soon as we have final designs."

"Will we have a site selected by then?" asked Kurumada. The Japanese representative pushed back a strand of iron-gray hair from his forehead. "I have not heard anything on that yet, which I find… concerning."

Stephanie shrugged apologetically. "All I know is the President is very aware of the need to select the site – and all the problems surrounding the selection. She and FORT have promised a decision by the end of the week."

Kurumada pursed his lips. "I do not envy the people having to make this decision."

Thinking of the consequences if even the smallest thing went wrong on launch, Stephanie shuddered. "Neither do I, Doctor. Neither do I."

No one does. Even the Fens probably don't.