PROJECT ANTARES

“I quit!”

“You can’t quit, Vincent,” a blond man in a lab coat said. “If you leave, they will send you out there with the commoners. You’ll have to live with limited provisions.”

“Commoners?” Vincent scoffed. “You think you’re so high and mighty, James, just because you get to eat whatever the hell you want every day, earning money more than the people out there who are barely surviving. I’ve never thought I’d see the day you’d fall so low like this.”

“Say whatever you want, old man,” James replied, fuming. “Our task is not an easy feat, we’re trying to save humanity. You’re the one who proposed this idea to the leaders in the first place and now you’re leaving in the middle of it."

The group of scientists had to stop what they were doing and watched what the commotion was about. Vincent crumpled a paper in his hand and shook his head then turned to looked at all the people in the big dome room – monitors and machines in operation.

“One thing you should know about,” Vincent said, his voice loud and clear. “Is that I never wanted to present this project to the government in the first place. But what can I do? This was the only way to save the people from the asteroid but the leaders had to ruin everything. They only wanted to save themselves. Those arrogant bastards are nothing but selfish, greedy fiends. Take it from me, they'll abandon each and every one of you as soon as they get the chance.

We tried to warn you about these 'laws' they cooked up. The grandeur presentation they made it look, acting all hero-ey. Of course, we can't just abandon this project because they're funding it and where do you think they're getting the money? Have you heard about the third ordinance where the people outside our sector are required to convert all their cash to points? Where do you think those billions and billions of money went?" 

That got the armed officers attention and took action and stride towards Vincent.

“Back off, you lap dogs. I’m leaving anyway and I don’t need your assistance,” Vincent said, extending his arm out, his palm raised to a stop then turned to the crowd. “You can all stay here and build these hell of spaceships for all I care. I’ll never be involve in this depravity!”

All eyes were on him as he walked out of the room, his footsteps and a person typing somewhere were the only sound heard. As the sliding door closes and the old man was out, they all turned to look at the tall girl at the back of the crowd, still sitting on her desk, typing furiously, codes reflecting her big round glasses. They all looked at each other and started whispering. Then she stopped typing and stood up immediately – her eyes looking ahead the machines.

“I need the file for the main engine nozzle,” she announced, her voice shaking but still commanding. “We need to test run the main engine this weekend. I’ve sent you all the command details in the app, please check it ASAP.”

She sat back down and began typing again as James walked the room towards her, some people walking away back to their desks or machines while others still watched her and shook their heads.

“You’re not the leader here, Antares,” James said. “Your father already left. Don’t try to think you can order us around just because of your name.”

“Yeah, you should quit, too,” one of them said. “I bet you’re thinking that right now, father’s pet.”

They snickered. “She can’t even speak without shaking, what a mess.” As they were about to all walk away, Daniele stopped typing, eyes still on the screen as her heart pounded.

“Tell me, Ms. Brenna," Daniele suddenly burst out. "Have you tried incorporating monomethyl hydrazine fuel and nitrogen tetroxide oxidizer into the OMS engines? Sir James, do you know how to install the three main engines in the orbiter? And Cory, did you know that engines burn both liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen at the same time, at a ratio of 6:1 that we store in the external fuel tank? I guess not, because those aren’t your duties, they are mine and as long as I’m needed, I will do my job and you do yours. My name and manners should be the least of your problems.” 

She paused and sighed, bead of sweat running down her forehead. “Now, can someone please send me the file for the main engine nozzle or are we going to stare at each other long enough for ALFA to obliterate us all?”

A paused then from behind her an older woman spoke, “I’ve just sent it to your email now, Dan."

“Thank you, Professor Gale,” Dan replied quietly as she began typing again and had to stop as her stomach churned. She ran out of the room, in the hallway straight to the restroom – all white and tiled. She vomited at the nearest sink and looked up slowly at her face on the small square mirror that hanged on the wall – her eye bags were darker, her lips pale and dry and her long auburn hair were all tangled up.

She removed her glasses and washed her face. Ever since she can remember, she hated public speaking and arguing was never her style. Her anxiety worsens every time she gets involve in conflicts and when she speaks up, words come out of her mouth relentlessly like codes flowing up a black screen. Her father was the outspoken one, she was more of a doer than a talker – only speaking when spoken to but since her mother died, she was trying to speak up more and she hated it – the thought and feeling of it.

She dried her face with a tissue and wore her glasses then she fixed her hair the best she can – two ponytails hanged at her back and clipped her side bangs. Though still a bit messy, she nodded to herself and walked towards the door, holding the doorknob then she inhaled deeply then exhaled and went back to the dome room.

A huge, stout man with a funny tie and lab coat approached her as soon as she sat back.

“Dan, we finished installing the star trackers,” the man said, an obvious accent as he spoke. “We need you to double check it later just in case. Ah! Sir Lark and the power system team also wants you to document the process for the tests needed for the Fuel Cells they are manufacturing. I know we’re asking too much but without Professor Vincent now, no one can pinpoint the tiniest details needed for these systems. You’re the next genius in this building as far as I could tell so…”

“I’ll go check it right now, Mr. Andreev,” Dan replied as she stood up. “No need for flattery.”

“Oh, but it’s the truth. No need to listen to whatever these lohs are saying,” Andreev said a little too loudly, making the other scientists scowl at them. They walked to a room just to the right of the dome room.

“They're just jealous of you,” Andreev said, walking beside her, he was as huge as a black bear standing upright.

“Why would they?” Dan replied as she readjusted her glasses. “They’re more experienced than me, working with my father for years and years. Jealous? I don’t think so. They’re all like that because they all treat me like a child. That’s it.”

“No, no. You are wrong, Daniela. I mean, of course you are the daughter of the Antares couple. The geniuses of our time but you are you, Dan. You are the pioneer of Eagle V-11. The eagle that flew to the moon! Stop undermining yourself.” He patted her back gently which she nodded in respond.

“You’ve said it yourself,” Andreev continued. “You have a job where you’re needed and right now we need you. Some might say that you should persuade the professor to come back but I don’t know.”

“You know him," Dan said. "He’s stubborn beyond belief, once he made up his mind no one in this planet could ever talk him out of it even his own daughter.”

“Your mother might,” Andreev said, shrugging.

Dan did not respond at that. She had known Andrei Andreev ever since she was a child, he speaks without thinking just like her. He was one of her father’s student and assistant. He was like the goofy uncle and she was grateful that he was still here despite many of the members of the Antares Space Team had disbanded ever since they have known the Ordinances.

“My priority is to check the fuel first,” Dan said, stopping at a spiral staircase. “As it might delay the test runs needed this weekend. I’ll pass by your table to check the trackers after this, tell my father I might not be home tonight.”

“Sure, Dan. I’ll leave the papers on the green folder,” Andreev replied, raising a thumbs up then walked away. “I’ll drive by your house and check on him.”

She stepped on the first step of the metal stairs and said, “Mr. Andreev.”

“Hm?” Andreev stopped and glanced back.

“Are they going to take dad out there?” She asked quietly.

Andreev turned and walked back next to her. “You know they will, Dan. Anyone who withdraws from this job is sent out to live and survive the Ordinances. I heard they just implemented the seventh Ordinance which was supposed to be the last on the list but I heard the Leaders had planned twelve.”

Daniele shook her head slowly. “He never listens to me. I knew what he was planning. He ranted it for a week and I tried to stop him but when he found out that the first people who’s going to fly away from Earth with his spaceships were the Leaders and their families, he became so furious, he finally made up his mind to quit. We are prioritize, too but he complained that this project was for the people out there but I said we can’t build so many ships so fast, we’ve only finished one and that still needs stabilizing.

He’s very intelligent yet so stupid. He lets his emotion get the best of him and now he’s committing a suicide by quitting. He won’t survive out there. He’ll die just like mom and I’ll be left alone for the rest of my life being overshadowed by both of them and I’ll never be amount to anything else only that I’m the daughter of some stupid geniuses who died because they pursued to give up.”

She was shaking now, her hands clenching her lab gown. Mr. Andreev held her in his big arms as the tears finally flowed from her eyes.