Margaritifer Basin (Margaritifer Trilogy Book 1) (127 page)

The officer smiled broadly and
returned the salute. “Permission granted, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“Sir, may I shake your hand?”

Jeff grinned. “You most certainly
may.” And he grasped the young officer’s hand firmly. “Good luck to you, son.”

“And to you, sir.”

As Jeff stepped onto the gangplank,
turned and saluted the colors, the Boatswain once again piped, “Attention,”
rang four bells, and announced, “Captain, United States Navy, departing,” and
“Commander, United States Navy, departing.”

They all rushed down the gangplank
and into the waiting arms of Chrissie and Heidi.

Chrissie was screaming and crying.
“You made it! You’re back!”

Jeff nodded, hugged and kissed her.
“Yeah, we made it. And we wouldn’t have made it without you two.”

After a lot more hugs and kisses
Jeff looked around. “So, what’s all this?”

Chrissie shook her head. “I wasn’t
allowed to say no to this one.”

“Huh?”

“The President is over there.”

“The President? You mean like… of
the United States?”

“Yeah, that President.”

Jeff groaned. “Oh, great. We’re
tired, we just want to go home.”

“We’ll get you there soon enough.
In the meantime, you have to do this. You didn’t think it would be easy, did
you?”

“I’ve tried not to think about it
at all.”

She took his hand. “Come on. The
sooner we get it started, the sooner it will be over.”

“Oh, god,” said Abby. “I just want
to go find a bar and have a half dozen Mai Tais… and a cigarette.”

In a tent pavilion in a parking lot
at the head of the pier the President warmly welcomed them.

Jeff and Abby saluted.

The President returned their salute
then, smiling broadly, shook all their hands. “Welcome home! You did it!”

Jeff grinned. “Yes, sir, we did it.
But I’ll tell you, it was a long trip and we’re glad to be home.”

“I’ll bet you are.” He stepped over
to Gabe and Ghita. “Dr. Frederick, it’s a joy to see you again.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s a real
pleasure to see you again too.”

“And who have we here?”

“Sir, this is Ghita.”

“Ah, yes, our little Martian.” He
shook his head and stared at Ghita, a look of wonderment on his face.

Gabe turned slightly. “Ghita, can
you shake hands with the President?”

Ghita buried her face in her
mother’s shoulder.

“Sorry, sir, she’s a little
overwhelmed. Until yesterday she had never seen a crowd or an ocean, or felt
gravity like this, or even knew that Earth existed.”

“I think I’d be a little
overwhelmed too. Well, you can formally introduce us later, once she gets a bit
more used to we Earthlings.”

Gabe grinned. “Yes, sir.”

“By the way young lady, I think you
may be an undocumented immigrant, but we’ll fix that.” The President gently
patted Ghita on the head. “Welcome to Earth. Give it a little time, and you may
come to like it.” He stepped over to Abby. “Commander Nolan, welcome home.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Did you have a good flight?”

Abby laughed. “Yes, sir, it was
fine. But like Jeff said, a little long.”

“I can only imagine. How’s the leg?”

“The leg is doing fine, sir. Thank
you for asking. Now that we’re home and it’s all healed up, I’m looking forward
to having Sue’s collection of space junk removed from it.”

The President laughed. “Very good.”
He stepped over to Susan. “Dr. Lú, welcome home.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

“I understand you have advanced the
sciences of space medicine and Martian geology orders of magnitude beyond what
we knew just two and a half years ago.”

She smiled. “I’ve been keeping
busy, sir.”

“I imagine so.” He stepped over to
Chrissie and Heidi. “Miss Mallory, Dr. Christensen, I always knew you would get
them back?”

Chrissie smiled and nodded. “That
was the plan, sir.”

“And a good plan it was.” He
stepped back. “I’m still awaiting some administrative technicalities being
worked out by Congress and NASA, but we’ll get to that later. In the meantime I
do have something for each of you that I can manage by myself.” He nodded to an
assistant who stepped up with a presentation case. “Captain Jeffrey Grey, Dr.
Gabriel Frederick, Commander Abigail Nolan, and Dr. Susan Lú, for especially
meritorious service to your country and the world in the advancement of our
knowledge of our universe and at extreme peril to yourselves, I hereby award
each of you the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction.” One by one he
pinned the decoration on their flight suits and shook their hands.
“Congratulations. And, thank you.” He stepped over to Chrissie and Heidi. “Ms.
Christine Mallory and Dr. Heidi Christensen, for exemplary service to your
country and your fellow citizens I award each of you the Presidential Citizens
Medal.”

They both shook his hand and
thanked him.

He stepped over to Gabe. “And
finally, Ms. Margherita Concordia Grey, though it was without your knowledge or
intent, you have, like your parents, provided especially meritorious service to
your country, our world… and
your
world in the advancement of our
knowledge of our universe and at extreme peril to yourself, and I hereby award
you the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” He pinned the medal on her and kissed
her cheek. “Thank you.”

Ghita picked up the medal, stared
at it for a moment, then stuck it in her mouth.

Four months following their return,
at a ceremony in the White House East Room, the President of the United States,
on behalf of NASA, awarded Jeff, Gabe, Abby and Susan the Congressional Space
Medal of Honor. Furthermore, on behalf of the United States Congress, he
presented the entire
Ares
Mission Team with the Congressional Gold
Medal. Also present were the Chief of Naval Operations and the Governor of
Hawaii. The CNO presented Jeff with two pair of silver stars, and his promotion
to Rear Admiral, United States Naval Reserve, Retired. And the Governor of
Hawaii brought something they had long awaited. After months of
inter-governmental bickering, the President ended the question with an
Executive Order, directing the CDC to alter its regulations regarding infants
born off world, and the Governor, in response, presented Ghita with her birth
certificate. It stated, in part:

Margherita
Concordia Grey

Date of Birth: MSD
51046

Place of Birth:
Grey Station, Margaritifer Basin, Mars

It drove the computers nuts.

Two months later, Jeff and Gabe
were married. Their initial plan was to have a small private ceremony on the
lawn at Wrentham House, but that was overcome by events. The demand for
invitations was so great they were forced to move to a slightly larger venue –
the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, the fourth largest
Christian church in the world, and it was filled to capacity.

Prior to the ceremony Jeff
entertained a special guest in one of the side chapels – Sheikh Salem Al-Fahad
Al-Sabah. “
Salāmu `Alayka
,
Sheikh. It’s good to see you again.”

“
Wa-Alayaka
As-Salām
. Allah be praised. It is good to see you again also, Captain.
Though I understand it is now, Admiral?”

“Yes. Some things are
beyond understanding.”

“I believe it to be
well deserved.”

“Thank you. I hope
you don’t mind this meeting in a Christian chapel.”

“Not at all. This is
a wonderful day for you.”

“Thank you. Sheikh, I
have a few things for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sir. Chrissie?”

Chrissie stepped
forward and opened her briefcase.

“First, here we have
a framed and signed photograph of the four of us suited up and standing in
front of the station on Mars. You will note the flag of Kuwait flying with the
others.”

“Ah, magnificent. I
don’t know what to say.”

“No need to say
anything, sir. Second,” he picked up a four-inch square Plexiglas cube
containing a rock, “here is a piece of Mars.”

The Sheikh gasped.

“This is feldspar
crystals contained within a matrix of pyroxene, and is proof that igneous rock
exists on Mars. It should make a nice paperweight.”

The Sheikh slowly
turned the cube over in his hands. “I am at a loss for words.”

And finally Jeff
pulled a very old leather-bound book from the briefcase. “I believe this
belongs to you. I once put it in my spacesuit leg pocket and took a walk on
Mars. At one point I stopped, pulled this out, opened it and, though I don’t
read Arabic, prayed to Allah for our safe return. It seems he listened. Sheikh,
your god and mine are the same. We need to find a way to stop this needless
fighting.”

The Sheikh nodded.
“Yes, we do. You have more than fulfilled our agreement, and I will be forever grateful.”

“Likewise, sir. We
could not have done it without your most generous assistance.”

“Admiral, I will
relate this conversation to the Emir, whom I am certain will be most pleased. I
would hope that sometime in the near future, you and your people will visit us.
I believe the Emir would be most pleased, and very grateful.”

“I look forward to
it, Sheikh. Your world and mine need to learn how to cooperate. And you and I
have shown that it can be done.”

“Indeed we have, Admiral. Indeed we
have.”

For the most part Jeff and Gabe
retired to the quiet life at Wrentham House, out of the public eye, raising
Margherita and occasionally racing their 95’ sloop, ‘Ghita.’ They also learned
to play golf and enjoyed a simple social life at the Newport Country Club.
However, after a few years Gabriel decided she wanted to do something that
would keep her a bit busier. First she accepted the position of organist at
Trinity Church in Newport. Then she began performing as a guest piano soloist
with various orchestras throughout New England, including the Boston Symphony.
That being insufficient to keep her brain busy, she accepted a position as
Adjunct Professor of Applied Mathematics at MIT. She was later nominated for
and accepted the position of Mallinckrodt Professor of Applied Physics at
Harvard. Simultaneous with that she occasionally lectured in astrophysics at
Cambridge, all the while conducting joint research projects in both applied
physics and mathematics at MIT, Harvard, and Cambridge. In time she was awarded
the Nobel Prize in physics and the Fields Medal; the only person to have ever
received both awards. In 2031
Time Magazine
ran a cover article on her
entitled, “The World’s Greatest Mind?”

Susan remained at Wrentham House
with Jeff and Gabe for most of a year, monitoring Ghita’s health and
development. During that time she wrote a book on space medicine. It was
eventually translated into more than 60 languages, and for decades to come was
considered the quintessential work on the subject. She eventually went to work
for NASA, in time rising to the position of Chief, Space Medicine Division. In
2032 she was nominated by the President to the post of Surgeon General of the
United States, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate.

Immediately upon their return, Abby
took a vacation. She bought a bikini – much to Jeff’s surprise – and went to
Bermuda, where she spent six months on the beach, getting a tan, and drinking
cocktails with fruit and little pink parasols. Eventually bored with the beach,
she returned to active duty in the Navy and applied for the NASA Astronaut
Program, into which she was promptly accepted. She quickly rose to the position
of Chief Astronaut, and in 2033 was appointed by the President to the position
of NASA Administrator, and promoted to Vice Admiral. During her time at NASA
Abby flew five missions into space. She was the first human since Apollo 17 to
set foot on the moon. Her first words upon stepping onto the lunar surface
were, “Humph. What a miserable little rock.” She was the only person to twice
be awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Jeff, Gabe, Abby, and Susan were
swamped with requests for a book and movie rights. Having no idea how to
approach the project, they turned to Abby’s parents, Brad and Diane, already
best-selling novelists with several award-winning films to their credit.
Following six months of interviews and pouring over data and photographs, they
produced a volume that immediately skyrocketed to the top of the New York Times
Best Seller list. The following year they produced a feature film based on the
book that won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Three months after splashdown,
Chrissie received a call from the White House. President Caldwell was now
midway through his second term, and his press secretary had resigned, electing
retirement over the pressure of press briefings. Though reluctant to leave
Jeff, Gabe, and Ghita, Chrissie accepted the position of White House Press
Secretary, and served as such for two years. During that time she married Dr.
Robert Vandergriff, Ph.D., one of the Newport MCC volunteers and then a member
of NASA’s Space Launch System development team. Afterwards the couple returned to
Newport and Chrissie resumed her responsibilities as Jeff and Gabe’s personal
secretary, while her husband took over as director of the
Ares
Mission
Museum at Quonset Point Airport. When her father, Scott, retired as the Chair
of the International Relations Department at the United States Naval Academy,
her parents bought a house on the beach next door to Chrissie and Robert on
Conanicut Island.

Heidi also went to work for NASA,
initially as an engineer in the Space Launch System program wherein her work on
Jupiter rockets proved invaluable. Eventually she moved into the Kennedy Space
Center launch facility, where she quickly rose to the position of Chief Launch
Director, overseeing the Launch Control Rooms and supervising every launch from
Kennedy for more than fifteen years. Throughout KSC she was notoriously known
for her stern disposition and tight-fitting black leather outfits, and
reverently referred to as, “Rocket Lady.”

Ghita turned out just fine, perhaps
better than fine. By her 18
^th
birthday she was 6’2” tall, had
hip-length blonde hair like her mother, was stunningly beautiful, had learned
to fly, had appeared on the cover of every major magazine in the world, and was
enrolled at Caltech as a prospective astronomy major. When asked by her mother,
“Why astronomy?” She replied, “I figure I could get a job with SETI. You know,
give them an example of what to look for.”