The Challenge: Science-Fiction Novel

By Tom Rothschild

This futuristic science fiction by Tom Rothschild; picks up where The Neptune Expedition left off. The novels narrator is again a crewman aboard a space craft which has a mission with a shroud of secrecy around it. All, the narrator can determine is, there is definitely a military urgency to it, as four of his five, fellow crew members are expertly trained in combat skills. Also, instead of mining equipment, their vessel is loaded with weapons and explosives. As he is trained to be a part of this combat squad, their true reason for being adrift in Space is revealed to him.

What happens next is the result of two opposing forces coming into contact with each other, as each rises to The Challenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 21, 2007
• ISBN: 9781465323217

Tom Rothschild

Tom Rothschild is a Washington resident from the Seattle area since 1990. He has written other science fiction novels including Confessions of an Indifferent Witness and The Inevitable Fall. This book continues along the line of his futuristic science fictions, The Neptune Expedition and The Challenge. When not at work, Tom and his wife can be found enjoying life in the Northwest.

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Copyright © 2008 by Tom Rothschild.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

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Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter One

Experience doesn’t change every thing. After all the hours I’ve spent in Space, I still haven’t any sense of movement. I left my point of references, my career, and my planet back home. My skills are of little use and my mission is vague. On this trip, the routine is similar to my first, successful Space voyage. For instance, we work in shifts at our various duties. That is how I find myself alone at the console of another cockpit, onboard another Space craft.

Again, I’m monitoring the numerous detectors and analyzers which are crowded around me. As I gaze out the windows, there is not much to see. Actually, the sky is barren of any large objects because we have sought out a location completely void and forsaken. Earth is a point in the darkness, as is anything else we could seek. However, regular verifications of our instruments show we have been covering quite a bit of distance since I started my shift.

As I look out, I can’t help recalling my former cohorts. If this had been taking place on my last journey into Space, I would be watching two of the right now working away on a large rock of some kind, which we had attached ourselves to. Together, they would be combining their efforts, as one drilled into it and the other vacuumed up the chiseled bits for storage. To think I would miss the monotony and simple lifestyle of a new-age miner is strange, but true.

When I’m here at my watch, I know I miss it. There is nothing out there. No miners, no asteroid, and no bubble with its own atmosphere protecting us as we work, adrift in Space.

I look out at empty Space and hope it stays that way. We are a different crew this time. Where there were six men onboard attempting to make my previous trip pay, now there are three men and three women. And with this venture, there are no business interests to pursue. I hardly need one, I have to admit. We were so successful on my last mission; I have evolved a different perspective on my live, entirely. Yes, we did retrieve some high-grade ore in large enough quantities to permanently raise our standard of living. This was after all the refining, distributing, and most significantly, the accounting was completed.

Everyone was pleased, if not elated, with our new technique for locating mineral deposits. As if our method wasn’t enough, we proved its value by securing our shipment and ourselves safely back to our rendezvous position around Earth. Of course, as with any innovation, if it’s not solicited, then don’t expect to be paid for it. Business philosophy demands satisfaction, but gratitude may not be it the definition of good business. Fortunately though, our discovery of a biologic tracer linking it self to mineral deposits may reap larger quantities and richer yields of retrievable ore for some time to come. In fact, it may change the whole field of exploring and prospecting as we know it. Whether anyone would be willing to pay for this advance in technology is doubtful, though everyone agrees it is a wonderful accomplishment we have achieved.

Regrettably, no one remembers urging us to make such a breakthrough. Obviously, if someone had, they would have compensated us generously for this feat alone. Thus, where gratitude would have been realized in rewards of various items, particularly dollars and other currency, we had to find satisfaction in those intangible emotions, chiefly admiration and esteem. These turn out not to have such high monetary values, although there is something to be said in their favor.

However, this hindsight on the appreciation we might have received doesn’t faze me much, because our mission was completed successfully. We reached our quota and exceeded it, due to the higher quality ore we were able to bring back. Even if our yield had not been such high quality, we managed to overcome the danger and extreme hardship of our venture. And merely reaching our quota without any costly complications guaranteed us financially rewarding dividends.

The result, then, is we each claimed an accumulated pay of close to ten years worth of what had been our carefully saved yearly income. At least, if I was able to put aside a fairly sizeable percentage of my average yearly income for ten years, avoiding any unexpected setbacks, the sum would be in the neighborhood of what we each received. Not being so well-versed on foreign currency or foreign economies, I assume Joel, Lee, Juan (hard J), Juan (soft J), and Charlie did as well as I, or better.

Nevertheless, as financial gain went, I feel we only showed a profit strictly because of the ore we mined and triumphantly returned with. Whether we should have been compensated for our innovations and discoveries is a matter I haven’t resolved for myself. I think if I had been holding the purse strings and the actual reins to our Space venture, I would have thought it more than a sign of good will and gratitude to put a demonstrated value on our success. Something which would point a direction for others, rather than insinuating others would rashly follow our daring precedence, regardless of the rewards offered, or not offered.

On the other hand, there was not such secrecy surround our trip. This meant our fame met us immediately upon our return to Earth. I must admit admiration and esteem, which I mentioned earlier, are emotions distinguishable from the normal everyday occurrences of life. We were each highly qualified in our fields; Charlie in Astronomy; Lee in Engineering and Geology; Juan (hard J), in Agriculture; Juan (soft J} in Material Supply and Management; Joel as an aviator and pilot; and me in Analytical Chemistry and Environmental Safety. Each had earned their respect and a certain level of recognition among the other people we habitually worked with. No doubt, this recognition helped to get us positions on our Space venture for mineable ore. Once we had returned to Earth, for most of us life returned to what it had been.

Only Joel and Charlie made the total transition from working on Earth with an Earthman’s perspective of goals and missions, to a full-time involvement in Space endeavors financially and personally. Both parted with their Earth-bound organizations and hired on with the Space program. This separated them from what we as a group had been. They became staff, and viewed us as free-lance professionals with something less than their undivided dedication and commitment.

However, the rest of us preferred to return to our former businesses. I can only guess the other three had similar experiences to mine, because the truth is, we never got back together again. We exchanged letters from time to time, but it wasn’t many months before it was obvious a third person was attending to our letter writing chore, or simply following through out of politeness. It was clear we had developed friendships, but they were on a professional level. Nonetheless, even with Professionals, life must go on.

I still hope to work with them again, though. We were a good team and we proved how well we worked together. That is one binding tie no amount of distant correspondence could ever match. And, I assume that link with remain a part of all of us. But, I can only guess what it was like for each of them, upon their return.

My job was still there when I returned. I wondered if they had tried to phase it out or were contemplating doing so after my arrival, but I heard nothing about it. At first, there was quite a lot of fuss over me, and it seemed everything at the office had suddenly become public knowledge. However, this frenzied reaction faded. What remained was a bonus I hadn’t calculated when we were estimating our share of the ore we had mined. A steadiness, or confidence, became fastened to me.

The fame I had brought back with me obviously affected the business I was employed for. I don’t think our sales doubled or tripled as one might expect if someone became famous to all sorts of people who hadn’t previously known him or what he{or I} did for a living. I didn’t work for that type of business. Actually, we could only inspect and keep analyses on so many companies. My employers did make it known I was responsible for moving up their plans for enlarging our Analytical facilities, and all the departments which supported it. The significance was apparent. The new demand on our services for chemically and biologically assaying any aspect of a company’s manufacturing and day-to-day operation made it a necessary gamble. Expanding our Research and Development sections left little doubt about the value of my success in Space for the well-being of my company.

Nevertheless, for people aware of what my company did, it was obvious we offered our customers the same services as before I had left Earth. But, to have me interview a perspective client or to have my signature attached to one of our assays gave our work a credibility and strength of truth which we only hoped for in the past.

And oddly enough, this illogical belief held for the customers we continued with. People we had done business with for years, and who I was on a first name basis with, suddenly urged us to increase our inspections and even boasted of their connections with my firm.

I wonder how this could be when the alternatives could have been as probable an outcome. Namely, the company could have retired me because I no longer seemed to fit into our faceless, public image. How could I disagree? They were aware of the fame which might engulf me from being apart of a Space mission, but the public attention I’ve received has, no doubt, been beyond anything they could have anticipated.

Indeed, I didn’t look like a loyal employee, at all. To our customers, I appeared to be one of the CEO’s. How my employers dealt with this illusion and conducted business as usual, I can’t imagine.

The reality for the six of us after our mining venture was there was only Juan (hardJ), who came back to an enterprise he could claim as his own. Agriculture is complicated for our day, but not nearly as expensive to conduct as the careers the rest of us were involved in. We each could have used our new recognition as a means to start out on our own, I suppose, if for some reason we hadn’t been welcomed back to positions with our former employers. Obviously though, Juan was the only one to have a point of view for running his own business. I know the day-to-day accounting problems, personal needs, equipment maintenance, and general office skills were things I was glad I didn’t have to be occupied with.

Philosophically, I wonder why they didn’t retire me because of my success. I mean, what more could I hope to accomplish? I had done more with my life than generations of people ever did. I had achieved fame, glory, and riches. Of my personal goals, I had made a successful career of my intellectual hobbies, and had undeniably advanced my field of study. Was there any more? To repeat the process over and over would be merely egotistical, wouldn’t it? And, could I ever achieve such a pinnacle again? Did I need to? Unquestionably, I was sated, and still am.

I’ve never been a particularly hateful person. My motivations in life, I admit, have been generally lustful. I wasn’t obsessed with success, but there were times when I was thrilled to be in charge because I was recognized as the one who knew what to do, and why. The taste of power coupled with being acknowledged as an authority, were rewards which got me as close to perfection as I had ever dreamed possible. The situation now, though, had me engulfed in questions about my hidden desires for the things which made my life meaningful. I was immersed in satisfying the natural lusts which drove my personality.

Consequently, I learned why I continued on in my work. Though my lusts were pampered on a new scale I hadn’t imagined, my needs were basically the same. I still needed a mission in life; a reason to care and go on another day.

Secretly, in times like this, I wonder if some administrator in management had a list of needs he consulted, while he watched me float away in my haze of admiration. He then waited for me to return to struggling once more for the day-to-day necessities which he had decided I would not be able to do without.

Socially, my needs were minimal. I was never too outgoing, and I’ve remained socially withdrawn. In that regard however, I no longer feel I am missing anything by not being so deeply involved in various social groups. I’ve learned much about myself from my experiences, and realize I’m contented with myself. Of course, I pursue amusements and recreations, as always, but there is no urgent desire to succeed.

My work, as well, lost its tendency to bore me, as it sometimes did, before I had left on my eventful mission. There was no inducement to call it a day and go in search of something which might fill some unnamed gap in me. I believe the gap missing in me was a lust as strong as sex, maybe more so. I needed to prove to myself I could find something of value in my work. Something which demonstrated I had, unequivocally, advanced my field. Perhaps anyone would have done the same in my position and with my opportunities, but the fact was, I had successfully made use of my assets and luck. I was sated.

Why my company’s management didn’t think my change in personal status and perspective was enough to retire me, I don’t know. It seems reason enough to me to let someone else have the chance to top my accomplishments, or at least, compete with my past successes. I can only assume they chose to build around me rather than remove me and try again. Financially, we remained on nearly the same footing as before my trip. So, I can recognize the value I have become as an asset of the company, versus someone they were hoping might blossom into a valuable employee.

Regardless, my life continued as before, once I rode through the wave of fame which hit all of us, when we returned to Earth. And as usual, I underestimated public reaction, but then I never acquired much training at public relations. I suppose if I could have predicted the hysteria to the discovery of life in Space, I might have foreseen how chaotic everything would get. If we had been associated with the first re-entry back to Earth, without a Spaceship, or had been the first to land on Neptune, then I could have understood how people would recognize us wherever we went.

To find intelligent life out there far away from our planet, though, terrified people. We constantly reminded everyone how primitive the life forms were we had uncovered. Nevertheless, uneasiness spread throughout the population of Earth. In our initial correspondence back and forth, among the six of us, fear was the overwhelming reaction we each observed upon our return. Evidently, the whole planet was caught unaware by the fact there was something out there which was as real as their neighbor, next door.

We had hoped to let our pilot, Joel, bask in the attention we supposed would be natural, because of our find. However, we had grown too nonchalant about our work in Space. Our total attitude was there was little we had done which calmly viewed could be any thing other than a technological wonder, and consequently, marketable. This perspective included our Neptunian life forms, the Haystacks, as they were commonly known. The name we had coined among ourselves, and it was adopted by our ground Control and subsequently, by the public.

I thought the initial public clamor would pass quickly, but I was very wrong. The fact of the matter was I became the leading spokesman on the subject of Neptunian life, and its possible civilization. Fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be, I was the first to recognize, and identify their unique characteristics as living and feeding organisms. Also, my biologic and chemical background made me the obvious choice as the expert witness on the scene of the discovery.

However, Joel was our team leader in reality. The public though, lost interest in the insights he presented to them. This was because we had made peaceful contact with another species, and not thrilled the populace with some dare-devil feat, or something requiring bravery in the face of mounting danger.

Be that as it may, speculations soared with our return, and with it, the demand for more information. Each of us dealt with the commotion in our own way. I suppose the rush of so many people wanting to know what those aliens were really like, helped push Joel and Charlie back into the Space program. Probably, they were glad to escape from what their fellow associates might call an over-zealous, consumer response. I’m not sure about the remaining members of our crew, but I didn’t hear of anything too bizarre.

As for my self, it took several months, and some follow-up expeditions by others, before the excitement and hysteria around me subsided. I gathered most people thought I might be responsible for bringing these new creatures to our world, rather than acting as an objective observer of Space and our solar system. Somehow, I was at fault for not avoiding the Neptunians, and thus, leaving our Earth in peace. Instead, I had initiated a confrontation between two worlds, which might mean the end of our civilization, due to some type of interplanetary war. Consequently, not everyone was what I would call admiring fans of my accomplishments.

Often, I had been asked what message the Neptunians had wanted me to convey back to Earth. All I could do is state we had not been able to communicate with them, as they appeared to use some kind of internal lighting pattern to signal to each other. Many people, mostly civilian types, wanted to know what weapons the aliens seemed capable of using against us. Again, I could only say we saw no sign of any weapons or tools. The Haystacks appeared peaceful and what I would describe as agrarian in nature, in as much as they merely grazed on their food from one location to the next. I agree the fact of actually