CHAPTER 7
Gary Childers was back in his Lexington offices for the first time since the shooting. Though still walking with a cane, to the staff around him, he looked fit and ready to resume most of his day to day duties running his coal company and Space Excursions. The bullet had shattered a bone and almost caused him to bleed out. Had his bodyguard not thrown himself in the way of the succeeding bullets, Childers would almost certainly be dead. Childers felt terrible that Max had sacrificed his own life in order to save his, and that was why he’d set up a fund that would take care of Max’s wife and children for the rest of their lives. It wouldn’t replace Max, but it would at least minimize the economic pain that accompanies losing a parent and a spouse.
He was working at his desk when the door to his office opened, admitting both Paul Gesling and Bill Stetson. Stetson was wearing his usual cowboy hat—a Stetson, of course.
“Gary, we hope you don’t mind us stopping by. We just left Carolyn at the nursing home and thought we’d check on you while we were out,” Stetson said as they entered.
“Not a problem. Come on in and take a seat.”
“Thanks.”
“How is Carolyn? Any change?” Childers intentionally addressed the question to Gesling, who looked like he could use some engagement.
“Well, she’s still unconscious. She hasn’t regained consciousness since the shooting. The doctors did say that the brain swelling caused by her head hitting the pavement has mostly gone away, but they can’t say when or if she’ll wake up,” Gesling said.
“They also said that her lung is healing nicely. She’s a strong woman and the bullet wound doesn’t appear to have caused permanent physical damage,” Stetson added, removing his hat.
“Well, that’s some good news anyway,” Childers said, pausing only briefly before continuing, “The police don’t have a clue about the shooter. They found some evidence that whoever it was used the top of the McAlister Building while they waited for me to come out the front door. The shooter didn’t leave much to be found. The police have advised me to take extra precautions in case he tries again. I’m already tired of getting in and out of cars in garages and behind a wall of body guards. But until the guy’s caught, I guess I’m stuck.”
Sensing that they needed to change the topic of conversation, Childers continued, “Bill, we just signed a contract with Asteroid Ores to provide them with the space habitats that’ll house their astronauts as they begin mining the rock they’re bringing back.”
“Well, that’s good news. They’ve been so secretive that I kind of thought they would try to do it all themselves. Are we going to sell them a variant of the orbital hotel?”
“They’ve got some unique requirements, but I think our Mod #2 can meet most of their needs. They’re offering a good price.”
“I have to admit I was stunned to learn of their plans for the rock. I’m a big believer in us eventually mining asteroids, but the speed at which they’re moving almost makes my head spin. They came from nowhere with that launch of theirs. How did they keep what they were doing such a secret?” Stetson said.
“Bill, I’ve known Anacleto Rosalez for years and I knew he was up to something big, but even I didn’t know that it would be asteroid mining. There have been many companies come and gone promising a big return from mining the asteroids, but until now they’ve all failed. It’s an expensive, time-consuming and risky business proposition. Most public companies don’t have the stomach for a ten-year investment without any returns. That’s why only humble billionaires like me can make things like this happen. We don’t have to answer to anyone other than ourselves if we fail.”
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REUTERS—ASTEROID MINING COMPANY ANNOUNCES SPACE MILESTONE
(madrid, spain) Asteroid Ores, Inc., the company that two months ago launched a super-secret ship to rendezvous with an asteroid for future mining, announced today that they have achieved a milestone in their project with the robotic craft successfully attaching itself to the asteroid. The company CEO, Anacleto Rosalez, told Reuters “Today we successfully guided our robotic prospector to the surface of the Sutter’s Mill asteroid and attached to it, meeting one of the key success criteria for the mission.” According to Rosalez, the next step will be for the spaceship to use its super-efficient electric rocket engines to nudge the asteroid from its current orbit into one that will take it to an orbit around the Moon where Asteroid Ores can send future ships to mine it for rare metals, including platinum.
Their plans are not without opposition from the European Parliament, however. Delegates from Mr. Rosalez’s home country of Spain have joined several other European nations in calling for an international treaty to ban asteroid mining by private companies since the resources of the solar system are considered the “common heritage of all humankind” by previous international agreements. To date, only Germany and France appear to oppose the call for the treaty from within Europe. The United States has made it known that it would also oppose such a treaty on the grounds that it would wreck the emerging economies within near-Earth space. A spokesman from the US State Department defined the space economy to include numerous commercial and governmental satellites in Earth orbit as well as space tourism.