After my first successful landing of a 747 at Kennedy, I spent the past few days getting Bill and Lenny caught up on what was going on. The shuttle trawler wasn't quite halfway to pad 39A, so I assigned Bill to drive the remaining distance. At two miles per hour, it would took him half of Saturday to finish. His constant yells of "Yeeeehawww!" as he
"trucked" along in the trawler seemed somewhat out of place. Lenny was assigned the jobs of learning the comsat and weather satellite readouts. Surprisingly, he was able to effectively utilize the Iridium network within a day, and his use of the NOAA satellite imaging system helped keep us aware of any seriously windy days or inclement weather. This would be important in about a month when he hit T:00. We needed at least a day of warning in the case of a hurricane so we could "hurry" the shuttle back to the VAB.

I found that Bill and Lenny worked better when they were separated. Bill was useful for some of the more "manual" labor jobs such as fuel system handling, gantry assembly, and driving to the store for supplies. Lenny did a fine job of systems monitoring and communications with the ISS. It was Lenny who made us aware of HB his intention to come to Kennedy to help. We certainly needed all we could get.

When the shuttle finally reached 39A, I took the elevator to the top of the gantry and decided to have a look inside the cabin. Bill was assigned the job of cabin maintenance, including making sure that the extremely long checklist for cabin preparation was complete before liftoff. I spent most of the weekend in the cabin with a flight manual and sat-phone getting accustomed to the onboard systems. Commander Foale up in the ISS was very helpful in guiding me through the sequence. I was fortunate that the launch sequence was nearly completely automated with a few known pilot inputs. As Foale put it one afternoon, "The first astronauts were monkeys, and the philosophy among spacecraft designers hasn't changed much since then." I was surprised at how much the Endeavor rocked and swayed in the breezes atop the launch pad.

After a long training session and nap aboard the shuttle, I exited yesterday afternoon to find Bill hanging from the gantry rubbing the side of the cargo bay door.

"What are you DOING?" I asked.

"Giving her a wax job!" Bill said beaming.

"Have you mastered the LC link and fuel systems handling yet?" I said, the blood pressure in my head rising.

Bill, looking slightly offended, pulled out a headset and handed it to me. Putting it on, I spoke.

"This is Nik." I said.

"Nik, Lenny. We now have positive systems monitoring at LC. The gantry is in place, and onboard power systems have been implemented. Commencing with control test sequence one-alpha. Please stand by."

I nodded approvingly to Bill as I handed him the headset and took the elevator to my Mustang waiting below.

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The 'Zarya Unity Complex'. Aka the 'International Space Station'.
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The rigging of the pulley system was the most frightening thing I had done in my life. Far more frightening than moving into the *English* world with Daniel. After 16 years of marriage I learned a lot and loved my life with Daniel. I had finished running the coax and making the antenna to Daniel's design. He stood in the mirror looking grim. "It won't be strong enough Pretty Girl. We're going to have to use more power." "Daniel what more can we do I have built everything as you told to, I haven't complained much. How can we get more power?" I sipped my coke and stared at him in one of the mirrored panels. "Those micro-wave dishes." Daniel said then hesitated. "I know I told you that they were the wrong wave length but..." "But what Daniel?" I demand. "Their our last chance. H*ll Crystal maybe you should go and live at EDEN, Phi...I can't make promises to you that it will work and it most definitely won't be safe." Tears stunk my eyes and I look at Daniel's form. "You said Phil didn't you?" Daniel nodded,"Phil's been helping us Crystal, he's been beside me all along coaching me and you to build the transmitter. He teaches Physics and when he said we may have to go digital with this I put the brakes on." "So if Phil is with you why..why can't I see him?" I questioned remorsefully. "Because Pretty Girl, it's not your eyes that are seeing me, it's your soul. That's true love. I can't be kept from you or shielded, you know me in any form I could or would take." Daniel whispered.

I leaned against the mirror and felt as though I had been crashed. I felt hurt and upset. "You want to give up, don't you Daniel?" Daniel shook his head no and bit his lip. I could see fear in his eyes, for the first time I had ever known him I saw fear and maybe the glimmer of tears. He shut his eyes tight and then I saw his image waver. Daniel looked away then nodded his head and started to fade. I cried out. "Daniel!!! Daniel please don't leave me here. I've done everything you asked! Please!!!" Daniel's image appeared next to mine and his hand pressed against the glass where mine were. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you," I said through my tears then went on, "ask Phil, what we we need to do now?"

The antenna was a series of cables spun kind of like a web held by the three towers. It looked like a massive dream catcher with a huge hole directly in the middle. Above it the sky and below it the green carpeted land. I had to move or spin around three additional micro-wave dishes and luck would have it as they were about 300 yards out but still within the pattern of a triangle. I had to watch the elevation of the land as the signals would have to meet exactly at the 50 ft. and 1/2 inch mark above my webbed antenna. No easy trick and I had only one chance to get it right.

As I prepared the last micro-wave dish I listened to Daniel as he projected the aim. I found beneath the dishes in a covered protected area a key board that moved the massive dishes into the direction and settings needed. "That's just right Pretty One, we have it." Daniel said, as I moved the dish to the settings Phil requested. I smiled back at Daniel and tried to reassure him that whatever happens things will be okay. I watched Daniel's image in a wing mirror of the utility truck I was in use of, he seemed to be listening for a moment then he said, "Crystal, Phil wants you to go into the micro-wave control room and we need to change the program of our dishes." The programming room was housed in small one story building not far from the entrance of 'Voice of America's' radio fields. I located the computer and found our dishes as the computer there had not only tracked the move and positioning of the dishes but indicated that at the position we had them directed to, they would arc and produce a possible laser discharge. I positioned the mirror behind me to make sure Daniel and Phil could see what the computer was telling me.

I heard hesitation in Daniel's voice as he instructed me to isolate our three dishes, disable all the safeties, and to wait for him. I watched as the computer shown a simulation of what most likely could happen as it flashed the word ABORT. "Pretty One, Phil wants you to change the program on the dishes. You know computers run with 0 and 1 sequences. Phil wants you to change the 1's to 9's leave the 0's alone." I nodded and set to work changing the programing.

October 4th 2004,

Well, it was a long weekend. Weareborg needed time to think about whether or not he would fly to Florida or not, and later that morning we received communication from Lenny that he, William Shatner and that Nik guy was indeed there at Kennedy and ’on the job’ with a rescue plan. That information made a hasty flight by WAB less urgent. I continued to snoop around Mission Control in search of the controls for the uplink to the Nasa Channel, thus far have not been able to find them. Still no word from the ’site’ as to what to do with that information. Jeanway and Fenriz are inviting everyone to Indiana to begin a new ’civilization’ again. They reported finding a whole family of Startrekfans.net members, who were strangely ’Amish’ and well equipped with electronics. They managed to free a large number of animals from the surrounding Zoos and are calling it ’Eden’. My breakfast is getting worse with every passing day and the idea of settling down somewhere with a cow, chickens and pigs….sounds like a great plan for future pleasant ’breakfasts’ in the future. It is the most important meal of the day, after all.

I logged on to Startrekfans.net in my own subtle way I was saying my goodbyes. Some were concerned as they had not heard from me and PMed me. Some asked me if I had journeyed to EDEN. I answered them and their questions but didn't mention the antenna or Daniel. Shortly after reading a few posts and reviewing some of the forums I found myself in my journal.

BlueCrystal's Personal Log

I have worked hard and completed the reprogramming of the computer at 'Voice of America'. I changed the 1s to 9s. I would go into detail but I don't know exactly what the change will do. Daniel's friend Phil, had me do it. I am scared but to be with Daniel again I would give anything or do anything. I know it is possible that I may never be able to come back here again. That's hard for me but 16 years ago, I left my home, my family, and my friends all behind as they were Amish and wouldn't permit me to marry Daniel. It's hard to think that *love* would only be given to one group of people. I can remember my father saying that my leaving and marrying into the *English* world would cut me off from those I love, but love is a gift and a rare one and true love can never d*mn or hurt anyone unless it's denied. Perhaps in time my family will understand and accept my marriage.

I will see Daniel in the morning as he said that he and Phil had things they have do where they are. Peace be with you all...

We arrived around sunset, and I left the RV parked in the middle of the street.
Gwen followed slowly, as I rushed up to Adam’s room.

“ADAM???…ADAM???” I yelled and searched frantically. Gwen stood watching me, with pity in her eyes.

I slumped onto the bed…defeated and despairing. Gwen walked over and sat down beside me. “Well…there is always a chance that he’s still here…just not HERE…maybe he went looking for you, or something.”
She got up and started looking around the room. “Hey, look at this!” Over by Adam’s computer, she was motioning frenziedly.
I got up slowly and went to the computer desk. There on the screen was displayed the Star Trek Fans website.
“Was he a member?’
I don’t know…maybe…I am…he kept telling me about all the neat stuff he kept finding on this web site, so one day, I decided to take a look. I kind of got hooked, because I signed up.”
“OK…here’s a crazy thought…I’m a member, too! Do you suppose there are any other members left?”

I watched, as she logged on. She let out a deafening scream when she discovered the web site was still active. As she started chatting with someone, I kept repeating, “Ask about my son!” Finally, she stopped and turned to me…”What name would he use?”

“I … DON’T … KNOW!!!” My hope deflated like a hot air balloon.

“Alright…I’ll see if anyone else has any ideas…maybe someone who’s talked to him might recognize him from his profile,” she offered optimistically.

“Okay,” I sighed, “I’ll go get Killer Jones…he probably need to take a walk anyhow.”

Laying on my back in the command seat of Endeavor, I waited patiently as the countdown clock ticked silently on the center console display in large red digits. The silent humming of the ventilation system pulsed throughout the cabin. Occassional gasps as could be heard as the gaseous oxygen vent released pressure from the large liquid fuel tank attached to the shuttle’s back. Every few minutes, the faint buzzing of a fuel pump could be heard as the auxiliary power units forced pressurized hydrazine fuel into the shuttle’s thruster tanks. After several checks and onboard com checks and environmental checks, things were strangely silent. I checked the countdown clock.

“T minus one minute. Initiating SWS sequence.” Bill’s voice broke the silence. I could hear several valves clicking open throughout the shuttle as the sound water suppression system began engaging. The elaborate system would act at the “shock absorber” of the shuttle during launch as it rained water at 900,000 gallons per minute for the first few seconds after liftoff. The shuttle swayed slightly in the breeze.

“T minus twenty seconds… nineteen…. Eighteen…. Seventeen….sixteen…fifteen…. we copy main ignition start.” The shuttle bucked violently with the rumble of its massive engines beneath me.

“Ten… nine… eight… seven… six…. Five.” I heard several loud pops as the pyrotechnic bolts clamping the shuttle in place gave way.

“…. Go for launch… three… two…. One….. we have liftoff.”

Out the window, I saw the launch tower slip away, and a billow of smoke rose as the shuttle slowly groaned under its weight into the sky.

“Endeavor has cleared the tower.” Bill announced.

“Commencing modified control sequence.” Lenny interrupted. “Endeavor, we are picking up your telemetry… beginning roll maneuver.” I checked the gauges and readouts in front of me as the shuttle began rolling onto its back.

“Positive roll.” I heard over the speaker in my helmet. “Vee-dot nominal…. We are go for max-vee. Endeavor prepare for one-hundred-six percent throttle…. Go for throttle-up.”

Using what I memorized from the manual, I engaged the preset throttle procedure, pushing the shuttle even harder to the fringe of space.

“Endeavor, we do not have positive copy on SRB shutoff. Engage emergency SRB separation sequence.” This would be a really short trip if the solid rocket boosters couldn’t separate from the shuttle.

“Endeavor, we have negative telemetry pickup…. Please confirm SRB separation sequence.” I heard Lenny’s voice pick up in tempo. The roar of the engines began diminishing as the solid rocket boosters ran out of fuel and simply fizzled out.

“Negative vee-dot!” Lenny shouted. “Initiate abort sequence alpha and go-around for touchdown at Huntsville.” In general, if the launch could be aborted early enough, the shuttle could literally fly back and land at a number of strips.

“Negative, Kennedy!” I shouted, “There’s no way we can land if those SRBs are still attached.”

“Eject!” Lenny’s voice screamed into my helmet.

…. The one part of the launch manual I hadn’t memorized…… the one part I refused to use.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all to hell!” I said as I removed my helmet and loosened my harness. “Lenny, what the hell happened?” I said agitatedly as I stepped out the seat and moved towards the exit door.

As I opened the exit door and stepped onto the crew access arm, I listened to Lenny over my wireless headset.

“We lost telemetry shortly after clearing the tower. Apparently the modified control sequence didn’t fully switch control to the LC. After that, we had no way of knowing when to initiate the main engines as we had no visual on the SRBs.”

I took the elevator down the gantry along the graceful shuttle as it sat on its pad, my sat-phone rang.

“Yeah….” I answered it agitatedly.

“I heard a lot of shouting, but not much else. What happened?” Foale asked.

“Well…. We’ll probably run that simulation again.” I said. “We’re a little rusty.”

“Just get her off the ground, and make sure you get the OMS burners licked, and we’ll do the rest.” Foal assured me.

Turning off the sat phone, I swore a blue streak as I walked to the Mustang parked beside the pad – making sure to mix hideous vulgar descriptions of female anatomy with colorful assessments of animalistic procreative rituals.

“We didn’t quite copy that last transmission, please retransmit.” I could almost hear the smile in Bill’s voice, and imagined him pushing the record button on his console.

“We’ll try again tomorrow.” I muttered.

Killer Jones was ecstatic to see me, even though I had only been gone about 15 minutes. After he had ‘attended to business’, we just started walking down the street. As I walked, I started remembering all those little details about my missing family…how Amanda looked the first time I met her…our wedding day…her face, when she cooked something ‘special’ for me…how happy she was when she was sewing…the little ‘love notes’ she used to hide in my pockets…the panic we went through when Adam was born…how he loved swords and dragons and all things Sci-Fi….
I stopped, the tears blinding me so badly I couldn’t see where I was going.
“No…you’ve got to stop this…pull yourself together…Amanda would expect better of you,” I told myself, but it didn’t really seem to help much. I continued to wander aimlessly, trying to get my act back together before I faced Gwen again.

The chilly night air finally drove me back to the dorm. Gwen was sound asleep in the room next to Adam’s. She had left me a note:

Starbuck,
It’s possible your son might still be here…only not HERE. One of the other members think he sounds like one of the guys that was going to go round up some of the kids (a lot of them got left with no parents.) I’ll see you in the morning.
Gwen

It was a breezy afternoon. As the days seemed to come and go in blurs I wasn't certain it was a Sunday but it felt like one. I took the blanket from our bunk in the truck and spread it out by a extra mirrored panel I had left leaning against one of the towers. I had little food but to me it was a fine autumn day, the sun shown bright despite some overcast, there was a bit of a nip in the air, and I wanted to have a picnic with my husband.

Daniel appeared and almost laughed at the sight of me. I was wearing the dress I was in the process of sewing 16 years ago. It was to be my wedding dress if I had gone through with a marriage to an Amish gentleman. It was blue, made from durable cloth to withstand years of washings, simple with no buttons or zippers, the Amish only used pins no fanciful adornments. I giggled at Daniel's reaction to me. As he sat down in the mirror image of our picnic. I could see delight in his eyes along with undying love and a yearning to touch me just once more. The dogs in a distance frolicked and played. "I wish I could of fried a chicken and made some potato salad for you Daniel." I said as I nibbled on a bag of chips and sipped a glass of bottled water. "Don't worry about it Crystal, I never gone on a picnic with you just to eat." I could see my own reflection in the mirror blush at Daniel's comment and then I giggled at myself. In many ways not only were we husband and wife but over time we became each other's best friend.

I leaned close to the mirror and felt the presence of a warm kiss from Daniel. I caught a look in Daniel's eyes that disturbed me for a moment though I didn't know why. Daniel looked out toward our antenna and the mirrored panels. "You worked hard Crystal and you know what this is don't you?" He questioned. I nodded 'yes', "it's a transmitter of some sort." Daniel looked away as if he was conversing with someone unseen. I knew it was Phil. Daniel took a deep breathe and continued. "Transmitters transmit things..." I cut him off with my continuing his speech, "and receivers receive....things." It was then I knew Daniel wasn't coming here, that I was going there. I was in effect 'jumping the fence all over again' and always landing in Daniel's life and world.

The gentle afternoon breeze had now grown strong and sometimes howled through the trees in the fields far away. I could still hear the sound. The dogs were uneasy, like they sensed that something was going to happen. I knew a storm was brewing and getting ready to blow in. I grabbed Daniel's shirt and pulled it around me like a jacket and ran to the mirror calling for Daniel. Thunder crashed and towers were swaying up high in the heavens. Daniel appeared then turned and said something. I didn't hear, he pressed his hands to the glass and I ran to him. "Phil says it's tonight!" Daniel said almost shouting over the wind. I nodded I called the dogs then I looked at Daniel again. "Daniel," I said as I pressed myself as close to the mirror as I could,"if this doesn't work and I should...I'll be waiting for you in heaven." "It's got to work, Pretty One and it's heaven that will be waiting for us."

I fastened Barry, my lab/shepherd mix puppy into a harness, then I pulled on a harness I use when I scaled the tower and rigged the pulley. The wench had a handheld device so I lowered it and pulled the hook to me and wrapped it around a leg of the nearest tower. I looked back to see Daniel yelling something, his hand cupped around his head. I ran back to him to hear. "Phil says start the timer on the computer then you'll only have about three and a half minute to get up there where you need to be!" It took me a few minutes to get to the building that house the microwave computer via Daniel's truck. I looked at the program as it still flashed the word ABORT on the screen, I initiated the start of the program and ran to truck. I cut through the fields and crashed fences to save time. I jumped out of the truck and ran to the repeater that Daniel and I built that was linked to the dream catcher antenna and turned it on. I could hear it over the wind humming to life. I hooked Barry's harness to mine and I attached mine to the wench hook. I called Travis and gathered him into my arms. I turned to see Daniel's reflection in the mirror. I couldn't hear him but I saw him mouth the words. 'I love you.' The thunder roared above me as if the earth itself was saying I've lost enough daughters, your not going! I pressed the button and was lifted off the ground as the wench pulled the cable around the pulley. I looked below to see the mirrors and the lights, then above to the storm of the night and the lightning flashed illuminating all around me the dogs whimpered and whined. We were almost there to the top. I gasp at the sight. I wanted to close my eyes and pray but I think God knew what I had to say. The lightning struck nearby and I cried out in panic then calmed myself. With Barry hanging from me it was hard to get my breathe. The web antenna was illuminated in a bluish white light and the micro-wave beam had formed arc. I pressed the release button to the hook of the wench and plummeted to the earth below. Lightning hit the tower blowing up the leads and the mirrors shattered. The energy from the strike hit the power grid and a change re-acting knocked out the power from Ohio to Canada. The beam encompassed us and for a moment I didn't know which way was up or down. Then for a moment I ceased to exist in any world or form.

In the morning as the sun shown bright and warm. A gentle breeze tossed a blue dress across the ground that was wrapped in a man's work shirt. Two dog collars laid scattered on the ground with harnesses nearby. If you listen hard you could hear a song by Alison Krauss playing on Daniel's truck CD player.

~~~~It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart Without saying a word you can light up the dark Try as I may I could never explain What I hear when you don't say a thing The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me The touch of your hand says that you'll catch me if ever I fall You say it best when you say nothing at all~~~~

On a broken piece of mirror was a etched saying.

In the reflections is where I'll be, in the mirrors will you see me.

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Sleeping in the back of the Hummer, WAB starts dreaming. A loud noie jolts him awake. "Drat" he thinks. The engine shuts off. "Why do these things get only 11 mpg?" Right then, a car drives up the gate of Ft. Hood.

October was a very busy month for the few remaining survivors of the ‘Great Holocaust” , Lida and Aaron had found a whole family of AmishTrek fans in Indiana and were busy setting up the ’ New World Order-- Eden. Nik was hard at work on rescuing the stranded astronauts with the reported help of William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Communications had been greatly improved with the use of the U.S. government provided satellite communications - SAT Phones.
The first week of October, myself , DL6, and WAB spent in the Houston area, we visited Astroworld. It was free, and there was no waiting in line at any of the rides. We then set about the work of cleaning up the dead animals at the zoo and disposing of the remains… then we found another use for the flame-thrower and went about cleaning up the surrounding Harris County of all the adult book stores.[attachmentid=2916]

[attachmentid=2917] WE love the smell of Napalm in the Morning! Weareborg, HB, DL6 perform early morning community clean-up at a local XXX video store.

On October 7th, Weareborg took-off aboard the Blackhawk on his mission to aid Nik, Bill and Lenny, with their efforts toward readying the Shuttle for launch in Florida. Contact with him was lost, but word has it he later turned up at the gates of Ft. Hood.
Then next morning(Oct.8th), myself and DL6, raced in the opposite direction toward California to locate Doctor Who--somewhere in Rodsterlingville, Ca.( a adventure in itself-soon to be told in FanFict "Journey to Rodsterlingville")
Communication with this plain of existence was interrupted as the time distortion grew larger.

[attachmentid=3029][attachmentid=3028]Halloween Morning, Nik and Company successfully launched shuttle Discovery to rescue the astronauts.
Way to Go, Nik!