LunaTics
The Space Race began, not as it did in the late 1960’s, but on a piece of paper. It began as an idea that others had thought of, those in the business world. It could have been anybody who thought of the idea, but it was Jonah Trotter who had the vision, accidently, of course. Jonah was just you’re average college student, he had no ambition until one February Sunday, when he’d sat down with his college buddies, and turned on the TV to watch the Super Bowl. Most watched it for the game or least that’s what they told their friends. Jonah had thought the same until the second intermission. It was then he saw it, and fell off his chair in laughter. It was an ad, and it was funny. He’d been searching for something real to major in and it was that instant when he realized he had found what he wanted to do, advertising. The next day he visited his counselor and events that would change the world as we know it were set in motion.
April 12th, 2010
Jonah Trotter was reaching to shut off his alarm clock, fumbling with shut eyes. He somehow managed to push the button on the buzzing appliance without knocking it to the ground. Rolling over on his side and barely opening his eyes, he could see that it flashed 2:45. Grumbling under his breath he began to sit up wondering how it had gone off at that time. Last night’s thunderstorm must have interrupted the power to his duplex and somehow reprogrammed it. Feet now solidly on the floor, he ran his hand through his dark hair and yawned. Wondering what time it really was, he grabbed his watch. Looking down at it, shaking his head in disgust, he saw that it was 4:47. Resetting the time and alarm, he laid back down. Tossing and turning for a short time, he realized that falling back to sleep wasn’t going to happen. Standing, he began his day.
Normally getting up at 6:15 he saw that he had about an hour and ten minutes extra on his hands. He decided that he should just get ready for work and then see what happens. Once the tedious task of preparing himself for another workday was done he sauntered into the kitchen. Rummaging through his cupboards for the coffee can was always a chore. He didn’t drink the caffeinated liquid often but whenever he did, he could never find it. After moving several items around, he located it, filled the pot with water, placed a new filter into it and poured the grounds letting a good amount fall in. Turning it on, he could hear the old machine spit and cough to life. Sitting at his table with the mug next to him, he pulled the book he was reading toward him. Adjusting his glasses and he began flipping through some pages. The book was about the upcoming final days and flights of the Space Shuttle.
Jonah had always been somewhat of a science enthusiast so this was just another read to him. Hearing the newspaper thump at his front door startled him and he turned quickly, knocking his cup over onto his book. Blast was all he muttered as he grabbed the towel that hung over one of the chairs. Too late he thought, the book would be ruined, stained with coffee, and he’d just bought the thing. This day was starting out just wonderful. After mopping up the mess he sat down to survey the damage. Peeling the wet pages apart slowly and inserting a dry paper towel between each one, he was thinking of work. For weeks his manager, Harry, had been applying pressure on everyone to come up with a new advertising campaign for a top client. His team had come up with several good ideas only to be shot down. Frowning, he was wondering how today would go after this inauspicious start. Still turning pages, he stopped and starred.
Blinking, and still gawking at the open page in front of him, he blinked once more. The light bulb had gone off. Jonah wasn’t sure if what he was thinking could be done. If, however it could, not only would his team get the contract but his company probably would obtain many new contracts from others. Carefully placing one last towel between the pages he closed the book. Reaching around he felt for his briefcase that was leaning on the old curio cabinet behind him. Tossing it onto the table, he opened it. Placing the book carefully into the briefcase he closed it and flicked the clasps closed. Getting up, he went back to the kitchen, shut off the gurgling pot, grabbed a cereal bar and stuffed it into his pocket. Jonah knew that he’d need to get in a long day, so grabbing his briefcase and car keys; he began what would be an interesting day.
He was already hard at work when his team started arriving. The team consisted of himself, Kirk who by industry standards was an artistic genius and Dennis, a computer animations expert. What Kirk drew, Dennis brought to life. What Dennis brought to life, Jonah got the initial OK from the advertisers and his company. Once all that was in order Jonah’s job was to put words to the campaign and sell the idea. They had been one of the top teams for years but with the economy taking a dive, even the top advertisers were cutting back. His company, Mercury Ad Corporation, desperately needed a slam dunk. His long shot would have to be the answer.
Kirk was the first to arrive. “Hey boss, what’s up? Your weekend?”
“Not too bad, didn’t really do anything exciting. And you?” He never looked up from his computer.
Dennis had come in unseen. Smirking he cut in, “I can see that with that tone of voice he really doesn’t care about what you did.” He jabbed Kirk hard in the side. “Me on the other hand, I know he wants to know what I did.” Chuckling, he leaned in toward Jonah to see what he was peering at on the computer.
Rubbing where he’d been poked, Kirk took a seat next to Jonah. “What’s this? Dates for the last Shuttle launch? You gonna be taking vacation on us? A little time in Florida? Hmmm, take us with you!” He said laughing.
Jonah just smiled and pumped a fist into the air. “Delayed until October or even February of next year!” The grin spread. “Well my good staff, if my latest idea works, we’ll not be vacationing in Florida, and it’ll be Monte Carlo for all of us!” He answered with the grin disappearing.
“Oh really.” Dennis snorted. “I’ll run and get my bags packed.”
Clearing his throat, Kirk commented, “It’s not like anything we’ve come up with has been accepted lately, so I’m not gonna hold my breath.” The tone was that of disappointment.
Shaking his head Jonah spoke. “OK, OK, do you two want to hear my idea or just give up? So let me tell you about my morning…” He quickly described the eventful morning and then began to enlighten them about his idea. “So here’s the good part. After spilling the coffee,” he reached into the briefcase and pulled out the book, “I had this crazy idea.” Opening the book he pointed. “Look, my bookmark has the shuttle on it right? I left in the same place as it was this morning.” He pointed to it. “Big deal right? Look at this.” Jonah took the bookmark and turned it gently onto the pervious page. The transparent marker now showed the Shuttle on its back, the underneath visible. Somehow a small ad had gotten stuck on the other page. It could be read through the transparent marker, and it was directly across the wings of the ship. It read, The Search for FTL, a great read!
Dennis looked at Kirk and scratched his head. “Sorry don’t get it.”
“Yea, sorry Jonah, neither do I.” Shrugging his shoulders, Kirk frowned.
“Guys, look where it is.” Stabbing at the page he continued, “It’s across the wings on the bottom. What if we got American News to advertise on the last Shuttle flight? You know something like, News Around the World! Well?” His excitement rose.
Kirk and Dennis burst out laughing. Then looking at their team leader, they could see he was serious. Another glance toward Dennis, Kirk stopped laughing and said. “Wait, you are serious aren’t you?”
“Jonah, come back to reality. Do you have any idea what NASA would say? Not to mention that you have to spray the tiles. Heck, half those would fly off anyway. Then there’s the money issue, what company in their right mind would spend what they would ask for?” Dennis’s expression was that of shock.
“Come on, who wouldn’t want their name on it. The last flight of a moth balled, once historic fleet. Really, who wouldn’t? Not to mention that NASA would probably welcome the extra funding. Remember that there is a new fleet somewhere down the road. If this works, well as Luke Skywalker said, “the reward would be more than you could think of.” Smiling he raised his eyebrows.
“It’d better be.” Kirk retorted. The three were now laughing uncontrollably. “I don’t know. This seems totally crazy to me. Even if we had a great ad campaign and we got it approved by Harry and American News, I highly doubt NASA would approve it. They are extremely safety mined and I am sure there must be a rule against advertising. Heck even the NFL doesn’t allow advertising on equipment.” The laughing, now down to a chuckle, stopped as the discussion got serious.
Eyes narrowing slightly, the team leader questioned, “Well? How about it?”
Leaning back in his chair, Kirk threw his hands up and brought them to the back of his head clasped. “Can’t hurt to look into it.”
“Dennis?” Jonah prodded.
“Still seems like a crazy notion to me but, seeing as two thirds of the team is curious, why not.” He shrugged his shoulders.“OK then it’s settled. Let’s get cracken’!”
April 29th, 2010
Working nonstop for almost two and a half weeks, Jonah’s team was finally ready to present their pitch to Harry. He was a decent manager but with the executives putting pressure on him, well he had become short tempered with every team. “This better be good, a lot better than your last attempt.” He snorted. “Chop, chop boys! Others wait to knock my socks off.” Harry swirled his index finger.
Moving quickly Kirk switched off the lights. The room went dark and Dennis switched on the PowerPoint. The board lit up with a flash and roar as a Russian rocket engine breathed fire in the first frame. “Before we make a complete animation out of this we wanted to run the stills by you Harry. Get your take, OK?” Jonah was shaking. This just had to fly.
“Uh huh.” Was the only reply.
The next three pictures were of the first satellite, Sputnik, President Kennedy addressing congress about Americans reaching the moon in the next decade and the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination. The timeline continued with brief audio clips mixed in. The last photos of the power point ended with the space shuttle rising through the bright Florida sky, belching exhaust behind it. The audio began to fade into a spacey, retro kind of music. The next photo showed the international Space Station. The music continued softly in the background.
Jonah cleared his throat, “This is something we’ve all seen before, a timeline. But, the way we end it will be the payoff Harry. Imagine the image of the station fading and then being replaced by a live feed. This feed coming from the last flight of the Shuttle itself.” He turned back to the screen, and now the animated portion of the power point kicked in. The cargo bay doors begin to open, the robotic arm extends with a camera in its grasp. Next an astronaut’s voice was saying, “American News Company.” The camera pans to the interior of the shuttle’s cargo bay doors that are now open. One side is showing the American News Logo and imprinted on the other side, “News Seen around the World.” Then again, the astronaut’s voice, “Just as light shines from distant stars. Yesterday’s news, today’s relevance.” Then the ad and music fades with the shuttle camera panning live space.
Switching the lights back on, Kirk quickly asked, “So Harry, tell us what you thought? Pretty ingenious isn’t it?”
He just sat in his chair not moving.
Dennis threw a terrifying look at Kirk and then back. “Harry, really, you’re just going sit and say nothing?”
Expressionless, Harry got up and walked toward the door. Jonah now spoke. “It wasn’t that bad. OK, maybe a little out there, but that’s what we need right now, a little out there.”
Reaching the door, turning the knob and opening it, he stopped midway through.
Without looking back, the answer came. “You know that this can’t work. NASA won’t go for it, the government won’t go for. I don’t even think American News will go for it.” He turned stone faced back to look the three men. “But, just because they won’t go for it, doesn’t mean we can’t try. Eleven days before we present this to American. Chop chop, you’re wasting time.” The sly smile spread across his lined face. Looking away, he left the room closing the door.
Confused Dennis spoke. “Did he?”
“I think he did!” Kirk Replied.
Both men were now gazing intently at Jonah. “We’d better get this cleaned up. We’ve got a campaign to finish!” His excitement was unmistakable.
May 10, 2010
It was an incredibly busy 10 days. Kirk and Dennis worked endlessly to combine artistic renditions of the timeline into the perfect animation. They had debated on whether to use real clips or animated. In the end they chose animated clips for more dramatic effect. They thought that everyone had seen the real clips, so changing it up would be best. Then when it went to the live feed it would morph into real time. All the while they were creating their masterpiece, Jonah had been contacting person after person at NASA with no luck. It had been almost seven days and no results. If he couldn’t at least pitch the idea to them the whole ad would be for naught. Then, on day eight, he received a call inviting him to Washington to meet with deputy administrator Lori Garve about his company’s unique proposal. She had arranged a flight for him at O’Hare International Airport. Peering out his window and seeing a long black vehicle pull up, he wasted no time. Grabbing his carryon bag, he locked up his home and left. He called Dennis from the limo and informed him of his departure and that he would call when he got back. Ninety minutes later he was in the air.
Arriving at Metropolitan Washington Airport, he disembarked the small jet and was promptly whisked away to a helicopter headed for the Capital. He couldn’t believe the events of the last hours. His emotions had gone from low to high in an instant. Just as he was digesting this all, he landed and was meet on the helipad by the deputy administrator herself. Covering her head and ducking a little as the copter took off, she yelled above its noise, “Nice to meet you Jonah. We need to chat. It sounds to me like we both have a need for each other. This way!” Her body guard took her arm and they were off. He did his best to follow, bag in hand.
Now inside the White House Jonah was almost in shock. Deputy administrator Garve led him quietly into one of the lesser offices. Offering him a beverage she got right to the point. “I’m told that you want to put an advertisement on our last Shuttle flight. Is that correct?” She began to mess with her windblown hair.
“Yes ma’m, that is right. If I could explain…”
“Well, Mr. Trotter I have to tell you that it is an insane idea.” She had no expression on her face. “But, in the end it doesn’t matter what I think. Seems that this idea has leaked to higher powers and with the overall support for the shuttle program and TV ratings down, there are those who think that this might be a good idea.” She just sat there.
“Should I explain?” He wasn’t sure what to do next.
“Yes, by all means.” She seemed not the least bit interested.
He quickly outlined the idea and then broke his visual aids to help further his ideas. Looking up from time to time he could tell that he may have caught her interest. Finishing, he said, “And that is our proposal. Obviously if we can work out some details, this partnership could be in both our interests.” He wasn’t shaking anymore and was feeling more relief than anything.
“I’ll have to run this by higher parties, so if you’ll excuse me for a short while, I’ll return.” Motioning to her guard she said, “Why don’t you show Mr. Trotter around, give him the tour.” He saw her finally crack a smile.
He bent down and grabbed his bag but the guard snatched it out of his hands. He let it drop back to the floor by the chair. “You won’t need that. It’ll be safe.” He sneered.
“Of course I didn’t. I, I was just testing you. You passed!” He tried to fake a laugh. Once again the guard just sneered.
Some time much later they were back in the room when Lori Garve walked in. Following her was The Chief Administrator, Charlie Bolden. Holding out his hand she introduced him. Jonah Trotter, NASA Administrator Major General Charlie Bolden.”
Jonah extended his hand and firmly grasped the others. “Sir, it truly is an honor to meet you. I…” He swiftly cut off.
“Son let’s cut through the pleasantries and complete a business deal. You want this to work and so do I. Here’s what I propose…” He slipped a thick folder out of his briefcase and sat down, Jonah followed. After several hours, the Major General slipped the folder back into the brief case, shook Jonah’s hand and left. He couldn’t believe it. The deal had been done.
February, 2011
Launch day had finally arrived. Jonah had never imagined that when he first came up with this idea back in April that it would really take off, literally. But here they were, Harry, Dennis, Kirk, himself and the top brass from American News, about to witness advertising history! The media industry had been abuzz with the aggressive campaign that American News had been staging for months. The campaign ran a different add each week and had started airing the first week in June. It consisted of two animated timeline clips from news events starting in 1969. Dennis had modified the animation to retro the look. Each clip was in black and white and was made to look like comic book image. The idea had come from the a-ha music video, Take Me On back in the 1980’s. Each week there would be two more clips added. At the end of each ad the black and white animated American News logo would appear and morph into today’s color logo. A voice would then say, Yesterday’s news, Today’s Relevance. The logo would then fade and a silent shot of a Space Shuttle quietly resting on its pad. The words, Thank You NASA – God Speed STS-134, underneath. It would then fade out.
It had been an unbelievable success. Even Vegas had been taking wagers on what the last timeline clip would be. It was out of control. The countdown was nearing T-9 minutes, the final mandatory hold, when Harry leaned in and nudged Jonah back to reality.
“My boy, you did it! American News asked if they could steal you away to work directly for them, what do you think of that?” He laughed. “Rest assure that when this is done, you’ll have no need to field offers. It’s time I train someone to take over for me, I’m thinking of retiring after this one.” He looked at Jonah and raised his eyebrows, smiled again and turned back to watch the liftoff.
Jonah was in more of a shock now. Dennis and Kirk were seated behind him and had heard what their manager had said. Dennis said nothing, but was happy for his close friend. Kirk was stunned. He didn’t want to work for another team leader, after all the successful ad campaigns they had run, but he knew that Jonah couldn’t turn down the offer. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Then he began to think of all the hours he’d put into this. Jonah had shared the credit, but everyone ignored that and had focused on him. After all was he not the team leader? Kirk felt a little jealousy creep in. Now wasn’t the time for this and he shook the thoughts from his head.
“We have lift off of shuttle mission STS-134, shuttle Endeavour, the last of its generation!” Kirk refocused as he watched the bulky body of the ship rise toward the heavens, breathing fire from beneath. With all the cheering and congratulations, this was better than anything they had drawn up or animated. Thoughts of the team breaking up kept creeping back making this event not as exciting as it should have been. The shuttle was now nearing its higher orbit forty-five minutes later and everyone had been standing and visiting. Quiet now engulfed the room, the time had arrived. Everyone hurried to their seats as the commercial began. It began as all the others had. The timeline marched through eighty four clips from forty two years of news history. The last clip was that of the launch of the current shuttle mission. A camera mounted on the exterior of the shuttle focused as the cargo bay doors opened and an astronaut came slowly out of the ship. Firing the jetpack on his back he maneuvered into a near perfect position at the rear facing the partial opened doors. The word LIVE flashed across the top of the screen. The view now switched from the shuttle to the astronaut holding a portable camera.
Dennis tapped Jonah on the shoulder and leaned in from behind. “Wasn’t this view supposed to come from the robotic arm?” He questioned.
“Yes, but he must’ve thought that this would be more dramatic, it works for me!” He was excited.
As the bay doors started to reopen the man spoke slowly to an awaiting world. “American News.” It had that kind of muted nasal sound that one was while talking into a helmet. It was followed by labored breathing. He was holding the camera and it seemed to shake slightly. It had the desired effect of live television. The bay doors now fully opened, the camera panned the American News logo on one side and then the News Seen from around the World slogan on the other. The astronaut then panned the camera away and focused on a bright, far away patch of stars and spoke. “Just as light shines from distant stars. Yesterday’s news, today’s relevance.” The hair on Harry’s neck stood on end. Jonah had somehow pulled off the greatest advertising campaign in history. After the image faded and the scheduled programming had resumed an even louder cheer could be heard from everyone, everyone except Kirk.
April 2011
Jonah had taken over for Harry as manager of the agencies advertising crews. Since the successful shuttle campaign there had been many changes to the place. Kirk had tendered his resignation and moved onto the top competitor giving no real explanation as to why. Dennis had gotten the promotion to team leader and had handpicked two others to fill his old role and Kirks. This meant the shuffling around of all the teams. It was an eventful time.
Sitting back in his chair reviewing some new clients requests, his phone rang. Looking at the papers in his hand, he fumbled but managed to answer the phone. “Hello, this Jonah may I help you?” Still browsing the papers in hand, he suddenly sat up straight. “What did you just say?” The papers now fell to his desktop. “No. I can’t believe that. Say that again.” With the phone in his right hand he lifted his left and rubbed his forehead. “Yes, well thank you for the news. This changes everything. Goodbye.” Looking at the phone briefly he punched it off and let it drop. White as a ghost he pressed the intercom button to his secretary. “Bonnie, call a meeting of the team leaders right away we’ve got a problem.” Lifting his finger, he stood and straightened himself out. He regained his composer and headed out of his office.
As Jonah walked in he could hear the chatter stop. Intently, everyone’s eyes were on him. Not hesitating he dove in. “I’ll not beat around the bush here people. I’ve just gotten a disturbing phone call, one that causes me deep concern. Dennis, I know your team is in the middle of planning another type of space ad, correct?”
“Yes but nothing solid yet. Why?” He had concern in his voice.
“Here’s the deal. The ante has been upped. It seems that a former employee has taken our ideas and moved on them. Luna ad agency has just announced that they are placing an ad onto the May 30th flight of the Russian Soyuz TMA-02M flight to the International Space Station. Ladies and Gentleman, we’ve entered into a new space race. I want ideas from each team in forty-eight hours. The top two teams will form one team, the others will continue with our regular clients. Seems we need to finish what we’ve started.” He watched as everyone left the room.
Staying back Dennis spoke. “Kirk?” His sadness wasn’t hard to see.
“Yes, I knew he wasn’t happy when he left. But I never thought he’d steal our ideas.” He said dejectedly.
Shaking his head in agreement Dennis placed his hand on the others shoulder and said, “Don’t worry boss. We’ll get back on track. After all it’s only an ad campaign, what could possibly go wrong?” Patting his friend on the back, Dennis left to get to work leaving Jonah to wonder why Kirk was doing this.
Two days later Jonah was sifting through ten proposals. Some were good and some not so. Only two stood out. Dennis’s team, as suspected, was one and the team led by Julie Baker was the other. Both teams had the same basic idea. If this were a space race, then it had to remain in space. Dennis’s team wanted to escalate it to satellites, while Julie’s wanted to use the ISS. Intriguing thoughts. Since these two were on the same basic page it was a no brainer. They would be combined. Dennis would remain team leader for this project and Julie second in charge. The teams were informed and the race officially began.
June, 2011
Luna ad agency had successfully pulled off a simple but effective series of ads. They advertised themselves by having their logo on the Russian craft. They now claimed that by being able to work with the international community they were the premier ad agency. Use them and the world will see your product. That was it. And it seemed to be working. Mercury Ad Corp. had lost some of their clients to Luna. This wasn’t the way Jonah had wanted to start his tenure. He had heard through the grapevine that Kirk was rising through Luna’s ranks. This could only be bad news. Knowing that they needed to make the next move and quickly, he called in Dennis and Julie.
Sitting across from Jonah Dennis spoke. “We have some things we want to run by you. We think you’ll like them.” He glanced over at Julie.
“Yes, let’s get to it. Our first thought was to use one of our rockets, one that could send a satellite into orbit, and advertise on that. But, it’s been done and it would be too easy. So Dennis,” casting a smile at him, she went on, “came up with this.” She took out a small sketch board and handed it to Jonah. “We’re working on the animation part.”
It displayed four drawings. The first was a rocket launching, next, a round object popping out of the top at the rockets apex. The third picture had the object encircling the Earth. And last, some rays shooting out of it and forming the American News Logo. Jonah scratched his head. “Ok, I think I get it but please explain.”
“We send our own satellite up and we use lasers to display any logo we want from it. As it circles the Earth we can change the logo and colors at any time!” She was excited.
Jonah laughed. “Well I thought my shuttle idea was nuts but this, this.” He tapped the board. “Dennis?”
“Money, time, and technology, that’s what you’re thinking. But it’s all there! The technology exists already; they use lasers for light shows, sporting events, you name it. I would bet anything that NASA has an unused satellite we could use. Then we piggy back it on an existing flight, and there you have it!” Containing his excitement seemed to be a chore as he jumped out of his seat.
“The money, funding?” Jonah had to ask.
Cutting in and pulling Dennis back into his chair, Julie inserted, “With the capability to change logos from here, the cost can be spread out among all those who advertise. It really can be cost effective. Maybe we even work out some free spots for NASA in exchange for some cost deferral?”
“Remember, time is what we don’t have. Luna’s most likely working round the clock also. Kirk knows me and that I’ll be all over this. A timeline?”
“We’ve got one of our personnel working on that right now and I believe that if you can give us 48 hours we’ll have everything in order. I would say gather all our cliental together day after tomorrow and we’ll give them a presentation they won’t forget. We’ve already contacted deputy administrator Garve and this time Jonah, she seemed enthused!” Dennis grinned.
The presentation came and went swiftly. Dennis and Julie had a fool proof plan. It was good. Secretly the plan was called Round 3. Seventy out of the eighty-three clients loved the idea; the others were just smaller companies who just couldn’t afford this type of gimmick. Jonah leaned back in his chair thinking. He had been impressed with his top teams ability to get a preliminary contract hammered out with Space Administration so fast. A rocket, old satellite to retrofit, and a date had been all been obtained. As he sat there pondering his agencies latest success, he became stoic and also wondered how far this would go with Luna.
September, 2011
Once more, a launch day had arrived. Jonah was surprised to find that he was as excited today as was on that first one back in February. This was a particularly interesting launch not because their satellite was on this ULA Delta II Heavy rocket. It was the importance of the NASA mission and the fact that they had allowed Mercury Ad Corp. to send up another with their own. This was the launch of GRAIL. This mission was going to map the moon, crust to core and advance the understanding of its thermal evolution according to NASA. Jonah knew that this mission could directly affect the Giant Impact hypothesis of how the moon was formed. His excitement was for that as well.
The rocket launched without a hitch and both satellites were deployed. Grail went one way and Mercury’s, fondly called Talaria, was on its own. Part of the contract with the Space Agency had been that they direct the satellite from the operations base of their choice and any ads would be free. A pretty simple deal, of course there had been monetary compensation but that was just a non issue.
The following evening after all the checks had been made and it had been determined that all systems were operational, Dennis and Julie brought the Talaria to life. Dennis punching in coded information on one computer and Julie even more on another. They had operated a perfect ad campaign. Like Luna’s, it was simple. It ran for the last few weeks up to tonight. It began with people looking up to the sky at night, some with binoculars and others without. Then a little boy would point up and an adult could be heard saying, Look! Up in the sky! The camera would then slowly pan to the heavens to show a bright star twinkling. Then a voiceover would say, Coming soon, a Heavenly Sight. Are you ready?
With everything now coded into the computers Dennis hit enter and looking over gave Julie a nod. Taking a deep breath she tapped her keypad. For a moment they saw nothing. Then overhead, they saw a colored pattern begin to appear in the darkness overhead. Then, within seconds it was there strolling quickly across the night sky; a multicolored ad for Star Telescopes. It was an image of a traditional scope with the words Star Scopes: The Past Is the Future. All of Mercury’s ads would run for only two minutes every forty minutes. This was an agreement that Jonah had to agree to for Star Telescopes. They had been worried about the ads effect on light pollution and wouldn’t do it unless that clause was in the contract. So with plenty of advertisers now on board and the satellite operational, it was time to worry about what Luna was doing. With the race well underway Jonah didn’t have any choice but to infiltrate Luna. Those above him had insisted that he place a mole inside, he had done so reluctantly. He would check in with him in a few days. Now it was time to relax and take some time off. Leaving Dennis at the helm, he left the room.
Late September 2011
Jonah was now back at his office and shuffling through some papers when his secretary buzzed.
“Mr. Trotter, you have a client here to see you, a Mr. Kilbreath?”
Nervously he answered. “Yes, yes. Please send him in, I am expecting him.”
Walking into Jonah’s office and taking a seat across from him, he spoke. “Jonah, so good to see you. I hope you are well?” He placed a small money pouch on the desk and spread it open with his two index fingers. He leaned back in his chair and smiled.
“Don’t be so coy Kilbreath.” He reached across the table for the pouch. “So what is the news today?” He placed the money into the little bag and slid it slowly back across the desk.
Recovering the pouch and peering into it, the man pulled the drawstrings shut, then placed it into his suit jacket. With no expression he began. “Luna will be working with the Russians. Not in a bad way, they are just the vehicle in which the next step in this war will be delivered. Your old friend Kirk is working with them and NASA now. Seems the ISS will be the sight of the next battle. Pretty big thing too, almost like a laser banner trailing behind it. You know the type you see planes use overhead at fairs, ball parks and such. No down time either. 24/7, light pollution be damned. They will be sending up all the equipment in December with flight 3R, a Russian Proton. Its actual mission is to deliver a multipurpose lab module. Gonna keep it all hush, hush you know. Sorry to see NASA working against you.” He shrugged, “Maybe you’ll use the moon next.” He chuckled.
Eyebrows raising a little, Jonah spoke. “Well you never know. After all we do have a satellite that we could send into lunar orbit. And I’m sure Dennis would have no problem with that.” His hand was resting on his chin. Dropping his hand and shaking his head he went on. “Do you have anything else?”
“No.” Kilbreath said patting his coat where the money rested. “I think that’s all for today. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.” Giving a quick salute with two fingers he turned and left.
Alone now, Jonah realized that the moon really was the next obvious step. If Luna was using the ISS next, there would be nowhere else to go. Picking up his cell phone he dialed a number. “Dennis, it’s time to move onto the next campaign. Here’s what I was thinking…”
Late December 2011
Luna’s recent plan had worked. Its banner advertising on the ISS was truly a remarkable sight. The station, just a pinpoint of light as it crossed the sky, was followed by a very readable ad. American was the one that stuck in Jonah’s head. After jumping ship for Luna’s newest feat, it simply read, Following the News. American News Corp. But that didn’t really bother him. His company was preparing for the final assault, an ad on the moon itself. The preparations had been and were still intense. They needed to make this one perfect, after all it was the last place this battle could go.
January 2012
“So we are aware of your dealings with Mercury, Kilbreath. We truly hope it has been worth your while because you’re about to lose your job.” Kirk spoke the words matter of factly.
Sitting stone faced the man said, “No problem, it’s been a pleasure working for your company.” He stood and turned toward the door.
“Have you nothing to say in your defense? You’re just going to walk out the door?” Kirk was actually surprised.
Turning back, Kilbreath held up his index finger, “Well there is one little thing. I know what they are planning next.” Hand dropping, he grinned.
Jaw dropping, mouth open, Kirk sat silent for a split second. Then, he stammered out, “You, you know what they are doing next? I, I thought you were spying on us? Tell me what you know!”
“Not so fast, just a moment ago you were putting me out on the street. Now you want information?” He laughed mischievously. “I’m not sure I want to give it up, after all I am no longer employed with your company.”
Kirk now saw what this was about. Kilbreath had let himself get caught sharing information. He knew what the outcome would be. He knew that he would have the upper hand. He was a sly one. The shock of it all now worn off, Kirk tilted his chair back. “Fine, I understand. Just for giggles say I re-hire you, will I get the info then?” He already knew the answer.
“No, no I don’t think so.” Came the reply.
“Not even if there was a little something extra in it for you? Really now, isn’t that what this whole little game is all about?” Leaning forward, elbows on the desk, he waited.
“Well, that may or may not be the case. This information I possess, what is it worth to you and Luna?” His plan was working very well.
Kirk reached for a note pad, wrote a figure on it and the slid it over to the man who was again seated in front him.
Frowning he wrote his own figure on the pad, placed his empty pouch on it, and slid it back.
Shaking his head, Kirk began to write another figure down when a hand slowly covered the yellow post it pad.
“No, the last figure is non-negotiable. It’s that or I walk and you are left to ponder what you may have been able to turn to your advantage.” His eyes told Kirk it was his final offer.
Kirk needed to know, he had to have the edge. He was running out of time and space, literally. “Well, it seems as if you have me in a bad spot. Nothing that cannot be worked out of course. You’ve got your money Kilbreath, now, tell me what you know.”
Pointing to his pouch he said, “Not yet.”
“Oh all right, I’ll be back in a moment.” Disgusted, Kirk slid back in his chair, stood and left the room. After a few moments he returned and walked over to his desk. He snatched the money pouch off of it, stuffed some bills into the bag and tossed it into the awaiting hands of Kilbreath, who immediately began thumbing through the currency. Satisfied it was all there, he drew it shut and placed into his jacket as before. “Now, I am waiting.” Kirk said as he took his seat behind the large desk.
“Well, first the shuttle, then a Russian rocket, satellite, then you did the ISS. Mercury has to come up to the plate next. They need a home run. Next up the moon.” He pointed up briefly.
“The moon?” Kirk seemed confused.
“Yes, the moon. They have a satellite up there now which can advertise into thin air. Move it into lunar orbit, tweak some settings and bang!” He hit his hand on the desk startling Kirk. “You project your ad on the moon. Home run!”
“They can do that?” Kirk knew he shouldn’t be astonished, but he was.
“Yep. Now here at Luna, we need the grand slam.” He made a swinging motion. “And I know exactly how to do that.” It was Kilbreath’s turn to lean back in his chair.
“Continue.”
“Not so fast. Sure you came up with the money, but I don’t believe that I’ve been officially hired back.” He smiled.
“Oh that.” Kirk smirked. “Fine, done deal. You’re hired. What’s your plan?”
“Are you familiar with nano technology?”
“Yes, I am actually.” Kirk seemed very interested. He had a feeling he might know where this was headed.
“I happen to have a friend at the university who is very familiar with this field. He actually has working prototypes. They’re not quite at the atomic level just yet, about this big.” He held his index and thumb about an eighth of an inch apart. “He calls them Tics, but they’ll do for our needs. I figure since you’re now buddies with NASA you get some cargo time on a flight. From orbit, we launch a very small tube that we can guide. We fly to Mercury’s satellite, dock with it and let the Tics do their job.”
“Destroy it before they can show their ad! Brilliant!” Kirk was excited.
“No, not destroy it.” Kilbreath’s voice was filled with disgust. “We program the Tics to reprogram the satellite. They flick the switch expecting their client’s message and…” This time he hit both palms on the desk hard making Kirk jump noticeably with surprise, “instead our ad shows up. Walk off grand slam.” An evil smile spread across his face.
Sitting shell shocked for a moment, Kirk regained his senses. “Do they have a date?”
“Middle of February. The 14th I believe. Seeing that today is the 5th of January you’d better hurry if you going to do this.
“Kilbreath, you are an evil, evil man.” Smiling Kirk went on, “I knew there was a reason I re-hired you. You’re on the team; get back to your desk there’s a lot to do.”
“Thank you sir. Oh, I almost forgot, thank you for the bonus.” He patted his jacket, turned and left.
Early February 2012
Kilbreath had delivered and his friend at the university had been most helpful. Once again it cost his company some money, OK, a lot of money, but Kirk knew that it was well worth the price. The nano Tics had been packaged into a small satellite and placed with Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuStar) satellite for launch. NASA had been told by Luna that it was a communications satellite to help keep in contact with clients around the globe. The Tics had been programmed to intercept and dock with the Talaria. Once inside the satellite they would reprogram the lasers to run an ad for one of Luna’s clients. Seemed harmless to Kirk, heck, he thought, it was almost like pulling a prank on a boyhood friend. He was excited. The launch had gone unnoticed by Mercury. They were busy working on the program that would leave them supreme in the advertising community. Things were progressing very nicely and the entire world was once again talking about Mercury’s latest project, even though no one had any idea what it might be. Jonah had the company under tight lockdown and even hired extra guards to surround the perimeter of the building. All meals were even being catered in. You couldn’t get in and you most certainly could not get out. With that type of security it was no wonder the world was watching the final battle unfold.
February 13 2012
The day started out like any other day over the past few weeks. Luna was waiting for news that the Tics had docked with the Talaria and Mercury was feeling like they had won the war and that Luna would wave the white flag the next day. All seemed good on both sides. But what was about to happen no one could have predicted.
Flying silently through space approaching the Talaria, Luna’s satellite carrying the Tics, was struck by a two micro meteorites. Now in most cases if a ship or satellite is struck, it has the capability to self seal itself. If no integral components are damaged, no harm, no foul, it stays operational. Luna had the foresight that if such an incident occurred, they would be ready. Inside the satellite they had two cylindrical containers. Three Tics in each one. If one were damaged, the other could complete the mission. This would be the case. The first micro meteorite entered one of the cylinders tearing apart and destroying three Tics. The second was a little more generous. It only grazed the remaining container, but the damage had been done.
In the short time Luna had to prepare, they had skimped on the internal shielding of the containers. The second micro meteorite was emanating a massive magnetic signature. It grazed the Tics home, made a microscopic slice and, in that millisecond as it passed through did all the damage it needed to. The internal programming that had been done at the university was wiped away clean and replaced with a program that would shock the world.
Several hours later the Tics had docked and scurried into the Talaria. Luna had noticed that their satellite had been struck and the one container destroyed, but seeing that the second seemed to be unscathed, decided to continue. The little nano bugs were hard at work and all seemed to be going according to the plan. Kirk was seated in his office and had instructed those close to project to go about their normal lives not create any attention. He nervously taped his desk with his pen. This would all soon be over he thought. At dark the next day, Mercury would activate the Talaria and get a real surprise. He could hardly wait. Would there be repercussions? Maybe, most likely, but it would be worth it. He closed his eyes and rested
According to the Mayan calendar the world will end on December 21st, 2012. But there are those who believed that it started to end today.
Evening of February 14th 2012
The sun had set and the sky was clear. For that Jonah had been thankful. Postponing this event would have been agonizing. Dennis and Julie had set up make shift desks and had their computers booted up and ready to go. Hundreds of people had gathered in the open field where Mercury had chosen to finish off the latest ad campaign. The press was everywhere. Everyone was trying to get an interview with Jonah but he stayed well within the restricted area. Being February, the cold had forced everyone to don heavy coats, hats and gloves. But the cold air was perfect for what everyone was about to witness. Looking over to Dennis he nodded.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Dennis and I represent the Mercury ad agency. First off we’d like to thank you for coming out on this very brisk evening.” Laughter rippled through the crowd. Brisk? He should have said freezing. He took a quick sip of his coffee and continued. “As you can see it is a gorgeous night and the sky is clear. Overhead we have our closet neighbor, the moon. I would have said Luna but I am sure you all know why I didn’t!” Now the crowd roared with laughter. “That being said, you are here to witness an event and that is what we are going to give you. Oh, it won’t be fancy, but I can guarantee you will never, ever forget it! Thank you for coming, and now the reason you’re here!” Dennis moved back to his computer, discreetly gave his nose a quick wipe on his sleeve. Quickly he and Julie stripped off their gloves and began tapping keys. Looking at each other, they turned back toward their respective keyboards and both hit enter.
At first nothing happened, the serene moon was just hanging motionless. Then what appeared to be some static flashed across its surface. In a flash there was an image of a piece of cheese but then it was gone. The look on Dennis’s face told Jonah something was wrong. He began to rush over to his friend when heard the collective gasp from the crowd. Looking up he saw it. He could not believe his eyes. One large yellow beam only. It seemed to be emanating from a stationary spot in the darkness. It should have been the image of that piece of cheese. That was their ad. Wisconsin cheese on the moon! But where was it? Still stopped in his tracks he could now understand the hysteria that was building. There was a plume of dust and debris spewing from where the beam was concentrating. So large that it was unmistakable. The laser seemed to boring into the moons crust. Finally moving now, he was yelling, no begging, for Dennis or Julie to shut it down.
Dennis’s fingers had never moved so fast and Julie was in tears as she also tried. After what seemed like an eternity but was really only 5 minutes, they gave up. Looking white and the vapor streaming quickly from his nostrils as though he were dragon, Dennis could barely get it out. “I, I can’t shut it down. It won’t obey our commands. I don’t know what happened.” He beat a frozen fist down on the portable desk multiple times.
“Try again.” Jonah was pleading. Dennis and Julie just looked helplessly at him. His tears were freezing and beginning to look like stalactites.
The crowd had dispersed in horror and shouts of, its 2012 could be heard everywhere. Within 30 minutes NASA and FBI officials were there. Jonah had never known it, but they had been monitoring Mercury and Luna from the beginning. They were being whisked away when Jonah, Dennis and Julie looked up again. The plume was growing rapidly and the vision was all too clear. The beam was reaming a hole into the moon. Being pushed forward, they were stuffed into official vehicles like common criminals.
Standing outside with some co-workers Kirk was starring horrified. Wasn’t that supposed to be their logo on the face of the moon? What had they done? What must Jonah and Dennis be feeling right now? What was he going to do? The questions were overtaking his mind. Breathing deeply, he exhaled. Keep his mouth shut, yes that is what he should do. He quickly text everyone associated with the project to quickly come back to the office.
One hour later they were assembled and debating on what to do next. Should they inform authorities of what had happened and tell them about the Tics? Or just sit and watch Mercury go down in flames. Kirk was trying desperately to restore order when Kilbreath walked quietly into the room. He stood at the door with his arms folded behind his back. “I have the solution to your problem.”
Kirk stepped off the podium and began to rapidly approach him. Now face to face he snorted. “Like last time? I doubt it very much.” His anger was mounting. “So, go ahead, your solution?” His fists were balled up and knuckles white.
Kilbreath stepped aside and simply said, “Tell the authorities.” Out of nowhere the room filled with FBI agents. “I think there must be some punishment for destruction of property don’t you? I don’t mean like a fence or a window. I’m talking somebody’s satellite, you know what I mean?” Patting his pocket where a money pouch usually was and smiling, he was led out by an agent.
Being turned around, Kirk was secured with handcuffs. The only words he heard were, “You have the right to remain…”
February 16th 2012
Jonah, Dennis and Julie had been informed that this incident was not Mercury’s fault. They had been told down to every detail of what Luna’s Tics had done. Though they were relieved they still felt responsible. The three had been invited to sit in on the big think tank sessions that had immediately followed. Jonah had thought he was in a very bad science fiction movie. Some wanted to send up nuclear weapons, others wanted to bring back the shuttles to fly a one way trip to the Talaria and destroy it.
Leaning over Dennis spoke softly to Jonah. “Next they’re gonna want Bruce Willis to head the mission.” Jonah couldn’t laugh.
Finally, walking swiftly through the door was NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garve followed closely by NASA Administrator Major General Charlie Bolden.
The deputy administrator spoke first. “Gentlemen here are the facts. Mercury’s laser is boring into the moon. At the present rate it will bore through to the core in two days. The debris is already causing spectacular aurora borealis’s at the least. No tidal effects as of yet, but once it reaches the core, and it will reach it. Well that is anybody’s guess. What we must be concerned with right now is stopping it altogether and then sort out the damage. Ladies and gentlemen, NASA Administrator Major General Charlie Bolden.”
“The president has authorized me to do what it takes to stop the Talaria and I intend to do just that. Unfortunately we live in the real world and we don’t have sci-fi items at our disposal. What we do have is missile silos. Some very large and deep missile silos. No, we’re not going to shoot nukes at the thing. Back in the 1970’s when we were landing men on the moon we used Apollo spacecraft. It took three days to get the moon and three days to get back. Apollo 18 never went to the moon, until today.” The room fell silent. “That’s correct; Apollo 18 has been stored and maintained at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming for going on 40 years waiting for her chance. The time is now 1600 hours, she will leave her den at 1900 hours with three astronauts to shut down and destroy the Talaria. Now, we cannot stop the boring, but we must stop that satellite. That is all for now.” The two NASA administrators left the room.
Dennis couldn’t believe what he had just heard. It was like Elvis had returned from the dead. All these years later and an Apollo Rocket still lived.
“Dennis, I know exactly what you’re thinking, it is somewhat exciting but, a reality checks please. What will happen to the moon when that laser hits its core?”
A short man in a brown suit jacket stood at the podium now. “Please everyone sit back down, please!” He was almost shouting. Soon everyone had taken their seats. “Thank you. I agree that this is an astonishing development. We must stay focused, we must let NASA do their job and we must do ours. Ours is to determine what, if anything will happen to the moon once the boring reaches the core.”
The theories were being tossed from every corner of the room and it was too much for Jonah. Dennis and Julie opted to stay; he stood and moved to the back of the room. Still in shock over the events and revelations of the past few days he slipped out unnoticed. Walking a short distance down the road he found a small local tavern. Walking in, he sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and waited for the launch.
February 18th 2012
The rouge laser had reached the lunar core and immediately most of the speculations had been proven wrong. Some of the scientists had believed that upon reaching the core the moon would fracture and split in two. Others had speculated that it would super heat the core and the moon would be blown apart from the inside out. Still others had said that nature, even on celestial bodies, would heal themselves. People around the world had been preparing for the worst. But with the laser still operational, everyone had been warned that the situation was still very much a concern. But the knowledge that it hadn’t split in two or been blown to bits, made the world feel a little bit safer.
February 20th 2012
The Apollo command module arrived right on schedule. After locating the Talaria they quickly were able to establish an orbit that would allow them to eventually rendezvous with the satellite. This would be a little difficult as Talaria was stationary. What needed to been done would require skill from the astronauts. The plan was for the command module to jettison the lunar module, turn around and dock with the complete lunar module. They would fly attached until they came near the satellite. Two of the crew would then move into the lunar module. Near the broken satellite it would separate and move into a position above the Talaria. One of the astronauts would perform an EVA, get to the satellite, disable it, and then place a time delay charge on it. He would then use his jetpack to return to the lunar module. They would then jettison the descent stage and dock with command module. Once safely aboard, the three astronauts would speed for home.
The concept and execution had worked perfectly. The astronauts had taken photos of the damaged moon as best they could through the debris field that had been created. Through the field one photo revealed a small almost orange glow near the boring site. As more photo’s arrived back at NASA more of the strange spots could been seen. Another phenomenon which could clearly be seen from Earth was that the debris seemed to be gathering in a ring around the moon. To most, it reminded them of Saturn’s rings. Apollo had also reported that though most of the debris was gathering around the center, a small thin layer was beginning to envelop our natural satellite.
This seemed to boggle most scientists as the moon has little gravity and what was there, was very uneven. It also did not have enough of a magnetic field to hold, what most were now calling, an atmosphere.
February 21st 2012
The reports from GRAIL were coming in and the findings were staggering. The moons gravity had been very slowly but steadily increasing since the laser had hit the core. But gravity wasn’t the only effected area. The thermal temperature of the core had increased at a rapid rate. What was once a hard core piece of speculated iron was on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown. In fact most believed it already had liquefied. The orange spots in Apollo’s photographs seemed to indicate this. Every optical piece of space equipment was now focused on the moon.
Then without warning it happened. It was only one at first. A volcanic eruption on the moon. Then it was two, then three. Ash and lava were spewing miles into the sky, but not escaping. The GRAIL was now sending back gravitational readings that were half that of Earths. The twin satellites were also showing a large increase in the magnetic field readings. This could only happen from a spinning hot core. A spinning core was verified by GRAIL also. It was decided to adjust GRAILS orbit and send the twin satellites farther away from the moon. If they didn’t, the new gravity would send them crashing onto the surface, and soon.
Before the satellites could achieve their new orbit, their signals were lost. In one moment a bright flash from the moon’s surface could be seen in broad daylight. An eruption of epic proportions. But what happened next, not one person had theorized. The super heated explosion was so intense that it ignited the delicate silicate surface of the moon. The fire band that followed ran in two directions. It took only three hours to encircle the satellite. In that time the toxic fumes and superheated chemicals rose above the moon. They rose and settled in stages above the moon, the upper most particles approximately 3100 miles from the surface. The entire surface was now covered with volcanic activity. Strange electrical charges, that no one ever thought could happen near the moon, were flashing in a brilliant blue color. The film that the world was now seeing was holding a planet hostage.
March 1st 2012
The data was still coming in and it wasn’t good. The massive explosion had done three important things to the moon. The first thing was creating a 23 degree angle tilt, exactly that of the Earths. Two, once the core began spinning that the moon itself began to rotate. The rotation was barely detectable, but it was there, and it would continue to increase. And the third. The moon’s magnetic field seemed to stabilize to almost two thirds that of Earth. It had interacted with Earths field and actually pushed the moon further away from the Earth. The effects were not surprising. Earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, violent volcanic activities, and almost every other natural disaster that one could think of were happening. But through it all humans would find a way to adapt.
April 2013
In a large room full of scientists, religious leaders, politicians and other influential people from around the world met to discuss the New Moon. Just over a year had passed since the LunaTic incident. The debate was intense and had gone on for many hours. It had been agreed that no one really could tell what would happen in the future. The Earth was experiencing so many new things. Climate changes were now stabilizing. Every coastline throughout the world had drastically been altered by tidal changes. Where ever the moon appeared in the sky, day or night, there were Aurora Borealis so intense and beautiful that it defied logic. The two close atmospheres exchanged charged particles nightly creating lighting storms of extreme intensity, even deadly at times. These particles had the same effect as solar flares at times also, this meant that power could be adversely affected anywhere in the world at any time. Satellites were destroyed, and even the ISS had to be abandoned. Whole new technologies were being developed to counter the effects of our neighbor. While the world was not totally thrown back into the Stone Age, for most it probably seemed that way.
The large audience now quieted. Standing at the podium was a short plump man. He began speaking. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. One year ago an unforeseen disaster unlike the world has ever seen happened. It has changed our lives forever. I have good news for all. The scientific community around the world has been working in unison around the clock to bring you today’s news.” He held up a thick folder for all to see. “This is the latest findings from the LunaTics hearings. It does appear that we humans have weathered the storm and prevailed once more. Our heavenly neighbor provided quite a shock to us. But Mother Nature has sent us a strong sign that she is healing. And she has provided us with a unique view to the universe. We have found that in the last year the moons atmosphere has been producing water vapor and its rotation has stopped gaining speed. My friends, we humans, by shear accident have terraformed a celestial body. Indications are that the moon will someday be a habitable planet. Your children’s children may one day be living on the moon.” He could hear the wave of murmurs pass through the crowd. “All the findings will be available for you in a binder on your way out of this symposium. It will be a slow process, this terraforming, but maybe, just maybe, we will need this new home in one hundred years…”
Sitting in the back of the large auditorium sat an unnoticed man. The last year had taken its toll on his mind and body. He had always been a science enthusiast so this should have been just another lecture he had attended. But as he sat listening, his mind wandered to something someone had once said to him. Don’t worry boss. We’ll get back on track. After all it’s only an ad campaign, what could possible go wrong? He began to laugh uncontrollably.
