A reluctant Brazilian military finally yielded, and allowed Frank to open his launch pad for what he called "The biggest party in Brazil since Carnival!"
The crowd was massive, but massive arrangements had been made. Literally hundreds of cooks, bartenders, and servers had been imported. The control tower was kept busy shuttling planes in and out, and a steady stream of boats flowed from São Luis, across the bay.
But that did not mean Frank was careless. Armed, uniformed soldiers patrolled the site. The large combination hangar/assembly building was locked and patrolled by armed guards. Armed soldiers asked arriving guests for identification, and the Brazilian army was getting a lot of counter-terrorism training, using explosive-sniffing dogs, advanced metal and explosive detectors, and other advanced equipment and techniques. They had been drilling for weeks.
Those with American passports had their names compared to a list Frank had provided, and those not on the list were simply denied entry. Frank was sure that at least a couple of spies would gain entry anyway, but he actually did not mind. This was to be Frank's big announcement. All secrets – well, all but one – would be revealed, and he was making certain he would have the largest audience possible for it.
K2 was posed in front of the hangar, perfect for picture taking. She soared above her audience, brilliant white except for her black heat tiles. Her tail fin proudly displayed Frank's large picture of Earth as seen from the moon. A frail-looking ladder led to a platform near the ship's nose, and a rope barrier and armed soldiers kept her inviolate. Some forty folding chairs covered in bright white cloth faced the ship, also protected by the rope barrier.
Precisely at the announced time, the small personnel door of the huge hangar opened, and a column of dignitaries exited. They had been carefully guided to the guarded hangar, and treated to the finest of wines and food. Every cabinet ministry was represented, nearly all by the Minister himself, and the Vice-President was among the guests.
Frank spoke briefly, thanking his guests for coming, but mostly, thanking them for their steadfastness in the face of extreme pressure, for their faith in him. He also warned them that until the actual launch in two weeks, the fight was not over. The U.S. would not lightly surrender its dominance of space news. But he promised that today's ceremony and the excitement it would create would be something they would remember with pride for the rest of their years.
He called each of them up to the front and thanked them personally. Each was given a small gold Buran statue, engraved with their name, a 'Thank You', and Frank's signature.
Then it was time, and they formed up to file out the small door. Frank held the Vice President back for a moment. "A seat in the front row is reserved for you, Excellency. It is proper that you exit last, so that you can be properly escorted to your seat."
The vice President nodded. "Obrigado," he replied.
But as they exited the hanger, a helicopter with military markings settled to the runway. A man in a dark civilian suit exited the helicopter, and as he approached, Frank recognized the President of Brazil. Frank hurried to greet him as the helicopter lifted off.
Frank stopped a few steps from the President, and bowed slightly. "It is truly an honor that you could join us, Excellency."
The President smiled. "I would not miss it, Senhor Weatherly. If I am not mistaken, you plan to announce some rather spectacular news.
Frank smiled as he escorted the President to a solid chair, draped in white linen, in front of the first row. "It seems I am not unexpected," commented the President.
"We had hoped, Excellency."
Frank followed Susan up the ladder. Once there, he clipped a small microphone to his suit lapel.
"Good afternoon, Senhor President, Senhor Vice President, esteemed guests. Welcome to the christening ceremony for the first spacecraft to be launched without government support of any kind. We have received no assistance of any type from any government, except for assets or services we have purchased.
"I would like to say that this is the culmination of a dream for me, but it is not; it is, in fact, the end of preparations to pursue that dream, and the beginning of the pursuit itself. Those preparations began when a friend, David Tarrant, proposed an idea. We have spent over a year and over two billion U.S. dollars in pursuit of that idea, that dream.
"Those of you who have been kind enough to follow our progress in the independent media, perhaps think you're aware of that dream. I tell you now; you know only half of the dream, perhaps the least important half.
"David Tarrant, and the five other men I will be introducing shortly, does indeed plan to intercept a comet, Carson IV. But we have visited comets before, using unmanned missions. Why should we go in person?
"I tell you now: We go because Carson IV is not our goal; it is our transportation!"
"When they arrive at the comet, they will land on it, or dock with it, if you prefer. Then they will begin to tunnel into the ice that is comet's main body. It may even be necessary to rotate it, to insure that the bulk of the comet is between them and the sun.
"They will do this because they will actually remain on the comet during its transit of the solar end of its orbit. If all goes well, they will emerge on the other side about two months later, with the comet outbound, toward the asteroid belt.
"Then they, or a relief crew sent to meet them, will ride Carson IV all the way to the asteroid belt. During the trip, which we estimate will take just over a year; they will affix ion drive engines to the comet, which they will use to guide it to a rendezvous with a selected asteroid.
"But no, this is not a mission to visit an asteroid. Rather, it is a mission to capture an asteroid, and return it to Earth orbit."
By the time he had finished, Frank could hear shouted voices, even on the elevated platform. He gestured with both hands for silence.
"When they arrive at our selected asteroid, the crew will move the ion engines from the comet to the asteroid, and will begin altering its orbit. We expect to anchor it to Carson IV, so the crew will still have access to the hydrogen and oxygen available in its water ice.
"We are uncertain as to the duration of the inbound trip; it depends on the asteroid selected, and orbit it occupies. But it will certainly be more than another year, possibly two. During the trip, they will again be tunneling, this time into the asteroid. They will be digging living spaces, ladies and gentlemen. By the time they arrive, we hope they will be 'driving' an almost ready-to-use real, true, space station.
When they arrive, they will use the ion engines to move the asteroid into a stable Earth orbit, creating an artificial second moon. Or perhaps we will choose to set it to orbiting just ahead or behind Earth in the same orbit, where it will become a permanent star. With the asteroid and the remains of Carson IV in a stable Earth orbit, we will be able to mine millions of tons of chemically pure minerals, yes, but also to tons of hydrogen, oxygen and water that can be used for further space exploration. We will have a stepping-stone to the stars!"
He paused, and saw pandemonium in the crowd. People were shouting, pushing, even fighting. Uniformed figures were beginning to head for the crowd. He frowned, and then shouted, "STOP!"
His amplified voice caused an immediate pause. "If you are unable to conduct yourselves in a civilized manner, I'm certain our friends in the Brazilian military will be happy to escort you to the exits. Of course, the planes will be leaving from inside the installation. I assure you, Sao Luis is a long swim, and Belem is an even longer hike. To our civilized guests, I apologize for the behavior of the barbarians among us."