Everyone laughed. Putin could have any number of women join him on board.
“Since my government is supporting the project and Vladimir is coming along with us, we demand that the new planet be called New Russia. Vladimir or his successor will be the leader of the planet. That way we do not have many countries to worry about like on Earth. I know some of you will have a problem with this plan.”
We all have problems with this, thought Tom.
“But President Putin is ready to offer each of you five billion dollars to help you build your spaceship in exchange for guaranteeing the name will be New Russia and he will be its supreme ruler. You do not even have to repay the money. You can use it as you wish. I would like to tell my president that we are all in agreement when I return to Mother Russia. We can modify the plan slightly if you have some concerns. I know some of you may want to call the new home New United States or New Germany, so we will buy the name from you. Do we have an agreement?”
Dr. Burns wondered, What the heck am I going to do with all this money on a new planet?
He asked Yuri, “Are you finished talking?” He did not look very happy.
Yuri said, “Dr. Burns, you seem to have some concerns. Let me remind you of several things. First, the Russians were the first country to launch into space. Our cosmonauts are the very best in the world. We beat you at that and your president at the time John F. Kennedy. We also have done most of the work on the International Space Station. Your country does not even seem interested in this anymore. Without us, a man might never have launched anything. Second, your current President Donald Trump is not going to support you. He does not believe in climate change or global warming or anything related to the environment. Many people in the United States who are members of his party also do not believe in climate change.
“Your president is technically the reason we have to leave Earth so soon. Russia does not intend to honor Donald Trump. Would you expect the new planet to be called Planet Trump? He may be the person responsible for the destruction of the Earth. My president has met Trump several times now and is not very impressed with him. It is his understanding that Russia can rule space as long as your president makes some money from it.”
Now Dr. Burns was angry. “Yuri, please sit down and listen to me very carefully. I do not give a damn who goes on your spaceship, and that includes Mr. Putin, and you can be sure I don’t give a damn about Donald Trump. I can tell you right now not to bribe me to do something that is just not right. I cannot speak for the Germans or Australians, but that is how I feel. I will raise the money to build our spaceship with the help of friends in the United States who share my concerns about the environment. Next, I want you to know that, yes, Trump has met with Putin on many occasions. Some of these meetings have been formal, and some were more informal, such as at the G-20 summits. Yet, no one in the United States knows what these two agreed to do because there are no official documents that have been made public. There is no way for anyone to believe Putin or Trump about anything they say. It is disappointing that I have to speak so negatively about Trump since I am from the United States, but that is how it is.
“And finally, none of us may actually ever find a planet, or if we do find one, it might be a hundred years from now. I doubt the name of the new planet will be very important in the scheme of things. If you are going to start making things difficult for everyone, we should probably suspend our relationship. We need to cooperate with each other one hundred per cent if we are to make this a successful journey. We can’t be loaded down by ultimatums that are hypothetical and may never occur. I do thank you though for your being so open about this. Please let President Putin know my position on these matters. If he wants, he can contact me himself, and I would be happy to discuss things with him. Am I clear? We cannot take off successfully if there are doubts about what the mission will be.”
Thomas Dresden and Ian Thorpe, the German and Australian commanders, shared their support for Dr. Burns.
Yuri seemed to come unnerved by Tom’s outburst.
He said, “Don’t get so worked up about this. Of course, we will work with you and cooperate on all matters. I will go home and speak to President Putin, to have his guidance on the matter.”
“You do that,” Tom said.
Yuri abruptly left the room, presumably to contact President Putin.
The Australian commander spoke. “You all know we need the Russians. They have so much technical expertise regarding space travel. Their engineers and scientists have all developed state-of-the-art rockets and equipment. Undertaking this without them as our ally would be foolish. They are currently responsible for the International Space Station as they have flown many missions there. They also have top-notch satellite equipment which can reach far into space and may be utilized by us if possible.”
The German commander spoke up. “Germany also has top engineers related to engine-making. But that is mainly for cars such as BMW and Mercedes. We have had a history of war against Russia, especially in World War II, when millions of citizens, from both countries, were killed. Even NATO is always worried about the Russian army under Putin trying to remake the Soviet Empire. There have been some agitated moments with Mr. Putin and the leaders of other counties. What assurances do you think we will get that he will cooperate with us? None of our presidents are expected to make the journey. We don’t want a war in space. It would be devastating considering all the work that will have to be done and all the future discoveries we can make together.”
Everything Tom did was focused on building a way to save human life, but he was also wary of the Russians. “I agree with both of you,” he said, “and I will make certain that the Russians are part of our team. I just don’t want them giving orders like we are all one big happy family under the Russian flag. Really, if we make it to another planet, I probably will not care what you call it. I will probably just be relieved that we made it somewhere.”
The Australian captain said, “Amen to that.”
The three of them lifted their glasses in another toast.
Moments later, Tom’s cell phone rang. He excused himself from the group as the meeting came to an end. Several of the group members got ready to leave. It was one of the top engineers, Bob Jackson. Tom had been discussing the project with Bob for years, and Bob seemed eager to reach beyond their limitations into the potentially habitable zones 4.2 light-years from Earth. With current technologies, that meant 6,300 years was the answer he’d have to give to anyone if they kept asking, ‘Are we there yet?’ Perhaps it would take multiple generations, perhaps they’d be frozen in time, perhaps…
“So, just checking in. You’re laser-beam focused on the fringe of the galaxy at that meeting of yours, aren’t ya?”
“Yep. Still trying to make my parents proud, Bob.”
“Tom, of course, and I bet you never imagined that even today you may have been a glimmer in a forefather’s eye!”
“Not sure my ancestors had any idea what they wanted for me except for the promise of a better life. Nice to think they were thinking of me though, Bob.”
“Well, hanging on the promises we’ve all seen broken, you and your team hold better promise. Proud to be on it. Someday, Sam will be very impressed. Your mission might not be full-scale operational yet, but I bet it’s the best use of money around right now. Hell, I bet Stephen Hawking rolls in his grave to look skyward when we do finally take off.”