Chapter 1

A Great Leap

Temptation III with four crew members orbited the Earth. The spaceship was in the low-orbit space, approximately 400 km from the ground where the gravity of the Earth does not reach. Down below, the vast blue ocean was glittering under the sun. Temptation III consisted of two parts ; a command module that looks like a Kisses chocolate and a cylindrically shaped service module. Everyone was quite busy inside the service module.

Captain Rei Ayanami shouted to the crew members. “Everybody, let’s get going! In exactly 5 minutes, we’re gonna be broadcasted live, even the audio. No F words. OK?”

The four crew members were wearing pressure suits. Today's test was the process of disconnecting the command ship and the service module, then turning off the automatic guidance device and manually docking two modules within a given time. It was the Dragonfly’s final test to select the crew members who will actually get on board the spaceship to Mars.

Dragonfly, having taken over the Mars One Project, was selecting the final crews through an official audition program; just as the Mars One Project did last time. The selection process was to be broadcasted live. It was announced that the total point each crew receives, would be calculated by adding up the Dragonfly score and the audience submitted scores.

Rei helped Michelle Chang put on her helmet while she grumbled, “Why does it have to be this way?” “No money, No journey. Without money, you can’t take the taxi to Mars.” Rei said. “Too expensive!” Robin Alex joined in. Rei made a ‘X’ with her two fingers at Alex, and commented with an exaggerated voice. “Hey, I read in an old book once. In Seoul, before robo-taxis existed, there used to be 'bullet taxis' around. These taxis drove at the speed of light, but were hell of a lot expensive. I say we catch one of these taxis to go to Mars.”

Tall and slender Stanley Hugh, while connecting his gloves to his suit, was laughing outright. “Hey Captain, it sure makes sense.” Hugh smiled at Rei. “Hugh, you can take jokes now. Congrats on the progress” Rei said. Hugh shrug his shoulders. “All these time we spent together; you can count on me”

Rai cried out to the crew. “Okay Everybody, just as we practiced. We can do it, right?”

Alex, the tallest among the four crews, grinned slightly and saluted at Rei with his right hand. “Sure, Captain!” Alex’s curly red hair stuck out from his helmet. Michelle Chang laughed thinking he should have picked one size larger a helmet.

“All right, Fantastic 4.” The four to-be crews gathered their right fists together. Rei said, “Don’t go too far away, let’s stick close to one another.” Other crew answered in union, “Okay, We’re not going to Mars right away.” Opening the narrow hatch, Micelle and Alex went across to the command module.

“4, 3, 2, 1 CUT.”

Upon signal, studio control room at each broadcasting station broadcasted the image transferred to them from the service module and command module of Temptation III. At the main studio where a giant screen was standing, the host and the professional commentator were seated at a triangular table. “A reality show for selecting the actual crews who will grab the chance to travel to Mars: namely the . It has already been a long journey of nearly 30 days, and we are nearing to the final round. Tell us, this team is famous, are they not?” The host smiled at the commentator. “Yes, This team is a strong candidate to become the final winning team. Considering the viewers support, we can say that Rei is ranking no.1.” Edited image cuts of Rei and her best scores are on screen. While the live show was on, Hugh at the service module called out Rei in a low key voice.

“Captain.”

“Roger.”

Rei winked her right eye at Hugh. One of the many unmanned cameras situated at the service module captured her wink. The network’s director caught the scene and broadcasted it.

“Ah...” The commentator made an admiring noise. "Not so much admiring while we are on air live.” The host gave an advice to him. “My comment was not addressed to Rei alone. At this moment, the command module has been detached from the service module. Very well organized. We did not even realize the separation. Extremely swift. This team surely have been practicing. They are indeed in perfect harmony.” The command module was getting afar. Two man-made objects were shining bright under the sunlight.

Then something suddenly happened. Two modules were about 1 kilometers apart when the video signal went off at the sound of a deafening loud thump. “What was this? What happened?” The host and the commentator were both in confusion. “Oh no, hope this is not a collision with a space debris” the commentator lamented. “This is an unexpected disaster....are the crews OK?” the host said.

Rei was blacked out for a moment but soon managed to open her eyes. The place was a big chaos. All items were dancing about in the air, moving in disorder. It meant that the service module was rotating on irregular basis. Decompression warning light was lighting up and down in red and warning call was beeping continuously. Rei held tight onto the rail in front of the experimental equipment in order to stay put. Stanley Hugh came into her eyes. Hugh’s four limbs were floating in the air as he flew up the air without holding onto anything.

Rei cried, “Hugh!” A dark red liquid droplet sprang up above Hugh's ear. It seemed as if he got hurt on the head. Rei grabbed Hugh with her two legs and tried to shake him on his shoulder with her left hand. Hugh showed no sign of getting awake. Rei put an helmet on his head. The command module that Michelle Chang and Robin Alex was on, was separated from the service module so that they could film the service module. Michelle and Alex were petrified at the sight of the service module. Like a drum washing machine rotating on a loose rubber, the service module recklessly turning round and round in a circle.

Dragonfly control center stopped the audio signal and changed the video direction that was being transmitted to the broadcasters, to the inside of the command module. However, the broadcasters instantly detected what was going on. BBC was reviewing whether to discontinue live broadcast.

“Prepare the filler (Filler: an alternative program prepared to replace programming in case of a broadcast accident) and stop live broadcasting” said the program's executive producer. “Stop? The rating is rocketing up now!” the director asked back. “We can’t broadcast people dying!” producer shouted. “What? Don’t you know that when Space Shuttle Challenger, Mars One Rocket exploded, everything was broadcasted live?” The director's rebuttal was calm and logical.

At the exterior wall of the service module, water and air was simultaneously coming out. As they gushed out into space, they instantly froze and sparkled like jewels. If human lives were not in danger, the scenery was way more beautiful than the word “beautiful” could express.

Something hit hard on Don-Hassler-Tank, a tank to shield space radiation. Air inside the ship and water in the tank were rapidly draining out into space, which signified that a hole penetrating the tank and the ship must have been made. Although the thing that hit the tank was small in size, the destructive power and the reaction came from its speed, not the size. If it had flown from the opposite direction, the speed could have been 56,000km per hour which is more than 100 times the speed of a flying bullet. Luckily, the electric system including communication equipment were all working well.

“Chang. Do you hear?” Rei said. “Rei! Are you OK? I kept on calling out your name for the last few minutes!” Michelle Chang was sobbing. Rei asked, “Can’t we stop the spinning?” Chang replied quickly, “We tried but there’s no way, the thrust of the auxiliary rocket from the service module is too low. This is an activation exceeding the posture control range.”

The staffs at the Earth Control Center were in panic and they were shouting out aloud to each other. However, it was clear that they were not being helpful, were disastrously dealing this emergency situation. Compared to the NASA control center, the number of staffs were only one twentieth. and everybody at the control tower were terrified by such helpless state that their mouths had all dried up.

An officer in the control room asked the staff a question. “Can’t the command module come closer and give help?” “No it can’t. If it comes closer the 2 other crews become endangered. It’s like jumping into a fire pit. It’s just like putting your finger in a rotating fan.” one of the staff answered.

The Center’s director covered his head with his palms. He had absolutely no idea what caused the hole in the service module. Recently, The People’s Liberation Army, Strategic Support Force in China claiming for a “major overhaul of the geostationary satellite orbit”, has experimented on destroying their own satellites. The director vaguely suspected that such experiment may have something to do with this situation. In order to destroy a satellite which has terminated its service, it is a common sense to move it over 150km higher level, China often ignored the process. Since the Earth’s Control Center of Dragonfly, did not get full support from NASA, PDAM (Pre-determined Avoidance Maneuver) was not prepared nor expected.

A rectangular object flew over to Rei and hit her head. She was wearing a helmet, but nevertheless she almost fainted. The tape player which Hugh carried with him, was called MYMY. It was a popular item back in 1980’s. Rei breathed in and out. It was a sign that she had made her decision. Rei pulled out a USB cable which was connected the experimental device, and tied the cable around Hugh and herself.

“Chang, listen up” said Rei. “I am here!” Chang answered in loud voice. “I know we can’t stop this, but let’s change the service module’s rotation axis by remote control.” Rai proposed a new alternative. Chang said, “How do we do that?” Rai explained, “Let’s make module rotate around the center.” “What are you thinking?” Chang couldn't understand what Rai want. "Time was limited." Rei shouted. “Quick! We can’t all die like this. Hurry up!”

Chang and Alex decided to do what Rei want. “OK, we go in 30 seconds. The duration of the service module’s posture control engine lasts only about 1 minute.”

“Alex!” Rei called Alex. “I hear you, Rei.” Robin Alex who was in charge of the joystick in place of Rei, the pilot, held the joystick tighter than before. Rei asked, “And I know it’s dangerous, but please come a little, just a little closer. This is all I can say.” Alex replied in a determined manner, “Right. Then, I will approach the closest I can get.”

Chang counted the number backwards, starting from 5.

“Now. Start engine injection!”

The service module which was rotating in random, temporarily revolved in one direction. Although not perfect, it rotated with its body as axis. Soon, Robin Alex and Michelle Chang could not believe the sight unfolding in front of their eyes. Ayanami Rei jumped up high into the space, as if stomping her feet to do a turn in a swimming pool, The remaining air. odds and ends in the service module poured out simultaneously.

“My goodness, Look at that! That’s a pressure suit, not a spacesuit!” Chang screamed in astonishment.

Rei was holding onto something looking like a soccer ball with her hands. It was the ship’s assistant robot named Exi. Exi had a small compressed nitrogen tank installed so that it can change its posture in a vacuum condition. Rei put a hole in it to achieve additional driving force. As she was wearing just a simple pressure suit, she would probably be able to withstand only for about 1 minute. Temperature in space could go up as high as +120 degrees celsius to -148 degrees celsius. “This is a great rendez-vous." Alex muttered and moved the joystick calmly .

Fortunately, the command module’s control system was way smarter compared to the old days when Apollo was around. Finally, Rei’s extended hand reached the command module’s rail.

“Wow!” The command module, the Earth’s control tower, and the audience watching from all around the world applauded at Rei. Rei had accomplished a “Great Leap” which none had attempted before, with the blue Earth shining behind as background.

BBC had to endure overwhelming phone calls of complaints. A broadcaster abiding by its moral values is not always complimented.