The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

came back with the news.
    “Because that ship was going to be unmanned, no risk of hazardous radiation, no food supply, air tanks and million other things. You know damn well how much job is required to send a man to the moon. And this is a mission to a distance of ninety AU. It will take months to reach there.”
    As the old scientist and his colleagues argued, two people at the end of the table watched them carefully. The older one smiled and looked at his colleague.
    “I knew that scientists are boring but I never imagined how much.”
    “You got that right Sam. I think that I should stop them before this gets out of hand.”
    “Yea, I believe its time.”
    The younger one looked at one of the scientists in the room.
    Edward observed the discussion and looked at the paper he was holding in his hand. The document had the name Long Shot written on top.  He was the youngest of the entire scientist staff in the room. A Harvard graduate he came to work in NASA at the start of the Long Shot project. He was recruited by Dr. Paterson and they became coworkers on what seemed to be the biggest project since the first landing on the moon. And it was until this landed in their lap. When he first saw the results it was hard to believe but as the days passed and the probe kept sending images and scans he became more and more fascinated by the project. And he knew that he had the answer to the question. He looked at the two men on the end of the table. They were sent by the military. They were both engineers in the navy and their specialty, building ships and submarines. All it took was one evening discussion and a look at the papers of the Long Shot project and they told him that they can build the ship. And he knew that they spoke the truth.
    “I think you should see this gentleman.”
    As he said those words, all heads turned to him.
    Dr. Paterson looked at his younger colleague. He knew that he wouldn’t interfere in the discussion unless he had something important. As he looked at he also looked at the two men that were sitting on the opposite side. He was informed that the military is sending some of their experts as well to help with the problems they were facing. He couldn’t imagine how but he was willing to listen to them.
    “See what Ed?”
    At those words the older men wearing a naval uniform stood up.
    “The Long Shot project and it’s applications in this situation.”
    “What applications?”
    “As you well know the ship that was supposed to go to Beta Centauri had to have an engine and energy output that would last for years. Several applications of current technologies were dropped because we can’t sustain the systems for a hundred years. But those systems gentlemen can be used here. Because the trip won’t last a hundred years and it won’t need a reactor like the one you envisioned. “
    “What systems?”
    “A space ship with nuclear reactors and an ion drive. We will use both the VASIMR system and a hydrogen powered thrusters.”
    The scientist looked at the engineers.
    “The power requirements for that are possible but the trust will be to low and it will take months, even years to accelerate it to the required speed.”
    Edward looked at the older scientist and smiled. He picked up a sheet of paper and unfolded on the table before the surprised scientists. On it they could see the drawings of a ship.
    As he did that the engineer smiled.
    “Not with the nuclear powered generators gentlemen. Your estimates are connected with the VASIMR concept used at ten megawatts of power. Imagine the power output with four nuclear reactors with total power output of two thousand megawatts.
    It won’t reach the speed the Long Shot project envisioned but it will reach half that speed. And that is enough to make it to your dwarf planet and back in two months.”
    As he listened Paterson smiled for the first time in a month. As he smiled the engineer looked at him.
    “I suppose you like it Christian.”
    The