The person in charge of the space mission and the general in charge of Patrol, was reflecting on the whereabouts of the crew.
— Why has Colonel Eva not reported yet? Patrol pondered about the mission.
There were many questions that invaded his thoughts and interfered with his sleep.
General Patrol picked up the speaker of his phone and contacted the control tower and then made a yawning gesture.
— Good morning, I want a report on the departure time and the last communication established with the space shuttle, I also want to know about the operation of the satellite.
— Yes, sir, we will work on the report immediately, replied the lieutenant in charge of operations.
— So far there are no signs of the crew, sir.
— Many hours have passed, they must have already arrived, something is not right, replied the general.
— If you allow me, sir, they surely ran into some meteorite, my general, replied the lieutenant, as if to say any comment that came to mind.
— Let's wait twenty-four more hours as the regulations indicate, otherwise we must evaluate the situation, replied the general with an apparently calm voice.
— Activate and send a signal to the ship's transmitters and to the suits of each crew member, since the receivers must send coordinates automatically.
— Yes, sir, we will do all the communication and transmission tests to corroborate the location of the crew members.
For General Patrol, some things could get out of control, but if the necessary preventive measures were taken, there would be hope of finding what was lost.
— Space did not swallow people, he answered himself.
— Anything else, General Patrol, that I can help you with, asked the lieutenant.
— No, lieutenant, please do your duty.
Once the conversation with his superior was over, the lieutenant decided to make other calls regarding the case.
The lieutenant was a tall man, six feet five inches tall and somewhat stocky. He was on special missions and was decorated with the blue sapphire star for his bravery and performance in undercover missions after the Persian Gulf and the conflict against Iraq.
Some called him the Rock because of his physical build; he gave the appearance of someone with strength and endurance.
His friends called him Big Dick and his name was James Bolton. He had a wife and two beautiful girls who lived in Texas, a little far from the military base.
On the other side of the base were the aeronautical engineers, the mechanics and their assistants.
The NASA team was made up of a highly valuable human resource, unique among space agencies and throughout the country.
At the other end of the base and a little further to the south-west, the staff residences could be seen, as well as recreational areas, cafeterias, dining rooms, theaters and audiovisual rooms, followed by basketball, tennis and soccer fields and a stadium of significant proportions for regional championships.
Very close to the residences, but this time towards the other south-east end, was the officers' social club, which was equipped with swimming pools, bars and parks for exercising and running a bit.
A whole city and benefits were offered by the military base in charge of all processes and administration of space.
There were many who dreamed of an administrative base in space, with continuous transportation back and forth to Earth.
Some even thought that life on Earth would end and that a great explosion would restart the entire universal system or that a large meteorite would extinguish the human race.
Some engineers were already working in robotics and others were already doing their first tests with AI, bearing fruit in the field of research.
The work day ended with social gatherings, basketball games and a few drinks to relax after a tense and demanding day.
Others continued working day and night without stopping, as some also chose to exercise in the middle of a cool and light sunset.
General Patrol was preparing to listen to some conversations and recordings of the crew, before and after the trip. In some cases, if the ship was not in a collision, the black box could still be accessed remotely. In that box would be the recording during the trip until the moment of signal loss.
The general stopped at an intimate recording between Colonel Eva and Engineer Jack, and noticed that there was a romance, which made him raise more suspicions about what could have happened on the trip.
It is no secret that Colonel Eva's mother was Dr. Susan, who had been lost in space for more than two years and that the objective of the mission was to bring her back, since they had detected signs of life in the vicinity of the planet Mars.
According to the latest photographs taken by the Smart satellite, a possible discovery could be observed on the projected shadow of a female silhouette that perfectly matches the physical silhouette of Dr. Susan.
Some experts in drawing and recognition announced that there was a high probability that the silhouette matched Susan's physical features.
This photograph was sent to the AI department to do image pattern recognition and compare them with the original photos of Susan while she was on Earth.
From there the project of the space mission was born, which was destined for some eventuality in the future and was perfectly justified before the security council of the space administration.
As was well known, Dr. Susan had advanced a great research on genetics about life on the red planet, very advanced for the time and the government provided support for her research.
There was no objection in the Senate chamber, nor in the House of Representatives in relation to this subject.
General Patrol received a call when he was preparing to leave the base, it was Congressman Abraham Sims.
— General Patrol, this is Abraham Sims, long time no news from you, how have you been my great friend? he intervened with much enthusiasm
— My dear and respectable Congressman Abraham Sims, known in high places as the Titan of Congress, he replied with the confidence of the friendship that united them
— What do you know about Dr. Susan? the Congressman asked in a pleasant voice
— In reality we lost all contact with the crew.
— Did we also lose the crew, my general?
— As much as losing it, no! my great friend.
— Do you have suspicions of treason, my general?
— You should not be a congressman, you should be a witch, replied the general laughing at the comment.
— I have my suspicions about your hypothesis, congressman, but it is still too early to confirm them, replied the general with a firm and confident voice.
— I understand, my general, and where are you now?, asked the Congressman
— I am going to the nightclub to clear my mind, replied the general
— To the same one where you and I went?
— To the same one, my great friend, why? Do you want to go with your old man?
friend?
— I would love to relive old times, hey, and is the slender redheaded dancer who served us like kings still there?
— Yes, of course, she is the one in charge of the place now, the general replied
— See you there, general, replied the congressman with much enthusiasm.
— Ready, Congressman, see you there, replied the general with much joy as well
The general was getting ready to get into his black Ford Bronco pickup truck, he turned the ignition switch and turned the steering wheel to the right looking for the exit of the gate.
— Good night, General, replied the guard on duty, who saluted like a soldier.
— Happy night, corporal, replied the general
The general accelerated the truck and headed to the eighty transversal looking for the short route that led to the nightclub.
The truck turned the circle and then went through a dirt road and then joined the highway and finally, after a journey of approximately forty minutes, the black Bronco pickup truck was parked at the meeting place.
The general changed his shirt and became a civilian.
He entered the bar and was greeted with great enthusiasm by the hostess who, upon seeing him, recognized that he was a frequent customer, none other than General Patrol.
— Good evening, General, how nice to have you here, the hostess replied with great flirtation.
— Thank you, Sindy, for your warm welcome, the general replied with a smile on his face.
The security personnel watched the entrance and upon seeing the general arrive, they all approached and stood at attention and gave their customary military salute.
— Good evening, Marines, John, Kane, Douglas
— Good evening, my general, they all replied in synchronized chorus.
The girls in the place were pole dancing and showing off their vigor and different gymnastic styles in their performing arts.
A few minutes later Congressman Abraham Sims would enter, with a smile on his face, who was received as an exclusive client of the area.
— Congressman, good evening, welcome, said Sindy.
— Thank you, darling, responded Abraham, who did not take his eyes off the hostess.
— I want you to join me and my friend to celebrate this beautiful night, responded the Congressman making the invitation.
— Of course, Congressman, we will have a lot of fun tonight, responded the hostess with a very sensual voice and with some bodily flirtation.
— There you are, my great friend, long time no see, responded the Congressman upon seeing the general enjoying a whiskey on the rocks.
— Hey!, my old friend of Abraham, how nice to see you here, brother.
They both gave each other a fraternal hug and got ready to talk, drink and share.