"They're going to tell me I can't go? Screw them."
Zane sat silently in the bus back to GD, smirking to himself. So…JoJo had wanted to be an astronaut. He may not have let on, but he had heard the tone in her voice. She'd dreamt of it, and part of her was still dreaming. I wonder if she ever went to space camp? he thought idly. He grinned as his mind flashed back to his own youth, dressed up in that blue jumpsuit, staring up at the Saturn V and dreaming in the Alabama heat*. She would have fit right in.
Zane knew the requirements for the Astreaus mission. They weren't much different than the current NASA astronaut candidate requirements. And he fit the bill perfectly. Degree in the physical sciences, check. Ability to pass the rigorous physical, check. SCUBA qualified, check. As for the psych evaluation, no one really knew for sure if they would pass until they were told one way or the other, but he was sure the high-stress and fast paced environment at GD certainly attested to his ability to work well with others under extreme conditions. Damn that felony record. If he had known, years ago, that he'd ever have the opportunity… but this was beyond anything he could have ever imagined, even as a kid. FTL travel had been purely science fiction.
He sighed and his mind wandered back to Jo. Her military and flight school background made her valuable as both a leader and a pilot for any surface landing modules and vehicles they might use. But he also knew that most of this mission was reserved for the scientists, and while she was plenty smart, she didn't have the advanced degrees and research that all of the other candidates had. Zane frowned. He wasn't sure where their relationship was going, but he'd much rather they go together than one of them get left behind. She really does make life more interesting.
Zane looked up as the bus slowed to a stop and the door opened in front of GD. He walked determinedly to his office, deciding that if he couldn't be training physically, he could be improving his galaxy and star-system model simulation code for finding potential exploration locations after Titan. With the data he could gather once on Titan, his models could help find highly desirable exo-planets and moons for further exploration. The thought of stepping foot on a planet in another solar system made him lightheaded. Grinning, he buried himself in orbital equations and gravitational perturbations.
An hour into his work, Zane heard a commotion outside his door and looked up to see an enthusiastic Director Fargo and Dr. Marten walk by his office. Curious, he rushed out the door to catch up with them.
"Dr. Fargo!" he called. "Dr. Marten!"
"Zane," Fargo exclaimed with a smile, "we saved Carter and the bank!"
Carter?
"Well," added Dr. Marten, breathlessly, "Ms. Lupo really did most of the saving. She was quite brilliant, actually!" **
Zane grinned, and it only grew as Fargo and Marten relayed the eventful story. That's my JoJo. Brilliant, cool headed, and life-saving. Truly a knock-out in all senses of the word. "Some people are just full of surprises," he said cryptically, before raising a hand as they departed. An idea was forming in his mind, but he had some preparing to do.
An hour later, Zane was locking up his office and on his way to Café Diem, smiling to himself. He'd filled his tablet with lesson plans and exercises in orbital mechanics, cosmology, planetary physics, accretion theory, and exo-planet detection techniques. Now I just need to convince her to join me.
Zane had to admit that just a few months ago, the thought of tutoring Jo in astrophysics in the hopes that they could go on a mission to Titan together was as unbelievable as, well… as me asking her to marry me. And yet, neither thought seemed at all improbable now. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. As he stepped into Café Diem and saw her sitting at the counter, he smiled. We can do this, JoJo. You just have to try with me.
*I actually work just five minutes from the Space Camp in Huntsville, AL (I can see the Saturn V from my building), and while I didn't attend as a kid, my husband did. I have been in and around the Space and Rocket Center many times and seen hundreds of blue-suited kids with so much excitement in their eyes. It's pretty awesome. I'm really curious to see what episode 4.18 has in store.
Also, right next to Space Camp is something called Aviation Challenge (more like flight school for kids). My husband actually did this twice. I can totally see Jo going, too.
**This single line was one of the easiest to write…apparently I've got Dr. Marten's voice in my head. I'll have to try to fit her into more stories, where applicable.