Chapter 20: VIP Upgrade
Pulling up to the building they found two astronauts lounging by the door waiting on them to arrive. Surprisingly, as they pulled up and parked in one of the available spaces, the astronauts started rolling out a small red carpet and then bowed down extra low on either side of the carpet when they started to get out of the car.
Walking up to the male astronaut, Stephan bent down and pulled him to stand up as he exclaimed, "Greg! Man! What's with the show? We're just here to catch a ride so I don't see the sense in treating us like the Queen of England or something man.
Come on! I mean, if anything, I'd expect you to be disliking if not actively hating me right now after I pulled you in for an interview last year and then had to drop you like a hot potato when I saw how NASA had took out patents and copyrights on just about anything you had even touched over the last 20 years." He finished saying, "Come on now. Both of you can cut the act and just tell me what's going on, alright?
The female astronaut frowned and regrettably answered, "As much as Greg tried to set them straight, the top brass insisted we treat you guys like VIPs and wait on you hand and foot because if your engine test works out even half as good as you have projected, publicly at least, they're hoping to sweet talk you into building them a couple engines for the space station, for some satellites, some cleanup drones, and maybe even for a couple of new shuttles and all."
Greg summarized, "Basically, what Angie is trying to say is they wanted us to do as much butt kissing ahead of time so they wouldn't have to kiss as much themselves when you get back."
Rachel patted him on his shoulder with a sympathizing look, consoling, "Ouch, man. Ouch. Feel for you with them putting you on the spot like this cause I know it must be hard for you after trying for years to score a spot with us."
Angie replied with a smirk, "Oh, don't feel sorry for this jerk. He went and played up the VIP angle and talked them into upgrading your flight from an Apollo class ship to one of those Challenger class shuttles that they only use like once a decade."
Sensing the aggravation this was causing Angie, Holly asked, "And this is a bad thing because....?"
Angie turned to her and vented, "With us being the only two astronauts left that are certified to fly the damn thing he basically ended up selling our tickets to the originally scheduled year long stay on the station for a short stay while we wait on you to get back from your test because we have to fly you home."
Stephan interrupted with, "Sorry for breaking up the pity party but we have to get suited up and ready to lift off in two hours and fifteen minutes. So we need to at least move the party inside so we can suit up."
Dawn grumbled as she walked into the building, "Oh. Yay. I am so looking forward to dressing up like a marshmallow woman."
Hearing her, Greg laughed and told her while looking at Stephan, "Don't worry about that part cause along with talking them into the shuttle I was able to replace those big bulky suits with the suits I designed for them so you'll all get to appreciate something that mister master inventor missed out on."
Thankful, Dawn gave him a quick hug as she thanked him, "Oh! Thank you so much! I've been dreading having to put a big, fancy, dryer vent on and then having to wear it until we got up there!"
As they then came up to the fitting area, Angie told the girls, "Being as boys can't operate their brains when they see women getting dressed or undressed, we are going into this fitting room while they get to go across the hall to the other fitting room. Then, after we are done, we will all meet up at the bus."
Dawn chuckled, pointed towards Holly and Rachel, and informed Angie, "I know of at least two females that are in that club as well. So you probably want to keep your back to the wall and your eyes on them while you're getting dressed or you might get ambushed by these two."
Angie groaned in reply and said, "Oh great. I guess it's a good thing I'm used to dressing in these rooms with crews full of guys then. And thanks for the warning because I wouldn't have been expecting to be on show otherwise." She then lead them into the fitting room set up like a locker room and directed them to the lockers that had been assigned to them with their suits in them. And, as she opened her own locker and started emptying her pockets, she turned to Holly and Rachel and firmly ordered them, "Ok you two! I have been warned about your likely behavior and so I am going to tell you both right now that I don't care what you look at or what you think of what you see but you will follow the same rule as all of the male astronauts and that is, simply put, look but don't touch."
A few seconds later, as she started to lift her shirt and saw them trying to slowly edge their way closer to her, she added, "And in case you two not so sneaky horn dogs are thinking of getting any closer I should warn you that I started out as a Seal and I know hand to hand combat plus have black belts in three different martial arts. So I would advise against coming within swinging range because you can't steer that ship with a black eye or sprained wrist." After which both of them quickly turned back to their own lockers and quickly busied themselves with getting undressed and putting their own suits on.
Meanwhile, in the other fitting room, Stephan asked Greg as they were getting ready, "So how did you get them to go with these new suits? I know they had taken out the patents on it when we talked last but I hadn't heard of them even thinking about ever using them."
He answered, "Ironically, my break came with the last VIP trip they rolled a Challenger class shuttle out for. The President and the U.N.'s Secretary General wanted to fly up to the station and announce to the world that our Space Force had signed up to be the UN's watchdogs and send meteorites down on any missiles and bases firing rockets into another country's airspace or any other similar unfriendly action if the Secretary ordered it. And, with them wanting to look more, um, photogenic for the video and pictures they wanted to release to the press, the top brass decided to start using these suits for VIP visits and, if they worked out, gradually phase them in for all flights over the next decade or so."
Stephan smiled and congratulated him, "I'm glad they finally gave you a shot and started to use something of your design instead of continuing to filing for the patents just to make money off of them if an outside company ever needed or came up with something similar."
"Thanks." Greg replied, "I wish it could have been with you guys but I guess this small victory is still a step in the right direction. Or," he continued with a sly smirk at Stephan, "It might show some of these private space companies how much value I could add to their company when they hire me."
Stephan chuckled as he acted like he had been stabbed and said, "Touché, man. Touché. But trust me man, if I hadn't of been fighting a patent battle already with them over the very idea of a quantum engine I probably would have tried to sneak you away. But with them using your design for some type of force field thingy using quantum energy itself as the basis of their fight against my patent application for the engine, me even letting you in the building was a firecracker in and of itself. And, when they found out it was for an interview, they tried to use the interview as proof that I was trying to steal your design and keep them from getting a patent on it. So until that battle was over I couldn't even drive in your half of the state without them trying to use it against me. That's why I had to have Ranita call and why she could only tell you that the job was no longer available."
"Ouch." Greg replied with a grimace, "At least now I know why you were giving me the cold shoulder because the brass were trying to play it off like they had shown you how good of an engineer I was and you told them you couldn't afford me and walked away. They never said those meetings were really about those patents. But, in a way, I should thank you for it because with them comparing my field design to your engine made them end up getting their patent declined after they lost the fight to take ownership of your engine patent. And so I own the patent in my name and not theirs now."
Stephan laughed as he finished suiting up and told Greg, "Well looks like we both won that fight then. Which, truth be told, makes me feel a little better because having to spend over a million dollars in legal fees fighting to get my patent doesn't irk as much knowing that they lost that battle twice."
Greg did a performer's bow and told Stephan as they left the fitting room, "And the best part about it is you get to see that field device in action during the trip."
"Sneaky sneaky sneaky. Keep it up and you might be able to launch a comedy career." Stephan laughed as he followed.
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