Page 13 - Unlikely Stories 3

Recall Mission

“Yes,” he sighed. “I would have had to. And I see the analogy.
One can only imagine what Einstein went through before he wrote
that letter to Roosevelt.”
A hurdle had been leapt. The visitors relaxed slightly.
The NASA administrator broke the brief silence. “You are the
leading scientist—in fact, one of very few—who has not abandoned
the hope of building a warp drive spaceship.”
“True. It may be a quixotic fantasy, but perhaps no more so than
cold fusion. Alcubierre provided the theoretical basis to which I have
made a small contribution. Perhaps you have seen my article in the
Annalen der Physik.”
General Hawke again could not restrain his impatience. “You can
discuss that with whomever you pick to be on your team. Resources
are virtually unlimited. We must stop that missile!”
“What about my colleagues overseas?”
Barkenbeit frowned. “That is a problem, but not insurmountable.
You see, since the United States acted unilaterally and secretly, we
will have serious diplomatic trouble getting co-operation now. But if
you need someone desperately, we will find a way.”
Dreyfuss glanced around his office, wondering if he would see it
again. He opened his briefcase and started filling it with items on his
desk. The general and the senator got to their feet.
“All right. I’ll go. But please keep three things in mind. First, I
cannot guarantee results. Second, I hope you are already sending your
own warning messages into space. And third, start another crash
program to colonize Mars: we have all our eggs in one basket case.”

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